Blog Archives
Liebster Award
Today my inbox held a lovely surprise from the blogger behind Mommy Go Run: A nomination for the Liebster Award! I first learned about blogger awards last month when I was nominated for the Blog On Fire award, and the rules for the Liebster are pretty similar.
Liebster means ‘dearest’ or ‘favorite’ in German, and the rules for accepting the nomination are:
1. Post 11 things about yourself
2. Answer 11 questions the person giving the award has set for you
3. Create 11 questions for the people you are giving the award to
4. Choose 11 people to award, telling them in a post.
Easy and Fun enough!
11 Facts about Me:
1. My toenails are currently painted teal.
2. I live in the mountains and love being surrounded by nature so much. The best trails and views and weather
3. My favorite drink from Starbuck’s is the Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte :)
4. I rescued my maltese Missy from the animal shelter that I volunteered at my junior year of high school and while sometimes she’s a spaz, she’s pretty darn cute.
5. I failed my driving test the first time, when the DMV lady had to pull the emergency break – I think she was having a bad day.
6. I HATE scary movies. and Spiders. (does that count as 2 facts?)
7. I love my family!
8. I am struggling to come up with three more facts (…see what I did there? ;) )
9. Through out elementary school, I wanted to be a teacher, a fashion designer, a writer, a film producer, and probably 7 other things.
10. My middle name starts with an A. (Go ahead, guess! It’s not Ann…)
11. I <3 being healthy & that’s why I’ve created this blog. Thank you for reading, it makes it totally worth while. :)
My 11 Questions to Answer from Mommy Go Run:
1. “What is your favorite way to spend a Friday night?” With friends! Dressing up, going out, maybe to a concert. No one looks back on their life and remembers the nights they got plenty of sleep!
2. “Do have a special recipe passed down from your grandmother?” My mom’s mom had a special banana bread recipe that we used for years, until I accidently deleted the file on my mom’s computer. I still feel so guilty about that.
3. “Are you paying attention to the election this year?” Not to sound like an ignorant citizen but I do not have a TV and don’t regularly read up on political topics.
4. “Water Park or Amusement Park?” WATER PARK. I freak out at huge roller coasters!
5. “Fancy hotel or camping?” Such a toughie! Can “Glamping” be an answer? I <3 both.
6. “Tennis Shoes or Dress Shoes?” Tennies, so I can run.
7. “What is your ideal career?” Since I study Marketing, I would like to work on a marketing campaign for some brand like Nike. But in an ideal world, I would own my own bakery and cafe. : )
8. “Where is your dream vacation?” Again with the difficult questions! I’ll go with a tour de Europe.
9. “Movies on the couch or in the theater?” On the couch: the Pause button.
10. “Death Row Last Meal would be?” Well since I wouldn’t have to worry about getting fat, an ice cream sundae with extra cookie dough, hot fudge and almonds.
11. “What is the one thing you could do to make the world a nicer place?” Wow, getting deep here! I suppose offering a more sympathetic and optimistic attitude to everyone I meet. :)
My 11 Questions:
1. How do you like your coffee?
2. What’s your favorite thing to blog about?
3. Do you prefer to go out for dinner or cook your own meal?
4. What is your favorite Disney movie?
5. Where is the last vacation you took?
6. Favorite guilty-pleasure TV show?
7. Thoughts on Crocs (the shoes):
8. Do you watch or play any sports?
9. Sweet or Savory snacks?
10. Are you a spender or a saver?
11. Where was the best burger you ever had?
And FINALLY, I nominate:
1. Muddy Mommy 2. Miss. Fit “Misfit” 3. Bunny and PorkBelly 4. Savy Naturalista 5. The Sassy Swan 6. Loaves and Stitches 7. Playful and Hungry 8. Normal Cooking 9. Junk Miles Run
Whew, and that completes the Liebster award post. :)
An Unusual Walk
Currently my physical activity is limited to walking. And not the freakishly-fast-olympian-style walking. More of a stroll. (This is because any sort of exertion that increases my heart rate and blood flow will cause my cheek to swell which is detrimental to its healing from surgery.) If you know me, you know that I am not a stroller. The whole time we were in New York, my parents kept telling me to “Slow down and enjoy the scenery!” Which is exactly what I’m being forced to do right now. Don’t you love irony!
Surprisingly beautiful for a field full of dead people.
Today’s walk was in a pretty unusual location. A cemetary. My school actually has multiple cemetaries on its premises…not as eerie as it sounds. They are very pretty and peaceful places! It was the coolest weather for a cemetary walk too, warm but overcast and grey. Kind of drizzly…very ominous. I love exercising and staying fit, so I walk (leisurely for now) daily. Usually around campus, but I’ve been getting bored with my same ole’ route so I decided to venture out and find a new place to explore.
Everyone says find an exercise you enjoy. That’s easy for me. Running – duh. But I am also in love with exercise in general, so I understand that not everyone shares the same passion for sweat and soreness that I do. I will say that if you have not tried zumba yet, you ought to. But the EASIEST form of exercise that is enjoyable is simply walking! It’s still an aerobic activity, meaning you have plenty of oxygen and aren’t struggling for breath. Though your heart rate is not increased nearly as much as more intense exercises like running, biking, or swimming, if you walk long enough, you will still burn calories and utilize your leg and core muscles.
Walking a few miles a day and counting calories is how I’ve managed to maintain my pre-surgery weight through nearly 7 weeks without working out. Everyone should be outside enjoying their surroundings anyways! Especially in these gorgeous days of summer. Seriously, this hour in the cemetary certainly beats an hour wasted on the computer or TV.
Fresh Air > Facebook
I brought my camera along on my walk (obviously) and had some fun taking pictures of some wild flowers:
But the second I moved on, continuing along the path, I turned the corner to see a whole FIELD full of flowers!
Note to self: wear flower-field-running shoes next time. ;)
If you’re not an exercise enthusiast, still consider finding a place to walk and enjoy. The fresh air and peacefulness of nature will do your mind some good, and your brain will thank you for the break from cyberspace :)
Hmmm, not sure this cemetary will be so “peaceful” come Halloween….might just have to do a Haunted Workout!
Dorm Room Dinner: Stuffed Sweet Potato
To me, a dinner should have a balanced amount of protein, vegetables and complex carbs. A plate of pasta is not complete without some grilled chicken and a sauce full of veggies! When you’re limited to cooking in a dorm room or on a budget, that can get a little tricky. It means buying more groceries and more cooking preparation. But I came up with this dinner that was perfectly balanced using only 4 ingredients in my residence hall community kitchen:
Dinner for One
It’s healthy, it’s inexpensive, and it was delicious :)
This insanely easy “Recipe”
You will need: one half of a ridiculously large sweet potato. Package of frozen veggies (I used the stir-fry blend) thawed. 1 piece of pre-grilled chicken (unless you’re into handling raw meat…which I am not). 1 wedge Laughing Cow Light cheese (35 calories?! Score!).
1. Bake half a sweet potato at 400 degrees for 30 minutes
2. Take it out of the oven and slice it down the middle. (Don’t burn your fingers!) Fill the potato and the rest of the baking sheet with your veggies and sliced chicken.
3. Bake for another 10 minutes. Let it cool for a couple of minutes before crumbling on the cheese and devouring while it’s warm.
You have lean protein from the white chicken meat, complex carbs and fiber from the sweet potato and all the vitamins from the vegetable blend. Plus it’s a filling meal (and so colorful)!
There are so many alternatives to Top Ramen no matter what you’re living situation. This meal literally comes out to about $2.90 per serving and about 300 calories. That’s a heck of a lot better than $1.00 and 1000 calories!
Thanks to Pinterest I’ve found a bunch of other varieties of Stuffed Sweet Potatoes including BBQ Pulled Pork and Spinach & Feta. Since sweet potatoes are so hearty and delicious I think I’ll try them all. Sure beats a hot pocket!
This and other college healthy tips and recipes can be found on the College Girl Cuisine page!
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