>That’s a huuuuuge…TREE!

>

Season’s greetings from Washington!

White House Christmas tree

After a relaxing day off (aka sleeping ’til noon, watching more episodes of 90210 than I care to admit), I hit the pavement for a freeeezing refreshing 4.5 mile run around the White House! I know I say this all the time, but DC is such a beautiful city!

Getting ready for battle (sans make-up, be kind)

During the last mile I could already feel hunger pains setting in. Convenient considering we are in desperate need of a grocery trip. I whipped together a quick Indian dish with foods we usually always have on hand. And ya know what? It was pretty darn good!

Trader Joe’s Punjab Eggplant w/ green beans, corn, kidney beans, red peppers, and scrambled egg whites (only protein we had, haha)

The night was spent watching The Santa Claus 1 AND 2! And a nice big glass of red vino 🙂

And got into the holiday spirit with some new holiday red nails 🙂

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This morning I met Chase bright and early to take her BodyPump class. Girl is a great teacher! So enthusiastic and really motivating. Chase, I’ll happily take your class any time…wink wink, haha. After a heart and muscle-pumpin’ class we chatted over coffee and breakfast. A great start to my day! Thanks again girl ❤

—————–

And then it was time to [finally] get a Christmas tree!

Kelsey (sister) hugging the perfect one ❤

Oh, and it’s quite massive…

 Puts the other tree to SHAME!

Yeah, it’s 1/2 the size of our car…

Can’t wait to decorate!!

—————–

Well I’m off to bake some cookies for tomorrow’s Cookie exchange (so excited!) then head to bed early because tomorrow is Jingle All The Way 10K! Can’t wait to see/meet everyone!

XX,

Lauren

>Rejection hurts

>Hey guys,

How are you? Honestly, I’ve been better. What do you do when you’re world is turned upside down?

I run. And I run. And I run. Despite the fact it’s freezing outside.

Cardio + hot shower + comforting foods = a [somewhat] better outlook

Blueberry Protein Pancakes

1 1/2 scoops vanilla protein powder

1/3 cup egg whites

1/2 mashed banana

1/4 cup blueberries

1 t chia seeds

stevia

pinch sea salt

pinch baking powder

cinnamon

nutmeg

H20 to moisten

Pumpkin Oats

1/4 cup oats

1 t chia seeds

1 t flax seeds

1 cup H20

1/3 cup pumpkin

stevia

cinnamon

nutmeg

1/2 – 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (added after cooking)

——————

So what’s the deal? If you follow me on Twitter, you may be aware something has me down. On Wednesday, I was rejected from my top choice institution for PA (physician assistant) school. You can read about my major career change here and here.

I do have other options, but sadly my #1 is a no-go. The #1 prerequisite (aside from GPA) is direct patient care experience. To obtain this, I am working as a clinical technician (nursing assistant) on a transplant unit. I do have some experience, but evidently it’s not enough.

So where do I go from here? I need to decide to A) move with the Manfriend to another state soooon to attend another program or B) Wait another year, get the required experience, and reapply.

There are other programs in my area, but I really want to attend a top institution. Maybe it doesn’t matter in the end, but I worked so hard to get accepted into a top PhD program (I was studying at the National Institutes of Health), so something inside me doesn’t want to settle for an institution that’s not 100% right for me.

So what’s next? I’m not sure. But the world does go on, I suppose.

>Calling all DC/VA/MD runners!

>Who is running Jingle all the way 10K in DC this Sunday, Dec 12th? It’s one of my all-time FAVORITE races!

If you haven’t signed up yet and are in the area, do it! And don’t forget to dress in Holiday costume attire! Remember there’s no race-day registration so register online!

Soooo who else is running? A few of us are meeting up during/after the race. Let me know if you’re going to run it!

>Waaah.

>Hey y’all,

This is a quick post because I have quite the killer headache. No bueno 😦

I woke this morning feeling pretty good actually. Waking refreshed before the alarm always makes me feel like the day is going to be a good one. Boy was I wrong….

For breakfast I refused to accept that it’s 32F outside. It’s still fall in my eyes belly…

1/2 cup oats

1/2 cup organic pumpkin

1/4 cup egg whites

1 cup h20

stevia (2 servings)

cinnamon

nutmeg

dash sea salt

1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder (added after cooking)

Dollop Greek yogurt (sweetened with dash stevia)

[Insert 2.5 hour nap + Ibuprofen]

I woke hungry, head still aching, and threw together a quick, yet satisfying smoothie:

Berry Berry

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

1/4 cup Greek Yogurt

1/2 frozen banana

heaping handfull spinach

3/4 cup frozen berry blend

1 T almond butter

H20

pinch xanthan gum (to thicken)

stevia

dash sea salt (to bring out sweetness)

——————-

I’m off to get in a workout. Cardio seems to help in the headache department. I attribute it to increased oxygen to my brain…hahaha.

Have a good night ❤

Who’s watching GLEE tonight??

Check out the bottom of my Workout page. I’ve added links to my favorite races. <–Still a work in progress

>Late night fun

>Hope everyone had a wonderful & relaxing weekend. Mine was filled with holiday parties, some fun workouts, and a little bit of work.

For breakfast the last couple of days I brought back Protein Pancakes:

These are so quick and easy!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 scoops vanilla protein powder

1/3 cup egg whites

1/2 banana

1/4 cup blueberries

stevia (1 serving)

1/4 t cinnamon

dash nutmeg

pinch sea salt

H20 to moisten (<1/8 cup)

——————-

The Manfriend and I have recently been going on late night runs and I’m really enjoying it. I love running with him. He’s faster than me so I really push myself and it’s a nice way to bond and chat especially when we haven’t seen each other all day.

Mid-run sweatiness.

Recognize these stairs??? (My legs felt like blocks after running these)

source

After a freezing cold refreshing run, we invited some friends over for an impromptu wine & dinner party. I was even able to make it into bed before 11 to get some zzzz’s for my 6am wake-up call for work. Success!

——————

After working for 12 hours the next day (Saturday) and eating an early lunch, I nearly passed out from hunger by the time my shift was over. OK, a bit dramatic but I was craving this place…

Whole Foods Salad bar!

Turkey, chicken, egg whites, spinach, cilantro, veggies, black beans, chickpeas and wasabi peas, & balsamic vinegar.

Heaven, I tell ya.

After dinner I came home to the tail end of a holiday party hosted by my sister. Just in time for the dessert 🙂

——————

Have a great week everyone!

What are you most looking forward to this holiday season??

>Oh the weather outside is frightful, But the fire is so delightful..

>Does anyone know where fall went? I feel like summer was just around the corner and we just skipped over fall and it’s now magically December. Is it me or does time go by faster each year we grow older? Hmph.

It’s only a matter of days until we see this again…

Last winter in Washington, DC

——————

During the winter months I 90% of the time crave hot and comforting foods: think big bowls of oatmeal, soup, stews, etc. 

Almost every day recently I’ve been having a steaming hot bowls of… 

Blueberry Muffin Oats

1/3 cup oats (soaked overnight in 1 cup almond milk)

1/4 cup egg whites

cinnamon

nutmeg

pinch sea salt

stevia

1/3 cup blueberries

1/2 scoop vanilla protein (added after microwaving)

——————-

As the weather gets colder I typically replace salads, sushi, and other cold foods for those that warm my soul. Since I’ve been working a lot, most lunches have to be thrown together on the

fly

Some canned favorites

 For more protein add diced tofu and/or nutritional yeast 

 Spice ’em up with black pepper, cayenne, cumin, etc. and

ALL-time favorites

Indian fare: Add diced tofu, beans, and frozen veggies

Tomato/Pepper soup: Make magic soup!

Favorite veg burger

  Make veggie burger pizzas or toast them at work and top over toast + marinara 

Leftovers

Roasted veggies on day #2 are even better than day #1.

What are your favorite quick-prep winter meals???

——————–

Well I’m off to enjoy the rest of my day off! On today’s agenda:

– BodyPump class

– Run with the Manfriend

– Decorate/clean apartment

– Vino & dinner party

Have a great weekend,

Laur

*Something to read: Check out my BFF Alyson’s fun, quirky new blog!

>Be a real [hu]man

>

Today is World AIDS day. Have YOU been tested?

It’s YOUR responsibility to know. source

source

I’ve seen this poster around downtown DC and I love it. But I think it should say men and women!

Today we remember the millions of lives that have been lost. To read about what you can do, click here.

—————

Well it’s a monsoon here in Washington, DC. I’m off today and enjoying sipping coffee, listening to the storm, and relaxing with the pup. No need to get up and ready on a day like this right??

Coffee + almond milk compliments of Sir Keurig

Breakfast was great. I wasn’t starving so I whipped up this little beauty.

1/2 cup FF Greek yogurt + 1/4 cup organic pumpkin

(+ cinnamon, nutmeg, stevia, and some graham cracker topping)

—————–

A little rewind…

A few people have asked me what meals I like on the fly. You can read about some of my favorite breakfasts here. My genius sister came up with a brilliant idea…

Turn Gina’s Breakfast Cookie into a Breakfast Cookie Monster for the whole week!

Breakfast cookie X 6 servings!

Per breakfast cookie (1 serving):

1/3 cup oats

1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder

1/2 mashed banana

1T nut butter

1/8 cup milk

stevia (1 serving)

cinnamon

raisins

pinch sea salt

Directions:

Combine, mix, and spread evenly on plate (or large baking pan for multiple servings)

Chill in fridge overnight

Genius!

Other recent meals on the run have been prepared the night before as well:

Fresh salads

Spinach, diced tofu, cherry tomatoes, grapes, cukes, edemame, cilantro, topped with my favorite dressing: 1:1 mixture of Goddess Dressing and Balsamic Vinegar

Less exciting but nonetheless quick and healthy..

Spiced up organic canned soup! Here I added basil, garlic powder, black pepper and cayenne to Trader Joe’s Organic Split Pea Soup.

——————-

With a little more time here is an oldie (for me) but a goodie! My favorite healthy comfort food! If you like mac n’ cheese this one is for you..

Cheesy Oats

Combine:

1/2 cup cooked oats

1/3 cup scrambled egg whites

1/3 cup frozen spinach (thawed and warmed)

3 T *nutritional yeast

1 Laughing Cow cheese wedge (Light, Swiss flavor)

1 T Greek yogurt (optional, makes mixture extra creamy)

S&P to taste

pinch cayenne

drizzle with hot sauce (optional)

Protein packed and delicious!

Did you know nutritional yeast has a natural cheesey flavor and contains a complete spectrum of all essential amino acids, is a great source of B vitamins, and is protein packed??

I top it over popcorn or add it to anything (especially sauces) that I want to taste cheeeeesy.

——————

Other snacks I’ve enjoyed recently….

Starbucks Reduced-fat cake. A great snack to share over coffee and a good convo.

All natural graham crackers, peanut butter, diced banana

——————

On the workout front, I really can’t run more than 3-4 miles due to my hip injury so I’ve been trying to mix things up a bit. I’ve been doing my usual spinning and Bikram yoga classes but have started doing more boot-camp classes. And I’m loving the results! Liz told me about a great outdoor bootcamp in my area so I’m planning to give it a try soon.

What are your favorite bootcamp or circuit training workouts?

How do you mix up your workouts when you’re bored with the same routine?