Snack Time!

Fact: Snack time was the best part of preschool.

What about recess, you may ask? I think recess was more of an elementary school phenomenon. Besides, on my trip down memory lane I seem to remember that all we ever did in preschool was have fun (finger painting, coloring with chalk, zooming down slides, sitting in sandboxes, listening to pretty teachers read the best books, etc.), so eating time trumps playing time in my book.

What ever happened to snack time, anyway? I don't know when I got on the "adult" meal plan, but I don't like it. I'm much happier eating six small-ish meals (breakfast, mid-morning nibble, lunch, mid-afternoon refreshment, dinner, and post-dinner snack).

Now that I've switched to a new training plan (which involves a heavy increase in mileage and a healthy dollop of cross-training), I've vowed to fuel myself properly so all my hard work isn't for nothing. Run more, eat more...it's as simple (and as complicated) as that. I've found that eating little no-guilt snacks right when I feel those hunger pangs helps me avoid overeating at meal times (when I'm in such a rush to get food in my starving belly that I don't even realize when I'm full) and keeps my energy level (and my mood) up. It's amazing how much happier I am when I'm not "trying to make it" with no food between lunch and dinner. Even though I'm still pretty strict about what I eat, at least I've lightened up about when I eat.

Here's a list of the snacks in my rotation at the moment:

1. Sliced apple with sprinkles of cinnamon

Apples with Cinnamon

2. Celery with peanut butter

Celery with Peanut Butter

3. Yogurt with crushed granola mixed in

Yogurt with Granola

4. 100% Whole wheat pita with a slice of turkey

5. Multigrain English muffin with salsa and a slice of cheese

6. Carrots dipped in hummus

Carrots and Hummus

7. Vegetable soup

8. A handful of almonds and half a banana

1/2 Banana and Handful of Almonds

9. Toasted 100% Whole wheat bagel thin with guacamole

10. Dry salad (but made fun with garden produce and fresh herbs!)

Garden Salad

11. Rice cakes

12. 1-Egg omelet with veggies

Vegetable Omelet

13. 1/2 Cup of rice with red peppers and onions

14. Leftovers from dinner (ex: half a grilled chicken breast)

15. Small fruit salad

16. 1/2 Cup of frozen yogurt and a handful of chocolate chips

Black Raspberry Frozen Yogurt with Chocolate Chips

What's your favorite healthy snack idea?

A Work in Progress

Unlike many bloggers, I haven't dedicated alot of space to an extensive "About Me" or "FAQ" tab. It's not because I don't love talking about myself (you're lying if you don't, too - especially if you have a blog of your own!)...It's because:

1). I don't actually know how to create new a new tab
2). I'm avoiding posting a picture of myself on the blog (and "About Me" sections always seem to be prefaced by a candid of the author's smiling face)
3). I'm convinced that my sub par pictures of food, flowers, clothes, etc. hold your attention better than my ramblings do
4). I have confidence that my posts give you more than enough ammunition to piece together an accurate portrayal of me
5). Let's be honest - I don't receive enough questions to warrant a Q&A page
6). My real-life "About Me" is a work in progress and I'm not wild about all the bullet points that falls under that category at the moment (case in point)
7). I've been cautioned against sharing too many specifics about where I live, how old I am, where I go to college, which running routes I favor, etc. (paranoia at its finest)

But I love lists! And somehow, making a list about life-as-it-is-right-now feels significantly less intimidating than attempting to sum up all of my good parts and bad parts into something coherent that won't have you clicking "delete this file from favorites."

Life From Where I'm Sitting:

• Hardest workout this summer: Quite possibly the circuit I'll be doing today...(also known as Brother #2 induced agony, the circuit is an utterly exhausting combination of burpees, squat thrusts, lunges, high knees, frog jumps, suicides, push-ups, sideways jumps, etc. with "5 laps jog" in between each set)  

• Last snack: Peaches and raspberries 

90% of My Diet = Produce

• Listening to: Runaround Sue by Dion and the Belmonts

• Just played: California King Bed by Rihanna

• On deck: Take A Back Road by Rodney Atkins

• In my vase: White peonies 

Peonies, Dining Room Table

• Best lunch this week: Dry garden salad, fruit salad, a turkey+yellow pepper+pea shoots+salsa wrap

Colorful Post-Run Lunch

Toasted Joseph's 90 Cal Organic Flax and Whole Wheat Flour Wrap

• Current book: Skimming What to Eat by Marion Nestle (bye bye Light n' Fit yogurts...I knew that was coming), reading Cold Pursuit by Carla Neggers  

• Favorite dinner menu of late: Grammy's cajun chicken kabobs, grilled veggies, baked stuffed shells with low fat low fat mozzarella and broccoli, more salad

Summertime Grilling

Spicy Cajun Chicken & Grilled Veggies

          Recipe for Grammy's cajun marinade (for 2 1/2 lbs of chicken):
          4 tablespoons of chili sauce
          2 teaspoons of worcestershire sauce
          2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
          1/2 teaspoon of crushed garlic
          1/4 teaspoon of red hot pepper
          Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
          Dash of cayenne

• #1 worry: A 3-way tie between the possibility of a rain shower soaking all my laundry hanging outside, the realization that I'm about due for an increase in my tempo runs, and the thought of not getting all my French papers off of my laptop and onto a zip drive before I get the black screen of death  

• On the coffee table: A few issues of "Bon Appetit", a copy of Every Day with Rachel Ray (with an incredible looking hamburger on the cover), The 10 Best of Everything National Parks book, the Bose remote

Easy Reads

Coffee Table Staples

• Weekend plans: The 22nd Annual Bethel Art Fair (artisan jewelry, anyone?), possibly a 4th of July party in CT

• Recent new foods I've loved: Cabot's hot habanero cheddar cheese, Swiss chard (sauteed with garlic & onion), jicama (sliced up thin in salad), kiwi, garlic scapes, cherry tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, blueberry scone 

Jicama! (A Homely Root Vegetable With Lots of Vitamin C)

• Recent new foods I have hated haven't been wild about: Mustard, shrimp, arugula, Goji berries, mushrooms, Stonyfield organic 0 fat yogurt with no artificial sweeteners (I think I'm destined to give up yogurts since the sugary ones are bad news and I just can't make myself convert to Greek)  

Failed Compromise Between Light n' Fits and Greek Yogurt



• What I'm craving: Chocolate chip cookie dough brownies

• What's out the window: Momma Fox and Baby Fox!

• Coming up soon: A visit to Bradbury Mountain to scope out the 9 mile trail race course for the Breaker in August, a lunch out at The Green Elephant (a vegetarian bistro with rave reviews)

Wedding Weekend

Last week, my lack of creativity in the hair department was at the top of my Imminent Things to Worry About list (witness the hysterics here).

I'm not supposed to be making these kinds of lists anymore, but rest assured there's a large section roped off in my cerebral cortex (hey, high school anatomy class!) dedicated to feeding my idiosyncrasies...whether or not they make it to paper in the end.

In therapy we talked about re-directing some of that brainpower towards having fun. Dr. Seuss says fun is good.

This weekend I had some (at Boyfriend's best friend's sister's wedding)! I tried penne alla vodka, I met enough new people to successfully mix up all their faces, I danced (insert vehement protesting here), I ate wedding cake, and I stayed up past midnight.

There was a group of adorable little boys in wrinkled tuxes, a three week old baby girl sleeping the night away, a place card with our names in a delicate calligraphy, an exquisite white gown, a tear-jerking father-daughter song, a grown-up candy bar, a generous piece of filet mignon, a mass of good-natured and tipsy guests, a bouquet of pink roses, an inspired playlist, a collection of abandoned heels by the dance floor, and a basket of mints for the taking...

Mints! (Altoids)

But I had the best time before the reception took place...surrounded by mirrors in the luxurious hotel bathroom, with traces of hot-curling-iron smell still lingering in the air and an army of bobby pins littering the floor, while Boyfriend's mom worked her magic on my hair.

I wish I could tell you what she did (in an impressive 20 minutes)...but I only know that it involved a roll in the front, a twist in the back, a hefty amount of hairspray, and so many pins that I knew I'd be in for a treasure hunt before I crawled into bed later that night. I gave her total creative license and the result was a regal-looking up-do that showcased my long gold earrings and strapless dress. Thanks again C!

Up-do for the Wedding

Necessary Luxuries

My new wish list (see the last one here) is just begging to be shared. As usual, it's a daydreamer's collection run amok...an explosion of offensively expensive and entirely unrelated items (divided into two groups for your viewing pleasure). Enjoy!

Shopping Cart #1

A whole outfit in cobalt blue, a printed pompom fringed scarf (to jazz up a plain tee), a new bikini top to mix and match, an essential white tank (with a sequined pocket just for fun), a long turquoise pendant, a new pair of tech socks, and a to-die for leather jacket...

(From left to right, top to bottom)
1. Intermix's Enza Costa Striped Tank and Rag and Bone Cobalt Belles Jeans
2. Anthropologie's Printwork Scarf
3. Victoria Secret's Very Sexy Push-up Triangle Top
4. Piperlime's Son of John Show Off Tank
5. Sundance's Circle of Blue Necklace
6. Runningwarehouse's Drymax Hot Weather Run Mini Crew Socks
7. Madewell's Leather Moto Jacket

Shopping Cart #2

A maximum impact belted maxi, a fun and flirty first date top, a barely there nail polish (perfect for french manicures), a buttery soft journal, a handful of chocolate-covered raspberries, a bright orange stapler to add some fun to desk work, a cozy blanket to fend off an ocean breeze, and a pair of sky high wedges for Fourth of July...

(From left to right, top to bottom)
1. Shopbop's Milly Strapless Hostess Gown
2. J.Crew Collection's Exploding Bow Blouse
3. Sephora by OPI's Bare to Be Different Nail Polish
4. Anthropologie's Prospero Journal
5. Bissinger's Chocolate-Covered Raspberries
6. Poppin's Orange Stapler
7. Pottery Barn's Waffle Weave Blanket
8. Tory Burch's Araminta High Wedge

What's #1 on your current wish list?

Wishes and Whims

If you haven't already caught the drift, I love lists. I'm particularly partial to wish lists. Why? Because wishes don't have to be justifiable, practical, or economical. Wishes could be a cousin twice removed of whims (I heard someone use this word at our favorite artisan bread place today and decided that I liked it so much that I would use it myself as soon as the opportunity arose).

Whim:
1. A sudden or capricious idea; a fancy
2. Arbitrary thought or impulse

For a girl who rarely indulges in arbitrary thoughts or fancies, let alone one who ever entertains impulses (the horror!), doing things on a whim seems quite wicked. I must admit, the idea of spontaneity causes my brain to engage in a sort of simultaneous vigorous head shaking and eager nodding.

The closest that I come to throwing caution to the wind is when I create my wish list. My therapist would probably have something to say about the fact that my idea of spur-of-the-moment fantasies are housed in a list - but hey, baby steps right?

If I see something that catches my eye, I bookmark it in the "Love This" folder - no matter how much it's going to hurt my feet or how much it looks like everything else I own (I really need to stop buying things in neons) or how much grief I'm going to get from Brother #2 for getting hosed out of a good deal.

Every few weeks I rein myself in by deleting items like one-purpose-only kitchen gadgets (like this fully automatic ice cream maker) and outrageously expensive designer clothes that I can't afford on my oh wait I don't even have a summer job budget. But for an intoxicating moment, they were part of my queue. That's about all the excitement I can take.

While I wrestle with the pros and cons of removing that pesky word pending in front of "purchases", here's a look at my current wish list.



Wish List

(1st column, from top to bottom)
1. Zara's Satin Platform Sandals
2. Shopbop's Cady Cuff Shorts
3. Fresh's Vanilla Soap

(2nd column)
1. Shopbop's Bianca Enamel Bow Studs
2. Anthropologie's Refreshing Lemonade Urn
3. Shopbop's Crackle Clutch
4. Net-A-Porter's Time Teller P Watch

(3rd column)
1. CUSP's Cream 3/4SLV Lark Rise LA
2. Blik's Wrought Iron Headboard Wall Decal

(4th column)
1. Lululemon's Run Swifty Racerback
2. William Somona's Breville Panini Press
3. Harry and David's Royal Riviera Pears