So guys…will you excuse the photo dump if I include lots of delicious food photos, and promise a real post tomorrow?

Ok. Let’s roll with it.

Post-speed work breakfast.

My favorite ever quick bread. Long referred to as “mystery bread” on my blog, its true identity is morning glory bread. SO amazing. Fun fact: the green is from a chemical reaction between the sunflower seeds and baking soda.

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Saturday morning we had brunch with the resident fellows at my dorm. (The RFs are a family that lives in a house connected to the dorm and they are sort of in charge of us.) They made crepes that I filled with lemon juice, whipped cream, and berries, plus a slice of pumpkin bread.

I finally, FINALLY made it out to my favorite ice cream place this quarter. It was amazing, as was expected.

Today (Sunday) I went home. My family went out to lunch at Whole Foods to sample their Thanksgiving fare. We don’t normally make Thanksgiving dinner ourselves, but this year we are. While I definitely want to make our own sides, I don’t think we have any need to roast our own turkey.

Another part of going home is working on CS homework. If Charlie is on top of my homework, that means I don’t have to do it-right?

My little doggy-so tired!

For dinner, we tried a couple of new recipes. The first was roasted cauliflower from Ina Garten’s cookbook. It had panko and parmesan-It was delicious!

We also made goat cheese and broccoli soufflés. Seriously-souffles aren’t too hard to make! And so beautiful too.

Sadly, the soufflé didn’t have quite as much flavor as I would have liked.

And that’s all I have for today! Have a great week-we’re almost to Thanksgiving!

I never recapped my last day (ok, morning) in Solvang!

Here are a few of the last pastries of the trip (or of the next few months-WHEW we ate a lot of pastries!)

Blueberry boat.

Cappuccino at an adorable bakery.

A much more delicious version of a poptart.

On our way out of town, we stopped to see mini horses. I really want one. Not quite as much as an ostrich, but still!

It was a long drive home, but a delicious and interesting dinner made up for it. I tried Ethiopian food for the first time! (For others in the area, it was called Walia).

I honestly couldn’t tell you what anything was. We got somethings with chicken, some things with other meat, and veggie combos. But really, everything I tried was excellent. What is really cool also is how the food is served. There were no utensils-the table got served all the dishes on a giant platter.

(Excuse the awkward hand in the picture).

This was served with Injera, which is sort of like a spongy bread made with teff. It has a vaguely sourdough flavor, which was great to cut the spice.

You use the Injera as a utensil and kind of just go at it. Being the totally neat person that I am, somehow I ended up totally soiling 3 napkins, and still ending up with food all over my hands, while the rest of my family had barely used one napkin. I don’t get it!

And then Thursday. That was an interesting day, thanks to a 4:30 am wakeup, courtesy of this little guy:

He’s sort of in the habit of coming into my room in the middle of the night-loudly. For some reason, at 4:30am, he desperately needs attention, and won’t stop meowing and purring, which would be great and all if I actually wanted to be awake then…

I went to my home gym for a spin class with one of my favorite teachers, and then desperately needed to go to yoga because I’m so tight, but yoga was an awkward amount of time from the end of spin-not really enough to leave…so I killed time by doing some abs and a treadmill workout. I started with an 8:00 mile, and then did 10 2:00 intervals at about a 7:30 pace, with 2:00 of walking in between. It was a good one-my legs were done by the end. I’ve been really loving running lately-ever since my 5k, I’m starting to feel faster in my every day runs. I think part of my problem was being overly ambitious in my 5k-I wanted to break 24:00, when I should have been racing to break 25:00-next race I will definitely not go out so fast!

After yoga, I over caffeinated myself with a curiously strong cappuccino. 

After some quick grocery and Christmas shopping, it was lunchtime! I picked up some turkey apricot soup at Whole Foods, plus some carrots and guacamole.

Whole Foods’s eggnog selection was quite dissapointing-they didn’t have either of the two types I was hoping for. I got a baby jar instead-it was good but very vanilla flavored.

My afternoon was spent cursing my printer and working on Christmas things. Then, I threw a bunch of things together for dinner, and the flavors worked really well together!

The basica idea was sweet potato nachos-all the toppings, but with sweet potatoes in place of chips. The result reminded me more of deconstructed veggie tacos, or a Mexican style vegetarian chili.

Topping the sliced sweet potatoes was this mixture-my idea was for this to be black beans, but I’m also trying to incorporate more veggies into my life, so I added some kale, and half a can of diced tomatoes and jalapenos, plus salt, pepper, and taco seasoning. (Of you’re wondering about the things in there that look like carrots and cabbage, the only kale I found came in a ‘salad mix.’)

Then, I topped everything off with guacamole (of course), fresh salsa, and cheddar cheese.

And believe me, much more guacamole was added after the fact. I’m just a little obsessed. I’m seriously considering making a 2014 calendar consisting only of avocados. Too far?

And with that, I leave you. Hope everyone has a great day-and remember, I’ll do the drawing for my 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway tonight at 9:00pm PST.

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever woken up to?

Given I’m cat-deprived, I can’t complain about Charlie too much. I used to have this alarm clock that had nature sounds, and for some reason it was set to blast the sound of rain as my alarm, so it sounded like extremely loud static. Not pleasant.

Since starting 12 Days of Christmas, I haven’t gotten to talk about my day to day eats in a while, so let’s dive in, shall we?

The most exciting thing I did before returning to college? Meal prep! I wanted something veggie packed and easy to grab and go, so I made a TON of egg cups-they’re filled with egg, chopped kale or spinach, and cheese-some gouda, some parmesan. 

Pre-oven

Post oven.

I also made one with cranberry sauce and turkey, if you’re wondering. 

I wanted quick grab and go sweet breakfasts as well, so I made mini versions with egg and blueberries, plus a little cinnamon. The most genius thing I did though was mix up some of my pumpkin starter with egg, and top with cinnamon cream cheese. YUM.

I also made a few with fig balsamic and goat cheese (the bottom ones).

I made an extra batch to freeze as well, since everything was already out! I used the pumpkin starter again but added blueberries.

I’ve also been eating a lot of leftover butternut squash soup, from Thanksgiving. SO GOOD. I top it with cranberry relish and creme fraiche.

Another use of leftovers? On my last night home, we used turkey to make quesadillas with jack cheese, spinach, and mushrooms.

My roommate is seriously the best. She brought back an entire crate of fruit from her trees at home, and it’s like 3 layers deep in persimmons. 

Obviously, those have been kind of a staple in my diet lately.

Additionally, the giant plate of asparagus at lunch has returned-I topped them with a fresh herb seasoning mixture, and then nutritional yeast. Plus my turkey egg cup.

And because I have to show you our holiday decorations:

This candy was outside our door, but it’s currently all gone!

And because I already miss him:

Have a great day!

Favorite holiday food?

Crossfit this morning ended up being particularly brutal. The posted workout was one I had done before in about 8 minutes. When I arrived, I was greeted by this marathon WOD.

I was DONE after this one!

There are a few topics I want to address today.

1. Phantoms

2. Dorm Snack Tips

So let’s start with the phantoms. I was visited by an old friend today-a phantom- in the form of a phantom pain. Fitting, right? My calf has felt kind of off since yesterday’s spin workout. I felt a tiny twinge then, and it’s felt kind of weird all day. I can’t exactly find the pain, but something is off, but it’s in the same as my calf injury I suffered before my last half. Which naturally freaked me out. I didn’t feel any pain running in Crossfit. I’ve felt a tiny bit of SOMETHING here or there on random steps. I was scheduled to run a hilly 6 miles today, as well as go to flag football practice. Well, I decided to do the smart thing and scrap those both. It’s not worth the risk. There’s another important lesson here-I used to always go to practice for my sports team no matter what, sick, injured, dying, etc. If I made a commitment, I HAD to stick to it. That attitude almost convinced me to go to practice. But I had to think about it-in the long run my half is way more important for me, and I have to do what’s best for my body, even if it means saying no. 

So today, I’ve rolled out a ton; my calves, arches, and achilles are all tight and sore, so I hope I’m nipping this thing in the bud and it’s just tightness. I did the best thing possible too by making it to a yoga class. My legs and calves feel 1000x better now. Taking care of yourself is so important! I think I’m feeling up for a run tomorrow, although I won’t be doing the hill sprints I had planned, just an easy run. 

And now-dorm snacking tips! Two of today’s snacks are some of my go-to fast, healthy, and dormable eats. The first is guacamole. I buy guacamole mix, which is usually just a blend of spices. Then, simply make as much as you want. I used half an avocado-the perfect amount for one serving. Then, just add the mix to taste, reseal the rest, and BOOM. Instant guacamole.

I love eating this with veggies. Today, I dipped snap peas and carrots because that’s what I have stocked in my fridge.

Now-dorm snack #2. Make quick bread and freeze it. It seriously stays fresh forever. I had pumpkin bread all spring, and the bread I found in my freezer today moved home from college with me in May, and back with me now. It’s a great healthy snack, and will curb those incessant muffin cravings (I CAN’T be the only one?). It’s also great if you don’t want to eat a whole loaf at once.

And if you’re me, you’ll probably break pieces off before it’s finished heating up. Confession: most of my bread pictures look like this. 

And on one last note-my parents had to move to a hotel for a few weeks while they fix up the house, and they moved the kitties today. Isn’t this the saddest thing you’ve ever seen?

Poor thing.

Can you ever sense an injury coming on? What are your go-to snacks?

Marvelous is…

Moving back into my dorm this week! I actually do think I’m ready for school to start. This has been a very low key summer, which is exactly what I wanted, but I’m getting a little antsy.

Marvelous is…

Jumping onto the pumpkin bandwagon early with a new recipe! Baby pumpkin pie-and it’s microwave friendly! The recipe should be up Monday night.

Marvelous is…

Fig and goat cheese salads. Can’t. Get. Enough.

Marvelous is…

Rocking my 10 mile run today. I beat my last 10 mile run time by over 4 minutes!

This is my last flat long run for a while since my race is hilly. I’m a little nervous because up until this point all my long runs have been flat. As far as today’s run? It felt pretty good. The shoe insert I carved out helped my foot feel better at least somewhat-it didn’t become an issue until the turnaround point. I’m convinced I would be soo much faster if my foot didn’t kill me every run. I’m getting custom inserts made so hopefully that fixes it. Also-I took a look at the carved inserts after my run, and since they’re foamy, they completely flattened, which is probably why the hole stopped helping. Oh well. Also, I rolled my ankle around mile 2. It wasn’t too bad so I shook it off and kept going. I think ice and compression socks may keep it from being an issue. 

Marvelous is…

Post run lunch. WIth a side of ice bucket (for my foot pain and ankle-killing 2 birds with one very, very cold stone).

Lunch was a couple of baby sweet potatoes topped with spinach and an egg with spices. I also had a smoothie-cherry, pineapple, and lots of pineapple coconut water. So refreshing!

Marvelous is…

The fact that no matter what random clothes I pull out of my closet, I always seem to be wearing the same colors.

Marvelous is…

Relaxing post run with an adorable kitty. I’m going to miss him so much when I leave! And the poor thing-he has allergies so right now his eyes are pink rimmed, runny, and itchy. 

Marvelous is…

Soaking up the last bit of summer with one more summery meal. Yes, I realize this contradicts the above statement about pumpkin.

I made Grilled Peach and Chicken salad, except I used nectarines instead of peaches.

And for dessert-some of the last summer fruit in the form of a fruit bowl. Topped with sunflower seed butter-perfection.

What is Marvelous in your Monday? Are you excited for fall or sad that summer is ending?

By the way, did you guys see her chocolate chip banana bread recipe? It looks AMAZING! I was going to make it but was short a ripe banana, and my dad may have killed me if I made it and ate it all while he was out of town. 

But now onto what I actually DID eat! 

Saturday lunch-leftovers. Sloppy joe meat (with turkey) in a lettuce leaf, plus leftover sweet potato wedges. 

ANOTHER fruit bowl. I’m kind of obsessed with these. The best ones include bananas and peaches. WIth or without peaches though, there needs to be a tangier component than just banana-like berries or even apple in a pinch. Topped with crunchy sunflower seed butter for some healthy fats.

I also tried a new chobani flip-vanilla with corn flakes, honey oats, and praline pecans.

I paired it with a slice of veggie pizza and broccoli. My overall opinion? A little boring. And corn flakes+yogurt are not a great combination, just because they got super soggy.

Since over the weekend I was still on my no sugar challenge, when my parents broke out the peanut butter cups, I decided to make my own no sugar version. I heated up unsweetened chocolate and coconut butter (unsweetened chocolate is really hard), and then filled mini muffin cups first with the chocolate, then sunflower seed butter, and then topped with chocolate again. I also added a touch of sea salt to the top-to make them gourmet of course! I wouldn’t recommend using no sweetener if you aren’t use to the taste of unsweetened chocolate, but this would work just as well with dark chocolate.

 One thing I love about summer is going to Farmer’s markets. I love tasting all the fruit-especially peaches. White peaches or nectarines are by far my favorite! However, fruit is not the only amazing foodie find at Farmer’s markets. Have any of you ever gotten kettle corn there? It’s the best kettle corn ever. When you get it, it’s so hot and crisp. What better to munch on while browsing the produce?

I do love my fresh produce though too. Some highlights-white raspberries and butternut squash hummus! I love topping salads with hummus, and I prefer less sharp hummus for this. Butternut squash worked just perfectly!

Also from the Farmer’s market-artichokes and corn. I also had a grilled portabello mushroom, but sadly we could not find any at the Farmer’s market. 

Also-a side note: I’m not sure if anyone noticed, but I haven’t posted many pictures of my breakfasts lately. That just means they’ve been super boring and/or really quick and early in the morning. For example-this morning I grabbed a Thinkthin bar before Crossfit. And as much as I’m sure everyone wants to see the same picture every other morning….

So far this week my workouts have been good ones. Monday was my first run of half marathon training 2.0. It took me about 3 hours to get going…but hey, I still did it. I realized I haven’t A) done that run in my newer shoes and B) done that run since the beginning of my first half marathon training. I did a 3 mile run in my neighborhood. It’s pretty hilly, so it was great practice for the hills of SF. It’s a run I’ve done a million times throughout high school. I did it once, at the very beginning of my training, and was DYING. I was in pretty awful shape at the beginning of my training-after recovering from Mono a month or so prior, I never really got back into running shape. Well, the run was sooo much easier. It’s good to know the 10 weeks of training I put into for my first half helped me be in better shape. 

Confession: the whole time I was climbing the big hill I was think “I’m scaling this hill, just like Spiderman.” #facepalm

I refueled afterwards with an iced chai tea latte. A weak iced chai tea latte-because who has time for something to ACTUALLY brew fully?

When I make my chai tea lattes, I brew the tea directly into the almond milk, which I heat up. Since I’m adding ice, I find it gets too watery if I brew it in water and then add milk. 

Aaaaand one last piece of deliciousness to leave you with. Remember how I said I wanted to bake Jenn’s chocolate chip banana bread but was a banana short? Well, I wasn’t just going to let a good banana go to waste. Or a good craving for chocolate chip banana bread to go to waste. Instead, I whipped up a concoction that turned out to be a pretty awesome banana chocolate chip custard. So let’s go with that. 

I don’t have the exact recipe. But there’s only one solution to that-I’ll have to make it again and measure it out! I kind of just poured and mashed, but I used 1 banana, liquid egg whites, a dash of salt and baking powder, and unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

Have a great day everybody! I’m sorry this post was a bit disjointed-I was a bit behind on food posts so I kind of just threw it all out there. I’ll leave you with some kitty love.

I really wanted to take a selfie with him-because I’m cool and take selfies with my cat…but I didn’t get quite that angelic facial expression…

Do you love microwave cooking as much as I do? What’s the best way to train for a hilly race? Favorite summer produce? Anyone else take selfies with their cats? Please?

Wednesday morning, on the way out to 5:45am spin, I was greeted by this:

Silly cat. 

My spin teachers are in the habit of talking about doughnuts. Meh. After spin, I headed off to run, only to be met by a dead Garmin. It died about 5 minutes in to my 5 mile run. I thought it would have given some type of warning to charge it BEFORE it died?? Then again, maybe I left it on again….Luckily I had done that same distance at the same place so it was fine. And I took a super easy pace.

Since I had woken up at 5:10 that morning, caffeine was in order, especially with the day’s midterm (and studying for midterm…). My mom has been meaning to use her espresso maker more so we made a cappuccino!

It was really good! Cappuccinos are about the only coffee drink I’ll have. I’m kind of obsessed with milk foam. And extra bonus-I can add as much as I want (read: a lot)! So this was even milkier than what I would order. Would they look at me funny at the coffee shop if I order extra milk foam? 

My midterm went well. I suffered from the fact that I haven’t actually written anything on paper for the last few months. There were essay questions, and my hand was dying. But at least I got to write about the obesity epidemic, one of my favorite health topics!

I had a softball game Wednesday night, and my sister and her boyfriend decided to come home for dinner when they realized we’d be having waffles. I’ve been dying for waffles or pancakes lately, so when I saw a whole grain mix in our pantry, I knew it was time. 

I topped mine with butter and hot blueberries-just the way I like it! On the side (because obviously the waffles are the main dish), I had a frittata with spinach, goat cheese, and caramelized onions. And some frozen cherries! Yummm. By the way, that’s not the only waffle that was consumed that night. Just the only one that would fit on the plate. 

Thursday morning was a rough one at the kitten nursery. One of the kittens has scabies, which is a skin disease that can be transferred pretty easily to other kittens and to humans. Everything was basically on quarantine, and we had to wear gowns the whole time. The poor kitten was feeling just fine, but we weren’t allowed to play with her at all. However, this wasn’t the worst part of the morning.

One litter of kittens was not doing well. They were new 2 weeks ago, and I remember them all being super active and playful. This week however, they were much mellower and clearly not feeling well. They had pretty loose stools, and some were loosing too much weight. One little kitten was just not doing well at all. She had lost a lot of weight and wasn’t eating much, so we were supposed to bottle feed her, but she resisted that as well. The only positive is she did purr when I picked her up. Last night, they sent out an email that they had to euthanize her because she was suffering and wasn’t going to make it. That’s the hard part of this job-these kittens are so tiny (she was .27 lbs today) and who knows what has happened to them before they come in. As volunteers, we do as much as possible to keep them healthy, but sometimes there really isn’t anything we can control. When I got home, all I wanted to do was give my kitties a big hug. I’m so grateful they’re healthy, happy, and loving. I have to be thankful for the cats that I can save-we rescued Charlie from Stockton. This is Charlie the day we found him.

He was wandering around the hotel we were staying at (for softball) calling out to us. Stockton is not a nice place-it has some of the highest crime rates in the country. At one of the softball fields we played at, you could hear gunshots from the field. The hotel was adjacent to the highway, and it was clear he had been dumped. We saw him that morning meowing at us before the game, and between games we returned to search for him. We bought some cat food at the store, but couldn’t even find any boxes-we ended up finding some cardboard (like a box, but no top or bottom) that kind of held him in. It was 90 degrees though, and he was an escape artist. He ended up in the engine of two different cars. On the 2 hour drive home, he sat on my lap in the box and cried if I didn’t constantly have my hand in the box. 

If we hadn’t taken him home, the hotel would have called Animal Control-my dad was looking into nearby shelters, but they were full. When he talked to the hotel front desk, they told him to call animal control. Animal control would have euthanized him.

I can’t even imagine how someone could have dumped him. He’s one of the sweetest cats I’ve ever met-I’ve never once seen him angry. He’s never clawed anyone. And the only time he bites is if he gets a little too frisky. He’s such a softie-I can’t imagine why someone wouldn’t have wanted him. 

I guess what I’m saying is appreciate your pets. Give them a hug and be thankful for them, and feel happy you saved them. Not all animals are so lucky.