>Letters to Me: A Poem by Julie

>

Hi everyone, I hope you’re having a great Thursday!

Yesterday I went for a great 6-mile training run

How pretty?

Then packed a lunch then headed to Volunteer! On Wednesdays I volunteer as a Health and Wellness coach with inner city DC middle school kids. It’s such an amazing experience. After a great day, I met Lauren from Eat, Drink, and Be Hopeful for vino at Evo Bistro, a restaurant in McLean, VA. Sorry no pics, but we had a blast!!!

Today I have a special guest post for you from Julie of Peanut Butter Fingers. Julie wrote a poem as a fun twist for the “Letters to Me” campaign. Enjoy!

Fat free this and low carb that

I ate everything light so I wouldn’t get fat

I never felt satisfied

I never felt full

100 calorie packs of nothing…

How’s that for fuel?

Then one day

A light bulb clicked

And something changed

My mind had been tricked

Those Lean Cuisines

And frozen meals

We’re doing nothing for…

My healthy ideal

The way I was eating

Was totally deranged

Not enough veggies or fruit

My diet was strange

My mom’s breast cancer diagnosis

Hit me hard

I wanted to change my eating

My health, I would guard

A Lean Pocket doesn’t pack…

Much of a nutritional punch

I tossed those out

In favor of greens and protein for lunch

Dinners became full…

Of whole grains and legumes

I started reading healthy living blogs

And was totally consumed

These girls ate food

That was whole and real

Not fat free or light

But complete, nutritious meals

My goal then started…

To change a bit

Skinny wasn’t my priority

Nope, not one bit

All of the sudden my health came first

And my mind was made up

I would eat and feel satisfied

Not hungry and fed up

With a change in my diet

Came a change in my mood

I found myself more energetic

And happier, too

We are what we eat

Or so they say

I’m not fat-free or light

And I wouldn’t have it any other way

>Snoozefest

>Hi everyone,

Thanks for your amazing comments regarding my “Letters to Me” Campaign. If you haven’t read about the project please check it out! I am always accepting submissions and they can be anonymous. It’s really an amazing experience!

Click here to read the first letter by Naomi of OneFitFoodie.com

——–

This morning I woke later than I hoped (slept 11 hours, whoops) and whipped up some breakfast:

Maple Vanilla Oats

1/3 cup oats, 1/2 scoop vanilla protein, 3 T egg whites, 1 T maple syrup, cinnamon, apple pie spice, dash sea salt, stevia to taste, blob peanut butter

After running some errands with the pup 

He clearly loves the car

I met Alex for lunch at JuiceZone. I went with Kombucha, a wheat grass shot, and some veggie juice since I just ate breakfast (whoops #2 for waking late)

Apple, ginger, parsley, spinach, and carrot

After chatting it up for a while I made my way to the gym for a trainer appointment to learn exercises to stretch my iliotibial (IT) band. The appointment only took about 30 mins so hit the weights for the reminder of the time. Love feeling strong!

After a great gym sesh, I grabbed a protein bar and met the Manfriend at Trader Joe’s for some good ole grocery shopping! In my apartment we each (self, sister, Manfriend) take turns buying groceries. I nicely offered to accompany Seth on his turn since he walks around like a chicken with his head cut off 🙂

Post shopping I dove into our new produce and whipped up a refreshing salad:

Spinach, chickpea, and cilantro salad with hummus dressing

Spinach, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, chickpeas, cilantro topped with Trader Joe’s Jalapeno and Cilantro hummus.

*Tip: Hummus in place of salad dressing is fantastic. To thin it out a bit mix in a teeeny bit of water. It will spread much better.

——–

Well I’m off to read, prepare for tomorrow’s Volunteering (It’s Wellness Wednesday!) then catch up on Glee! And savor it all with a glass of shriaz perhaps?? 

Night y’all!

Laur

>"Letters to Me" Campaign

>Hi everyone, 

I’m super excited to announce a new campaign I’m launching called Letters to Me!

Campaign:

Knowing what you know today, the places you’ve been, and what you’ve learned, if you had the ability to write a letter to yourself and send it back in time what would you say? How would you address/prevent future low self esteem, poor self acceptance, etc.?

Please help others in need by writing a letter to your former self (can be anonymous) and discover how powerful self reflection can be. I will post a new as I receive them.

Send letters to: Biochemista@gmail.com. Letters can be as short as a paragraph.

———

The first letter comes from Naomi at OneFitFoodie.com:

Dear Naomi

I just wanted to talk to you a bit about the rough patch that you are going through at this time in your life and I am here to assure you that not only will it pass, but you will feel empowered, strong and vibrant like never before after I get done writing this letter. Why is it that you and your friends cared so much what Mary (made up name to keep privacy) thought about you? Was Mary in charge of your life, body, image, clothing and way of acting? Naomi, you have to understand that you have been blessed with the gift of life and YOU my dear, run your own life. In 15 years, who knows where Mary will be, what she is doing for a living, who her friends are, what her hobbies are…. what matters is what you think of yourself.  You will look back at this and want to laugh that you cared so much what others thought of you. Did you wear the ‘right colored pants’ to school? Did you have the coolest backpack, did you pack your own lunch but not eat it in the cafeteria because it was ‘not cool’ What made you do these things. Now, I want you to think how empowering it would feel if YOU were the one to choose what you wear to school everyday, YOU choose what you eat and when you eat it, YOU choose the backpack you want because well, that’s the one you like. You should never do things because other people are telling you to. Does what you do in your life now have anything to do with what Mary thought of you? I didn’t think so.

Naomi, I remember that day in middle school, you were 14 years old and it was during lunch. You heard a rumor that ‘your friends’ were drinking alcohol in the girls bathroom. Your heart started racing, you started getting anxious, nervous and sweaty, not because you were worried about your friends getting caught but you were worried about what they would think of you if you DIDN’T join them. Your life would be ruined, right?…WRONG. You will feel empowered and strong and you will smile deep down knowing you were way too young to drink alcohol, let alone on school property and let alone that you just had no interest.  DON’T get scared about doing the right thing and doing what works for you. In the long run, it will make you a stronger person.

I remember when you and your friends would go shopping and they would try on tight, small clothes, look in the mirror and strut their stuff. You would usually walk out with a hair accessory and perfume from Claires. Why didn’t you want to try on clothes with your friends, Naomi? You were and still are beautiful. Sure you weren’t stick skinny, but you. are. BEAUTIFUL. Embrace what you have; Brains, beauty, amazing sister, daughter, granddaughter, friend and person. Feel free to sit back in awe and disbelief when your friend get caught stealing clothing at a high end store (yes that happened) ALWAYS stand by what you believe in, and what you stand for.

ALWAYS show your family how thankful you are to have them. Your mom and dad not only put you on this earth, but love you beyond what you can imagine. They are and always were here for YOU and your brother. They always wanted the best for you and would drop anything at anytime to make you happy. Never take them for granted. When you are in a bad mood—don’t take it out on them, they don’t deserve it. Instead, share with them what you are feeling and I promise, they will help you through it. I know these years are difficult to show your appreciation, love and affection for your parents, but try, just try to make an effort to show how much you love and need them in your life. And when you went on your ‘first date’ with your boyfriend in 7th grade, and you got so upset that your dad stayed with you in the movie theater–he was being a good father and protective, he wasn’t trying to make you upset. You weren’t 21, you were 14 years old. Listen to your parents. 


Your dad always told you every single day “Never be ordinary & make a difference” You would brush the words off like they were nothing, but really deep down I know you wanted to never be ordinary. You never were, and never will be. Go to the beat of your own drum, Naomi and never forget that.


LIVE LOVE AND ALWAYS BE YOU


Sincerely & with love,
Naomi

>Rainy day

>Hi everyone,

I hope your week is off to a great start. Last night after my 13 mile run and amazing magic soup, I spent the evening reading in bed instead of TV. I figured I’d put the DVR to use and enjoyed the alone time 🙂  Are you reading any good books?

Oh, and I did step out for some FroYo:

Tart frozen yogurt topped with fresh strawberries and bananas ❤

Well today is the first rainy day here in The District in a while – and I’m very much enjoying it. This morning I woke to a delicious bowl of oatmeal. Why haven’t I tried this simple combo before???

1/3 cup oats, 1 scoop vanilla SunWarrior, 1 T almond butter, 1T organic maple syrup

And the perfect cup of coffee with frothed almond milk

Then not wanting to do much else than play in the kitchen, I decided to play my luck and create some oatmeal raisin protein cookies. Because clearly, everything is better with SunWarrior.

Topped with Peanut Butter and cinnamon. 


Recipe coming soon! 

Normally I wouldn’t run the day after a long run but I’m just itching to get outside and run in the rain! I’m planning on a short (3-4 miler) at a slower than normal pace just to be safe.

….Sometimes ya just gotta run! 

Have a great rest of your day!

Lauren

>Reason #489304 why Washington, DC is the best (running) city

>Today was a fantastic day. I completed 13 beautiful yet painful miles in the most gorgeous city, Washington, DC.

How beautiful is DC? After stretching, hydrating, and showering I made MAGIC SOUP!

For recipes click here and here

A hearty meal was in order, I had nooo energy for the run today. But I finished it! Now time for some Sunday night TV.

See ya tomorrow!

Laur

>Some much needed rest

>Happy Sunday! It’s a cool and rainy day here in the nation’s capitol. Not going to say I’m too upset about it. We need some rain! Also, I have 13 miles to run today as part of my marathon training and I MUCH prefer it not to be 90F.

How are you enjoying your Sunday?

Yesterday was definitely a day of rest in my casa. I spent the day reading and relaxing and called it an early night. Sometimes you just need a day of peace and quiet.

Yesterday’s meals included the best tuna salad everrrr:

Tuna, black beans, cherry tomatoes, kosher dill pickles, yellow onion, tons of dill, dash sea salt, black pepper and moistened with Greek yogurt (instead of mayo) and a splash of pickle juice 

Topped over toasted whole grain smeared w/ light laughing cow cheese. Heavenly, I tell you.

I later snacked on a simple salad 

 Topped with light balsamic vinaigrette and nutritional yeast

For dinner, I was craving EGGS!

1/3 cup egg whites with melted light laughing cow cheese topped over multigrain

It was a fantastically simple and rejuvenating day. And much needed.

——-

This morning I woke STARVED and luckily for me, I prepared some overnight oats last night:

 1/3 cup oats, 1 T chia seeds, 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup coconut kefir, 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder, 1/4 cup frozen raspberries, 1/2 t maca powder, stevia, dash sea salt

So so so good.

Alright it’s about time for some coffee. I’m also working on an exciting project for my blog (!) that I’ll be sharing within the next week. So stay tuned 🙂

Have a great day. Fingers crossed I have a successful 13 miles!

Laur

>Shake what yo mama gave you

>Hi all,

Thanks to those if you that provided insight into yesterday’s article on cigarette smoking. It’s still shocking to me. Maybe it’s because I’m living in DC, a very active city – but nonetheless, I still see smokers way more than I’d like.

Yesterday was a wonderful day. I woke to a cuddly pup, made coffee and enjoyed a smoothie on the deck in the beautiful sunshine, because look what just arrived!

Alas!

Raspberry-Vanilla- Almond Smoothie:

1 scoop vanilla SunWarrior protein, 1/3 cup frozen raspberries, 1/2 frozen banana, heaping hand full fresh spinach, 1 T almond butter (promotes absorption of fat soluble vitamins), 1 tsp SuperGreens, pinch xanthan gum (to thicken), dash sea salt (to bring out sweetness), stevia, 1/2 cup coconut kefir, ice, H20

After digesting, I headed to the the gym for a little cardio + weights. I ran 20 mins, 2.5% incline, 7.7mph (7:47 mile/min) then did 50 mins of a BodyPump-inspired total body weights session. And today, my arms and booty are sore!

Post-gym I ran errands, did some reading, then refueled with leftover herb dijon salmon over spinach, cherry tomatoes, cukes, and light balsamic vinaigrette. Hit the spot.

[Insert more reading + snacking]

Dark chocolate + Coffee w/ steamed almond milk ❤

And then a night of dancing with the girls! I haven’t danced that long in a looong time.

Only pic I managed to snap the whole night. Plus I was a sweaty beast by the end 🙂

——

This morning I woke craving Pancakes!

Raspberry Vanilla Pancakes: Mix: 1 scoop vanilla protein powder, 1/3 cup egg whites, 1/2 banana, 1/4 cup raspberries, 1 tsp flax seeds, cinnamon, apple pie spice, stevia, dash sea salt, pinch baking powder, almond milk to moisten

Mix makes 2 of these guys (or 1 ginormous one)

Love.

——

The rest of the day includes:

Reading

Walk with Alyson (?)

Call it an early night

——

Have a great Saturday! 

What are you most looking forward to this weekend???

Laur

>Smoking levels not on the decline

>According to a new report published by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), smoking levels in the US over the last 5 years have reached a standstill among all ages, sex, and accounting for education and income disparities, respectively.

“The slowing in the decline observed for youth cigarette smoking indicates that cigarette smoking among adults and the associated morbidity and mortality will continue to be important public health issues for the foreseeable future” -Dr. Shanta R. Dube, National Center for Chronic Prevention and Health Promotion

To read the original articles, click here and here.

Are you surprised by this??

>The perfect date

>Hope your day was great! I had a fantastically productive and romantic day…

I woke to some Peanut Butter & Banana Chia oats I prepared the night before. Overnight oats are fantastic. You throw 90% of the ingredients in a bowl, throw it in the fridge, heat the next morning for 3 mins and stir in some protein powder. Easy peasy, hearty and delicious.

Night before, Combine, mix, and throw in fridge:

1/3 cup oats

1 T chia seeds

1 T PB (or 2 T PB Flour)

3 T egg whites

pinch sea salt

1 cup H20 (or almond/soy milk)

Next morning – Microwave 3 mins (or until oats rise/boil) then:

Stir in 1/2 cup protein powder (chocolate or vanilla)

1/2 banana

Stevia to taste

*Click here to read about benefits of Chia

After digesting breakfast, what I should have done was go running while I wouldn’t die it was still cool. Instead, I lounged around the apartment until it was time to volunteer (which was amazing).

A quick note on where I volunteer and the amazing program the kids I work with: As I mentioned earlier, I volunteer every Wednesday as a health/wellness coach with inner city middle school kids in DC. Not only do I lead the physical activity component, but I also participate in “breakout sessions” where we teach the kids anything under the sun that they might be missing at home. Topics include: Respect in the household, preparing for a successful HS and college career, nutrition, how to become financially responsible, etc.

The school participates in a new government funded program where they go to school an hour longer each day and allowing them to take a half day on Wednesday where they can participate in Wellness Wednesdays. How cool, right? From what I hear, the kids are making remarkable improvements in all aspects of their lives.

—–

When I returned home from volunteering, I made a quick snack to refuel:

Diced [gigantic] fuji apple w/ *mesquite, cinnamon and PB

(*Mesquite is a sweet, nutty/caramel tasting spice, high in zinc, calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, and lysine. I also add it to smoothies and oatmeal.)

Then hit the pavement for my 6-mile (marathon!) training run. I contemplated running at the gym because it was 87F but when this is in your backyard, it’s hard to pass up:

Needless to say, I made the wrong choice and ran 6 painful miles in the scorching heat. I stopped for a few mins around mile 4 to grab a cold water at Caribou Coffee (thank you nice coffee people for not judging me sweating all over your store) and again after the 6 miles at CVS for coconut water.

*Did you know for <80 calories, coconut water has more electrolytes than leading sports drinks and more potassium than 2 bananas?

Next time I will either: A) Run earlier when I know it will be 85F+ or B) Suck it up and hit the treadmill 🙂

—–
Once home, stretched & showered, I made a Raspberry-Chocolate Protein Smoothie to refuel and tie me over until dinner:

1 scoop chocolate protein powder (I use SunWarrior), 1/2 cup frozen raspberries, 1/2 frozen banana, pinch xanthan gum (to thicken), dash sea salt, stevia (to taste), ice, H20

Then it was time to get ready for DATE NIGHT! PS. The Manfriend is soooo sweet. When I was getting ready he told me he was running to the bank. I heard the doorbell ring and he was standing there looking dashing and holding flowers. Dreamy, I tell you.

We headed to Beacon Bar & Grill to have pre-dinner drinks on their amazing roof top deck:

The wine and cocktails were great..

His (rum and pineapple) + Hers (sauvignon blanc)

And the view was even better:

The appetizers however, not so much.. But I’ll definitely be back to enjoy the view & vino.

For dinner, we walked around and landed up at Teatro Goldoni. We each started with a drink:

Hers (Barcardi, soda water, splash oj) + His (a manly cosmo, hehehe)

Dipped AMAZING marinara baked bread in EVOO

And shared a mini plate of snapper. They nicely prepared the dish in EVOO for my lactose-challenged belly:

Seth went with the lamb:

While I went for the [grilled to perfection] salmon and veggies:

It was a lovely evening. After dating more than 10 years, you still know how to knock me off my feet ❤

——

This morning I woke early to walk the pup, made a Raspberry-Chocolate Smoothie (aaaagain, they’re so good!):

Same recipe as above + heaping hand full spinach and a pup

Today’s agenda:

– Spinning class
– Errands/lunch
– Head to work for the night

Have a great Thursday!

Lauren

>26.2 and Giveaway winner

>Hi everyone, I hope you had a bueno day. First thing’s first, I can hardly hold in my excitement…

I’m officially registered for the SunTrust Richmond Marathon on November 13th! This will be my 6th marathon 🙂 I haven’t run one since 2007 so I’m extra excited!

source

*Also, check out my new Marathon Training tab and track my training progress!

——

I woke this morning and inhaled some Tropical Chia Oats – again. And a BIG ole mug of coffee + steamed almond milk.

Feeling very rejuvenated from yesterday’s Bikram Yoga class, I jogged to the gym (10 mins; my warm-up) for a 60 min Spinning class. Fantastic music and heart-PUMPING drills. Love.

In between cleaning and lots of errands I threw together a quick veggie salad with hummus & nutritional yeast dressing:

Spinach, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, cucumbers, and Hummut dressing (2 T hummus, 1 T nutritional yeast, 1 T H20)

*To read about the many benefits of Nutritional Yeast or “noosh”, click here.

Craving some additional protein, I made a Peanut Butter and Chocolate Protein Cupcake:

Recipe here

And made dinner to take with me to work:

Trader Joe’s Herb Dijon Salmon (added some red pepper flakes) cooked on the stove top served over sauteed spinach (satay in 1 T EVOO, dash sea salt, pepper, drizzle balsamic vinegar)

Although I had to cancel a dinner date with Lauren because I was called into work (we are rescheduling), it was a very exciting shift! I can’t wait to be a physician assistant someday 🙂

Alright, I’m off to read and enjoy a new (simple) snack obsession:

Partially thawed fruit (banana, mango, raspberries)

—-

Tomorrow I have a busy/exciting day that includes:

– 6 mile run

– Volunteering at YMCA as health/wellness coach for middle schoolers

– Date night with The Manfriend ❤

—–

Oh, ya want to know the winner of the Modern Bedding Giveaway???

Using a random number generator (aka asking Seth to blindly pick a number, haha), THE WINNER of my giveaway IS….

KATIE from Making Food and Other Stuff! Katie, e-mail me at Biochemista@gmail.com and I’ll send you the promo code!

——

Goodnight all!