All posts in category Food

What I Ate… at Trader Joe’s {WIAW}

Oh Joe the Trader, those four years in Boone were tortuous without you. I’m so very happy you’re back in my life. You warm my cheap, healthy-food-loving heart like no other grocery chain.

To honor my recent reunion with my beloved Trader Joe’s, I thought I’d use this What I Ate Wednesday highlight some of my favorite Trader Joe’s products, because my eats have been pretty boring lately. Watch out, there’s a few!

(Thanks Jenn!)

Salted Crunchy Peanut Butter
Just pure peanuts and salt, the way peanut butter should be, and all under $3, just one more way to fuel my nut butter addiction.
Three Buck Chuck
I know it’s Two Buck Chuck in other luckier states that don’t tax alcohol as hard as they do hear in the Bible Belt. But three dollars for a decent bottle of wine? I’m not even sure what kind of vino magic this is, but it’s a beautiful thing.
Tempeh

Even though it’s not gluten-free it doesn’t seem to bother my stomach too much and it’s so much cheaper than any other brand. I actually used to load up on it when I was home on weekends because it was that much cheaper.
Unsulfured Turkish Apricots
I actually tried these for the first time this week but I finished the bag in less than three days. I’m not usually a fan of dried apricots, I think they’re too dry and chewy, but these are sweet, soft and incredible tasty.
Gluten-Free Cheese Pizza

Finally a gluten-free pizza for less than $8.
Sea Salt & Turbinado Sugar Dark Chocolate Almonds
These are scary good. I could seriously down the entire container in one sitting if you let me.
The Coffee Selection

Trader Joe’s makes some dance tasty coffee. Their Peaberry beans are especially delicious.
Wheat-Free Toaster Waffles

(source)

They’re extra good covered in their crunchy peanut butter =)

Do you live near Trader Joe’s? I can sympathize with those of you that don’t, it stinks!

What are some of your favorite Trader Joe’s products?

What’s your favorite grocery chain? I wish I lived near a Publix, those are pretty awesome.

4 Comments

by greensandcoffeebeans on May 22, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Food, Lists, What I Ate Wednesday

Tagged food, gluten-free, groceries, products, trader joes, vegetarian, what i ate wednesday, wiaw

Posted by greensandcoffeebeans on May 22, 2013

https://greensandcoffeebeans.wordpress.com/2013/05/22/what-i-ate-at-trader-joes-wiaw/

Let’s Play Catch Up {MIMM}

I feel a little bad that I’ve been this little blog lately. I haven’t been around much but I’ve had plenty of marvelous things going on around here. So I thought I’d catch you up on the last week and a half, because life’s been a little bit of a whirlwind since then!

(Thanks Katie!)

Marvelous is… Graduation!

I don’t technically get my degree until I finish my internship this summer, I walked and I’m out of Boone so that’s close enough. I’m not going to lie though, it’s definitely bittersweet to graduate. I’m ready to move on to a big city (tiny mountain living is only charming for about 4 years) and a big girl job I’m going to miss my college friends a lot.

Marvelous is… My internship with the American Dance Festival! I started on Wednesday and they had me jump right into the swing of things. I’ve already started working on lots of fun design projects and I can already tell I’m going to learn so much this summer. I’m also excited for when the festival actually starts and I’ll be able to take classes!

Marvelous is… Doing a little good. This Sunday my church did a “Church on the Street” event where instead of a typical church service, they had us go out and help with community projects around the area. My mom helped paint some of the rooms in the Children’s wing of the church. It’s been way too long since I’ve done any volunteer work and it felt good to help out again. I need to get back in the habit of it!

Marvelous is… Artspolure, an arts and crafts festival in downtown Raleigh.

There was so much beautiful artwork being sold. I wish my tiny budget had more room for local, handcrafted art, but notsomuch. One day when I get a big girl job it will happen. I did get a really cool coffee mug for $8 which I have been more than excited to used every morning since.

Marvelous is… the Flying Biscuit!

I had an egg white omelet with mushrooms and spinach, with a side of rosemary potatoes. This meal was salt-city (way more than than previous times I’ve been) but I won’t even pretend like I didn’t finish the whole thing with a big glass of water. It does pain me a little to eat here now that I can’t enjoy their enormous complimentary biscuits, but I still enjoy their cranberry apple butter with a spoon, that stuff is amazing.

Marvelous is… early morning workouts. Okay, let’s be honest, waking up at 5:30AM is not marvelous, but having your entire workout done before 7:30 AM certainly is. My schedule is now 10-6 with a 30-45 minute commute home (depending on traffic), a nighttime workout is just not happening so getting it in early gets it out of the way and peps me up for the rest of the day.

What’s marvelous in your Monday?

What did you do this weekend?

Are you a morning or nighttime exerciser? During school I went through phases of being a nighttime exerciser, an afternoon exerciser and a morning exerciser (gotta switch things up right?) but when I’m at home I usually stick to the morning, I loose my motivation not too long after that.

PS I’ve been really horrible at commenting/responding to e-mails and comments and I promise I will catch up! I’ve been taking a breather from social media which feels nice but I’m hoping to catch back up on my Feedly, blog and inbox soon!

5 Comments

by greensandcoffeebeans on May 20, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in College LIfe, Design, Fitness, Food, Marvelous in my Monday

Tagged appalachian state, art, artsplosure, Boone, college, flying biscuit, food, graduation, internship, marvelous in my monday, mimm, morning exercise, raleigh, volunteering

Posted by greensandcoffeebeans on May 20, 2013

https://greensandcoffeebeans.wordpress.com/2013/05/20/lets-play-catch-up-mimm/

Last Week in Boone: The Food {WIAW}

Hey guys! It’s been a little while since I’ve been able to visit this little corner of the internet but I am happy to be back! This past week has been pure craziness: final exams, family visits, graduation, moving home, and on top of that today was the first day of my internship! Whew. No rest for the weary right? That’s okay, they’re all pretty wonderful things so I have no room to complain.

During my last week in Boone, I made it a point to get to all my favorite restaurants for one last meal before moving back to Raleigh. Boone has the BEST restaurants and Raleigh, despite having some decent restaurants, is mostly full of chains, blech. So I had some pretty spectacular meals this past week.

(Thanks Jenn!)

Tuesday

I made a roommate breakfast date at Melanie’s, an adorable little breakfast/lunch place in downtown Boone for Tuesday morning. We all had the morning off for exams and everyone knows a delicious, hearty breakfast is the best final-exam-taking fuel. I started with a very necessary cup of coffee. It’s a little blurry, but that’s what happens when I don’t have caffeine in me. It’s not a good time.

To eat I ordered Melanie’s Big Breakfast

Which came with two eggs (over easy), stewed apples (un-pictured on the side), a biscuit (which I gave away to my roommates) and homefries. I have a new found homefry obsession and have been ordering every where. Maybe not the healthiest obsession but dang delicious. This meal kept me full for 6 whole hours which is a pretty big feat for me.

Thursday

Thursday afternoon I grabbed an iced coffee pre-exam and a farmer’s market apple. This is the first time I’ve put milk in my coffee in FOREVER. Iced coffee is a little rough on my stomach, probably because I drink it 10x faster than hot coffee, but a little bit of milk seems to help.

Friday

Beer, coffee, and a kitty in my lap. Could life be better? I got one last visit in with the kittens before they left for Michigan, it’s amazing how much they’ve grown in 2 weeks!

Dinner was good old Black Cat. I built my own burrito with black beans, rice, broccoli, mushrooms and tomatillo salsa, minus the tortilla. Oh Black Cat, I’m going to miss you so much.

After dinner one of my roommates and I headed to Low Wine Bar. It’s located on top of Espresso News, the best coffee shop in Boone. This was my first time going and I’m not sure why I waited so long because it was awesome. Whoever decided to put a coffee shop and wine bar in the same building is a GENIUS.

I had the Marc Roman Malbec, mostly because it was the cheapest red on the menu, but it also happened to be really tasty. Really easy to drink without being too sweet.

Post-wine my roommate and I spilt a 7 Layer Bar from the coffee shop downstairs (genius, I’m telling you). It was not even close to gluten-free but so tasty it was completely worth it. 7 layer bars are the best.

Saturday

Saturday afternoon my parents and boyfriends drove up to Boone for graduation festivities. They didn’t get into town until around 1:30 and I was starting to get borderline hangry. It happens. Luckily I had this amazing and filling meal from Coyote Kitchen to tame the hunger beast. I had the Sedona Boat: Coconut rice, black beans, blackened tempeh, roasted sweet potatoes, corn, caramelized onions, roasted red peppers, and spinach, topped with sweet red vegan mayo and scallions. I was full beyond belief after finishing this bad boy but it was soooo worth it.

Sunday

AKA Graduation day! My college’s graduation wasn’t until 3:30pm so my family had plenty of time to kill before then. We grabbed an early lunch with my uncle at Hob Knob Farm Cafe. Hob Knob is one of my favorite restaurants in Boone, but it’s a little out of my (very small) budget so I save it for when my parents are in town =) . Hob Knob is awesome because they have lots of gluten-free, vegetarian and organic options, they source most of their ingredients locally and they have really adorable decor:

It took me way too long to decide what I was going to order, I’m not used to having so many options – it’s hard to decide! But I finally decided on the Tamale De Bayamo: House made tamale filled w/ spinach, squash, yams, garlic, corn & peppers. Served w/ tamale sauce, black beans, plantains, ~~chipotle queso~~ salsa, green olives, romas & spring mix.

Dominated.

Post-graduation we hit up somewhere low-key for dinner. We didn’t want to deal with the post-graduation dinner rush, especially with 7 people. Black Cat again! Twice in one week? I’m not upset about it.

I had the (blurry) Satay it to Me Softly (how cool are the burrito names?): rice, tofu, carrots, broccoli, caramelized onions, and a spicy peanut sauce. Delicious as always.

And my last full day in Boone wouldn’t be complete without…

Fro yo! Chocolate and Reese’s peanut butter yogurt topped with more Reese’s, chocolate shavings and Oreo’s (they are my gluten nemesis!). This was the most perfect fro yo cup I could have asked for and I enjoyed every last bite!

Monday

I have no pictures from Monday (sowwy!) but I have to mention the delicious meal I had at Boone Bagelry. The meal itself was pretty basic but really delicious. I had two eggs (over medium, is it sad I didn’t even realize this was an option until this week?), homefriends (I’m telling you, I’m obsessed!) and a gluten-free whole grain bagel. Yup, a gluten-free bagel! I should have taken more advantage of it this year! I’m kicking myself now.

Then I loaded up on old school candy at the Mast General Store. The sugar was more than necessary for the 3+ hour ride home. Why have I not eaten more MalloCups in my life? They’re delicious!

Today

Today was my first day at my internship! Everything went really well and it looks like it is going to be a busy, but very fun time! I also found out there is a Whole Foods less than a block away from my internship. This is going to be very dangerous for my wallet.

Salad with spinach, garlicky kale, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms and roasted chickpeas, roasted zucchini and eggplant (which was served cold, I wasn’t a fan) and some kind of quinoa dish with sweet potatoes, black beans and pepitas. I also had an un-pictured Clif Builder Bar on the side.

After writing this I’m hungry all over again.

Does your town have an delicious/unique restaurants?

What did you eat this week?

What’s your favorite hat/salad bar meal?

4 Comments

by greensandcoffeebeans on May 15, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in College LIfe, Food, What I Ate Wednesday

Tagged appalachian state, Boone, burritos, coffee, college, family, food, frozen yogurt, gluten-free, graduation, north carolina, vegetarian, what i ate wednesday, wiaw, wine

Posted by greensandcoffeebeans on May 15, 2013

https://greensandcoffeebeans.wordpress.com/2013/05/15/last-week-in-boone-the-food-wiaw/

PB & Banana Smoothie {WIAW}

This has got to be snappy because I’ve got 3 exams in the next 2 days and this girl needs to get some studying done! So this week I’m celebrating ‘What I Ate Wednesday’ with a smoothie recipe.

(Thanks for hosting Jenn!)

Sunday afternoon I was looking for something hearty to power me through a Finance study sesh, luckily this smoothie did just the trick. It’s got plenty of proteins and plenty of greens to power you through an afternoon of bond valuations, stock pricing, and annuity schedules. Now if only it would warm up enough so that I wouldn’t have to huddle in a pile of blankets after drinking it.

PB & Banana Smoothie

Gluten-free

Ingredients

1/2 – 1 banana (depending on how much sweetness you want)
2 tbsp PB2
1 cup milk of choice (I used sunflower seed milk)
1/4 – 1/2 cup greek yogurt (I used plain Chobani)
2 large handfuls of spinach
1 tsp vanilla (you could also just use vanilla yogurt)
Cinnamon

Instructions

Blend!
Avoid brain freeze.

Are you a smoothie fan?

Have you tried PB2? I just bought my first jar and I’m OBSESSED.

7 Comments

by greensandcoffeebeans on May 9, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Food, Recipes

Tagged banana, gluten-free, greek yogurt, greens, pb2, peanut butter, recipe, smoothie, vegetarian

Posted by greensandcoffeebeans on May 9, 2013

https://greensandcoffeebeans.wordpress.com/2013/05/09/pb-banana-smoothie-wiaw/

Art Crawlin’ & Quatro de Mayo {MIMM}

Happy Monday!

Despite the start of exam week it is a very happy Monday because it is my last Monday in college! Graduation is slowly becoming more real, and I am simultaneously getting more excited and terrified by the second.

(Thanks for hosting Katie!)

This weekend my friends and I attempted to live it up one last time while we’re all in town for the weekend! Unfortunately, the weather was not super cooperative, but we didn’t let that stop us too much 🙂

Marvelous is… The farmer’s market is finally over! Just in time for me to leave… whomp, whomp. Luckily I have multiple farmer’s markets at home that are pretty sweet, one of them is even open 7 days a week. I’m very produce spoiled but that is what happens when you live in the capital of a agriculture-heavy state. Lots of delicious produce!

Biggest rabbit I’ve ever seen, seriously it was larger than any cat I’ve ever owned.

I only ended up purchasing some apples (which are not nearly as good as they were in the fall, that season is more than over) and some farm fresh eggs, I have missed those suckers and they are sooo much better than store bought. I always buy them from a booth with this sweet old man because he always seems so grateful for the business and I love knowing the chickens are treated nicely. Happy chickens makes for tastier eggs.

Marvelous is… Art Crawlin’!

Dinner before hand at a new Asian restaurant: Taste Grill

I had the avocado roll, which was good but not different from any other mid-priced Asian restaurant.

Free wine samples! With a side of “you don’t look old enough”. It’s getting old quick.

The cutest puppy I’ve seen in a while. I seriously considered just running off with him.

Modern dance in an art gallery. I’m in heaven.

Fro yo to round out the night.

Reeses peanut butter and chocolate yogurt with chocolate, Oreos and Reeses. I was craving chocolate and peanut butter in a bad way.

Marvelous is… Quatro de Mayo! Cinco de Mayo happened a day earlier over here. Something about having to teach a Sunday evening Pilates class and a 9AM finance exam made me think Sunday night drink was a poor choice. Something about wanting to graduate and not get fired, silly things like that.

Dinner at Black Cat Burrito to keep with the fiesta theme. Tortilla-less burrito with black beans, rice, mushrooms, broccoli and tomatillo sauce, with their delicious coleslaw on the side of course. Hit the spot. I’m sure going to miss these burritos.

Marvelous is… Milk (Stout) and cookies! With a side of Joy Ride. Somehow my friends and I have made a tradition of watching Joy Ride every year on reading day. I can’t say it’s my favorite tradition, because if you’ve ever seen Joy Ride you know it’s a terrible movie, but cookies and beer make everything better.

I made these cookies and they came out quite tasty, even my gluten eating friends liked them. Then I washed them down with a beer, so much for gluten-free.

Marvelous is… Nostalgic college slideshows. My friend put one together of all of us (with some pretty hilarious photoshopped pictures) I’m going to miss everyone!

Marvelous is… My finance exam is DONE. It was my hardest exam so fingers crossed that I did okay! Only 2 projects, 1 speech, and 2 exams stand between me and summer. I. Can. Do. This. Can you tell I’m ready for summer?

Marvelous is… My family gets here on Saturday, which means tasty dinners out and extra pack help. Oh and quality family time of course.

Marvelous is… Breakfast plans with the roomie for tomorrow morning. I have a two day break before my next exam and will be doing my best to not spend the whole time studying.

Marvelous is… My first run in a couple weeks! My foot is still a little sore but it is feeling much better. I only did 15 short minutes today but it felt good to run again. The elliptical is starting to drive me crazy.

What made your Monday marvelous?

Any exciting summer plans?

How did you celebrate Cinco de Mayo?

3 Comments

by greensandcoffeebeans on May 7, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in College LIfe, Farmer's Market, Food, Marvelous in my Monday, Photography

Tagged art crawl, black cat burrito, chocolate chip cookies, cinco de mayo, college, exams, farmers market, fro yo, graduation, marvelous in my monday, mimm, sushi

Posted by greensandcoffeebeans on May 7, 2013

https://greensandcoffeebeans.wordpress.com/2013/05/07/art-crawlin-quatro-de-mayo/

May Goal & A Day in the Life {WIAW}

Happy May!

May is going to be one crazy month, with graduation, a big girl job interview (eep!) and the start of my internship, but I am more than excited for what May will bring!

A new month means a goal time!

Back in April I set a goal to get more sleep, ideally aiming for anything more than 7 hours because I really stink at getting to bed on time. Well, even though it wasn’t a complete success, there were a couple miserable 5 hour nights sprinkled in there, I definitely got a lot more sleep than I have been the past few months. I even got 8+ hours on more than one occasion which is pretty unheard of for me.

Sleepy puppy.

Getting a full night’s sleep is something I’m still working on, but I’m doing much better, which is a major improvement!

This month I’m going to focus on…

Hydrating!

I really stink at drinking water. So much so that I usually resort to toting a huge water bottle around with me, because you look pretty silly carrying a huge water bottle if you don’t actually drink any of it. Dehydration really takes a toll on my workouts, and makes my legs cramp like crazy when I walk up hills and since the entire town of Boone is on a hill (literally I walk up hill to class… both ways… in the snow. Okay, grandpa rant over) that’s not such a good thing.

So my goal for the month is to get at least 60 oz of water everyday, ideally 64+ oz, but I have my trusty Eddie Bauer 30 oz water bottle, so I aiming to drink at least two of those everyday, and even more on days like this:

Sometimes 4 cups of coffee is necessary, but so is lots of water.

And because it’s Wednesday…

WIAW time! Thanks to Jenn for hosting!

It’s been a while since I’ve done a day in the life sort of post so I thought it’d be pretty fun to bring one back. There’s some recycled photos are happening here, but I’m a huge creature of habit, so they’re all pretty accurate.

8:00 AM

Breakfast time:

Plus one more egg. I used to be a diehard sweet breakfast eater but lately I’ve been craving eggs in the morning, gotta get that protein in early!

9:30 AM

Caught the bus to campus for my Dance History class. Today’s lecture was on hip hop and I have to say, it’s pretty entertaining to listen to your tiny, white, yoga-loving professor discuss hip hop.

11:15 AM

Lunch-ish? I have a 4 hour gap between classes, but I try to stay on campus to be productive. If I go back to my apartment I get pulled into all things Food Network, it doesn’t help that Paula Deen comes on at noon. Yes, I know Paula’s TV schedule, I don’t play with my Paula’s Best Dishes. So I hung out in the campus coffee shop instead to get some work done. I think I spent more time reading blogs than doing actual work. Whoopsies.

Sweet potatoes, Earth Balance Coconut Peanut Butter (which is absolutely delicious by the way), lots of cinnamon and a sprinkle of salt. My new favorite snack!

Check out those painted nails! I finally made it happen!

And my staple banana. I’m pretty sure I’ve eaten one almost everyday this year.

12:30 PM

Lunch part 2:

Spinach salad with raw tempeh, grape tomatoes, apple cider vinegar and nutritional yeast.

1:30 PM

I headed to the campus gym for today’s Best Body Bootcamp workout! My arms feel like jello! Today’s workout featured a few exercise on the incline bench, which makes me feel a little badass when I use it. It’s one of those pieces of gym equipment you rarely see girls use so I always feel a little awesome using it. Maybe that’s silly but I’m okay with that.

I also got in a little cardio on the bike. Still trying to take it easy on the running because my foot is still sore but I’m getting antsy! I just want to run again! Injuries are dumb.

2:45 PM

I had a quick hard-boiled egg before heading to my 3:30 Finance class, the last one of the semester. I’m pretty glad, I learned a lot of really useful things in that class, but I’d much rather be designing something pretty than working out stock prices.

5:00 PM

Caught the bus back to my apartment, and ate a banana as soon as I walked in the door, my stomach was growling up a storm!

Just ignore the fact I already used this picture in this post, that’s not important.

6:30PM

I cooked up some zucchini ribbons with grape tomatoes, onions, and a little nutritional yeast.

Kind of like this, but minus the kale. Our fridge is crazy and my zucchini was completely frozen, so the “noodles” did not look so appetizing after they were cooked, but luckily they tasted just as good.

7:30PM

A post-dinner greek yogurt snack.

followed by an unpictured orange and some raw tempeh, because I’m too lazy to cook it and I don’t mind the taste of raw. Maybe that means I’ve been a vegetarian for too long, I feel like raw tempeh should not be an enjoyable taste.

I spent the night trying to be productive and not get sucked in by cat videos on YouTube, it was difficult, but I like to think I succeeded, at least a little.

11:30 PM

About to hit publish and go to bed!

How much water do you try to drink everyday?

What’s something delicious you’ve eaten this week?

What’s your go to meal for busy weeks?

12 Comments

by greensandcoffeebeans on May 1, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in College LIfe, Fitness, Food, Goals, What I Ate Wednesday

Tagged best body bootcamp, college, day in the life, gluten-free, goals, hydrating, monthly resolutions, vegetarian, water, what i ate wednesday, wiaw

Posted by greensandcoffeebeans on May 1, 2013

https://greensandcoffeebeans.wordpress.com/2013/05/01/may-goal-a-day-in-the-life-wiaw/

A Feastival, Kittens and an Impending Graduation {MIMM}

Happy Monday! Today is my last week of class and that is pretty darn marvelous. A little terrifying, but mostly marvelous.

Speaking of marvelous:

(Thanks for hosting Katie!)

Marvelous is… getting my cap and gown today! I can’t believe graduation is so soon!

Marvelous is… Boone’s feastival, that’s right, FEASTival. Basically a festival showcasing healthy living in Boone, so right up my alley. They had lots of booths with everything from CSAs, bakeries, restaurants, all kinds of good stuff. There were lots of free samples which I’m always a fan of:

Kale salad from the Slow Foods booth. And EarthFare coupons!

A smoothie sample (I have no idea what was in it but it was tasty) and an energy ball with honey, oats, chocolate chips and a few other things in it. Both were very delicious!

And the best part…

Baby goats! I think it’d be fu to have one of these guys as a pet, minus the fact that they would try to eat everything I own, they seem pretty chill otherwise.

There were also food trucks, but un fortunately I didn’t end up getting anything. One truck, Vitality, looked especially delicious and was serving vegan food, but I ate beforehand and wasn’t hungry enough to justify a $7 rice and veggie plate. I’ll have to track them down again when I’m actually hungry!

Marvelous is… a super sweaty spin class this afternoon. It’s been a while, but my foot has been hurting ever since my 10-miler (seriously, I’m like a magnet for minor injuries lately, it’s getting old) so I tried to be smart and opt for something low impact. So. Much. Sweat. Hill sprints are straight up murder.

Marvelous is… potlucks with my Sunday school group.

I brought black beans and rice. Someone brought the most delicious fudge-y brownies I have had in a LONG time. Holy cow were those things good. I had three, they weren’t gluten-free but it is 100% worth the stomach ache and headache I have today, they were that good.

I’m going to seriously miss this group after I graduate. The couple that leads the group are the sweetest people and so funny, they make me look forward to getting up early on Sundays.

Marvelous is… KITTENS. I think I spent a good 6 hours playing with them on Friday. I can’t even handle how adorable they are.

Marvelous is… registering for the Esprit De She 10K in Cary! I’m actually going to be an ambassador for the race, but more on that later.

Time for this girl to get to bed!

Are you a cat person or dog person? I’m non-discriminatory and like pretty much all four-legged mammals.

What types of food do you bring to potlucks? Usually I stick with desserts because everyone loves sugar, but sometimes I opt for healthier things too.

What was marvelous about your Monday?

8 Comments

by greensandcoffeebeans on April 29, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in College LIfe, Fitness, Food, Marvelous in my Monday

Tagged Boone, college, esprit de she 10k, food, graduation, kittens, marvelous in my monday, mimm, spin, vegetarian

Posted by greensandcoffeebeans on April 29, 2013

https://greensandcoffeebeans.wordpress.com/2013/04/29/5625/

Catch Up

I’ve missed you guys!

I’ve been MIA all week thanks to a pile of assignments from my lovely professors. They are actually lovely people. but all the exams, papers and speeches notsomuch.

Only 14 more days. I can do this. Sometimes I just need a reminder.

Well I have lots things to share, I gotta catch up! With a few random things thrown in here and there.

I ran the Tar Heel 10-Miler last Saturday and SURVIVED. Still riding a running high off that one. My recap is coming soon, since I actually have time to write one!
Post-race Mediterranean food is the best kind of Mediterranean food.

Mid-week fro yo trips with the roommates make life better, especially when you’re neck deep in speech writing for a public speaking class. Much needed.
KITTENS. My neighbor’s brother took in two kittens a couple was giving away on the side of the highway (with a bunch of other animals like goats, seriously, this is where I live). They are 4 weeks old, adorable, and I’m glad they’re going to have a good home.
So stinking cute! And because you can never have enough tiny kitten pictures:

I promise they don’t spend all day sleeping, it’s just the only time I can get a picture of them! They don’t like to sit still.
I’ve drunk an unbelievable amount of coffee in this past week. What is sleep? I don’t need that.
I ran a 5K on Saturday! Coffee themed funnily enough. Recap for that coming soon too. I have lots to catch up on!
I missed What I Ate Wednesday this week (boo!) so I’m making it up, here are some of the more fun things I’ve eaten this week:

Plain Greek yogurt, almond meal, coconut and cinnamon.
An attempt at zucchini noodles. I used a vegetable peeler for the zucchini strands and heated up onions, garlic, tomato and kale to go with it and topped the bowl with nutritional yeast. It was definitely a fun new way to try zucchini and it was surprisingly noodle like.
This bowl is basically identical to the one above it except the zucchini is chopped instead of in ribbons, the ribbons definitely make things way more exciting. As you can see, I like lots of variety in my diet.
Last night’s dinner of curried lentils following this Whole Foods recipe, but minus the yogurt and cashew topping and I subbed quinoa instead of brown rice. It ended up being really delicious and pretty easy to make.

Black beans and coconut rice a la another Whole Foods recipe for lunch with my Sunday school group. Minus the red pepper and allspice because I didn’t have those.

White sweet potatoes smothered in peanut butter and cinnamon. AKA snack heaven.
I’m on a huge egg binge right now, I’m seriously averaging like 6 a day and I would eat more, but I feel like 6+ eggs a day is completely ridiculous. I might have a little problem.
Today the potential new Pilates teachers auditioned for next year, it was so fun to help in the process! They’re all super talented so it’s going to be a really tough decision.
My honors cords came in the mail this week! What up Summa Cum Laude? Nerd Alert.
Tomorrow starts my last week of college classes. It doesn’t feel real, yet I’m excited to not have to write another paper for a longgggg time. Unless I decide to go to grad school.
My roommate made some spectacular lemon pound cake last night, it was not gluten-free and I ate lots of it so my guts are protesting today. It was so delicious though, cake is my downfall.

What did you do this weekend?

What’s the last race you ran (or plan to run)?

Who’s excited for summer? (This girl!)

5 Comments

by greensandcoffeebeans on April 28, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in College LIfe, Food, Pilates, Running

Tagged college, gluten-free, graduation, kittens, pilates, running, vegetarian

Posted by greensandcoffeebeans on April 28, 2013

https://greensandcoffeebeans.wordpress.com/2013/04/28/5598/

Birthday Edition {WIAW}

Hey guys, I had a wonderful 22nd birthday yesterday! I woke up this morning with a serious sugar hangover, so you know it was a good one 🙂

But before we get to the food, let’s see how I did on my 21 before 22 list.

01 // Paint my fingernails. Half check. I started painting my fingernails one day and got through one hand before I decided I didn’t like the color. I was planning on repainting both hands a better color later on, but… that didn’t happen. I’m a terrible girly girl. I’m hoping to actually paint them soon, because this one-hand chipped nail polish look is not so cute.

02 // Run a 5K. Nope. I’ve run 5Ks on the treadmill so I can pretend that counts but I didn’t actually run in the race. BUT Appalachian is host a color run on the 27th that I’m planning to participate in for some race redemption.

~~03 // Make a REAL dinner.~~ CHECK. Double check. I made lots of homemade dinners over the past two weeks, even if I’m short on time, I’ve found making a real dinner at the end of the day is a great way to unwind, if I can hold off my hunger for that long.

04 // Studio yoga. Fail. I didn’t even make it to a class on campus. Sorry muscles for leaving you all tight and knotted up.

~~05// Start a new book.~~ CHECKish. I just bought a new e-book today Effortless. It’s a moderately trashy romance novel, but that’s okay. I started reading Thoughtless, the first book in the series when it was just a story on Fiction Press so it’s kinda cool to see it in real life book form.

~~06 // Bake something.~~ CHECK. Hello birthday cake.

07 // Drink a shot of espresso. Didn’t happen, one day it will though.

~~08 // Spontaneous mid day coffee.~~ CHECK. I waited until my birthday to get it, but that’s okay, birthday coffees are extra tasty.

09 // Design something for the blog. Nope. I started something but I haven’t had the inspiration to finish. I’m going to keep working on it though.

10 // Buy a new vegetable. Kinda? I didn’t buy a new vegetable, but I bought some eggplant after not eating any in a long time and I’ve incorporated it into lots of meals, that kinda counts right?

11 // Juice it up. I didn’t break out my own juicer, but I did buy one from Earth Fare the other day. It was very beet-ilicious and now my pee is hot pink? TMI? Maybe, but oh so true.

~~12 // Break out the DSLR.~~ CHECK. Thanks to a few hikes!

13 // Grandfather Mountain dollar days. Not yet, but I’ve got plans to go with some friends in two weekends!

~~14 // Clean my room.~~ Bam. Now to work on keeping it clean…

~~15 // Best Body Bootcamp.~~ CHECK. And loving every single workout.

~~16 // Kick this tendonitis.~~ CHECKish. I still have a little soreness, but I finished a 6 mile run today with almost no pain so I’m thinking it’s almost gone!

~~17 // Random act of kindness for a stranger.~~ CHECK. I left $5 for a stranger on a table in the campus coffee shop. Hopefully someone found it and enjoyed a much needed coffee or snack.

~~18 // Watch a Disney movie.~~ an unintentional CHECK. I was hoping to watch something along the lines of the Lion King, but that didn’t happen because I couldn’t manage to sit still long enough. But I did watch the better part of the Hanna Montana Movie one afternoon on TV. Don’t you judge.

~~19 // Buy a new candle.~~ CHECK. Now I just need a holder for it… didn’t think about that one.

~~20 // Get organized.~~ My homework to do list could use a little attention but I spent one weekend deep cleaning my apartment kitchen, straightening up the living room and organizing my room. See mom and dad, I do know how to clean 🙂

~~21 // Have Fun.~~ One big fat CHECK.

14 out of 21, I’ll take it.

Now for the food!

(Thanks Jenn!)

Birthday fro-yo! Peanut butter, cake batter and brownie batter yogurt with cheesecake bits, cookie dough chunks, sprinkles, dark chocolate, oreos, Reeses, peanut butter sauce and sprinkles. Don’t be fooled though, this bowl was pretty gross. The brownie batter flavor was gross (I know how is that possible? So disappointing!), the peanut butter flavor wasn’t frozen (I don’t even know how that works) and the cake batter flavor wasn’t bad, just a little too sweet for my taste buds. Luckily I had some un-pictured fro yo redemption in the form of tart yogurt with strawberries and blueberries. That’s what I get for trying to be fancy, I should just stick to the basics, at least I know they’re delicious.

Just kidding! I didn’t eat this cake, but how creepy does it look? It’s supposed to be a puppy but it just scares me.

TACO TUESDAY. Boone Saloon does $1.25 tacos every Tuesday, this was my first time going to taco Tuesday but I will be back! I had three delicious veggie tacos and a pint of beer for $7, can’t beat that!

(source)

My roommate and I split a hard apple cider while watching the most recent Twilight movie (stop judging me). It was a delicious choice, I was looking for something a little lighter than beer and this hit the spot.

And some where in there I polished off a bag of gluten-free ginger snap cookies my friend bought me for my birthday. I have zero control around those things. ZERO.

This isn’t from yesterday, but I had this delicious meal Saturday at Mellow Mushroom and I couldn’t not mention it. Stuffed portobello mushrooms with feta and mozzarella cheese, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, served over spring mix and drizzled with balsamic. So. Good.

What’s your favorite birthday treat? I think frozen yogurt/ice cream is a birthday necessity

What’s the last delicious thing you ate?

Soft or hard shell tacos?

16 Comments

by greensandcoffeebeans on April 17, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in College LIfe, Fitness, Food, Hiking, Lists, What I Ate Wednesday

Tagged birthday, dinner, food, fro yo, sugar, what i ate wednesday, wiaw

Posted by greensandcoffeebeans on April 17, 2013

https://greensandcoffeebeans.wordpress.com/2013/04/17/birthday-edition-wiaw/

Rednecks & Kitty Cats {MIMM}

Before we get to the marvelous in my Monday, I have to take a minute to address something that is not-so-marvelous.

My heart goes out to all the people that were hurt or otherwise impacted by what happened today in Boston. Although what happened today was horrible, I have to say it’s pretty marvelous to see the running community come together to support one another at a time like this.

(Happy birthday Katie!)

Marvelous is… My 22nd birthday is tomorrow! Actually it’s in 1.5 hours, I came in to the world bright and early at 12:30 AM.

Marvelous is… Joint birthday parties! My friend’s birthday is Friday so we had a joint party over the weekend. The theme? Rednecks and cats. No joke, we are a creative bunch.

The rednecks.

NASCAR-themed temporary tattoos may have been involved.

Along with prop 40s you couldn’t convince any of us to drink. We try to keep it classy.

Cats were not well represented because cat apparel does not exist after Halloween, I did rock some Hello Kitty rings.

Try not to be too jealous.

Marvelous is… beautiful weather and weekend hikes. A very muddy, but fun 5 miles.

I wish I had taken more pictures, but I was worried about my camera landing in a pile of mud, which isn’t really ideal.

We did the Boone Fork Trail Loop, which is right off the Blue Ridge Parkway, the trail is the perfect combination of beautiful views, uphill climbs and creek hopping. My buns were on FIRE by the end, so worth it though.

Marvelous is… birthday cake.

I used Betty Crocker’s gluten-free yellow cake mix for the base, and because we all know I can’t just leave things be, I added a 1/4 cup of peanut butter to the mix which was a very delicious choice. The frosting is just Cool Whip with cocoa powder and cinnamon mixed in. Easy, cheap, and trans-fat free. I can get behind that.

I made my own, which my friends thought was really sad I made my own cake (they did offer to make one for me, I’m just stubborn), but since I love to bake I actually really enjoyed it. Lame? Maybe, but I got to lick the bowl which was more than worth it.

And the gluten-filled cake for the gluten-eaters:

My friend did a pretty impressive job on the decoration! I definitely scraped off the cat so I could eat it myself 🙂

Plus a few other party foods:

Gluten-free brownies. AND my favorite part:

Beer floats. Well, A beer float, no one else was feeling quite so adventurous but you better believe I went there. The combo was actually pretty tasty.

Marvelous is… Engagements!

These two got engaged on Saturday! I’m so excited for them! Plus the ring really offsets her new dragon tattoo.

Marvelous is… Sunday school cookouts! We got together at our small groups leader’s house and had a delicious lunch. The carnivores had barbecue chicken sandwiches, but they were nice enough to cook up a few veggie burgers for me and the other vegetarian in the group. I didn’t take any pictures but it was a good time!

Marvelous is… look-a-like clay figurines. The couple that leads our small group has a very artsy 10 year old daughter and she made us all figurines that look like us.

That little girls is seriously talented! My figurine is only about 1.5″ tall and the detail is pretty awesome. I’m adding it to the collection of drawing she’s made for me over the past few Sundays!

Marvelous is… Best Body Bootcamp Phase Two! I’m already sore from today’s workout! I’m already looking forward to the rest of the week’s workouts!

Marvelous is… 5 days until the Tar Heel 10-miler! Eep! I’m both super nervous and super excited!

What made your Monday Marvelous?

Are you a fan of themed parties? What’s the most ridiculous theme party you’ve ever been to?

What’s your favorite flavor of cake? I’m not sure that there’s a flavor of cake I don’t like, but red velvet and carrot cake are pretty high up there! Peanut butter and chocolate is always a winner too 🙂

6 Comments

by greensandcoffeebeans on April 15, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in College LIfe, Fitness, Food, Hiking, Marvelous in my Monday, Running

Tagged 22, best body bootcamp, birthday, birthday cake, boston marathon, cake, cats, chocolate, college, cookouts, gluten-free, hiking, marvelous in my monday, mimm, party, peanut butter, race, rednecks, running

Posted by greensandcoffeebeans on April 15, 2013

https://greensandcoffeebeans.wordpress.com/2013/04/15/rednecks-kitty-cats-mimm/

Hi! I'm Lea, a 21 year old, health freak, vegetarian, art-loving, college student. Welcome to my blog!
Looking for something?

Search for:
Follow Blog via Email

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Email Address:
- RSS - Posts
- RSS - Comments
Archives