Blogmas Day 4: Best Moments

Date: December 4, 2016

Author: astottler

Today in Blogmas we’re taking a break from recipes (more to come though) to talk about something a little bit different: being grateful and finding light in dark times. Everyone has been talking about how 2016 was a terrible year, that we’re just waiting to end. While a lot of terrible things did happen this year, life is too short to write off a whole year, or even a whole bunch as we wait for 2016 to end.

As 2016 draws to a close, I encourage everyone to take a moment and look back on the good times in 2016. What’s done is done, but we can shift our mindset. Don’t let the negatives wash out the positives for 2016. Life really is filtered by whatever attitude you take on. I challenge you to look back over the past year and find 10 of your “best moments.” 10 times that you were exhilaratingly happy, times that you were proud, times that you felt loved. Let go of the negativity and hold these 10 best moments close to you as we hop into 2017.

For inspiration, here are my best moments.

A fantastic night with a best friend resulted in a victory in which we won expensive wine.

I finally made it out to some Stanford baseball games. One of my big college regrets was not going to more games, so I made it happen in my final year.

Doing better than expected in the Crossfit Open. I didn’t rank super highly by any means, but I made some big breakthroughs in Crossfit and I think they started to come out in the Open. Plus, good workouts with good people? Always fun.

Going to Seattle for spring break with some of my best friends, and especially this night. I had dark beer for the first time and the beer I had was the best I’d ever had. Still on a beer kick since then!

Running the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler in DC. This race was a dream for me to run, and I was so excited to get in through the lottery. I may have been slightly sick, had a broken foot, and run in sub-freezing 50 mph wind, but it was all totally worth it.

Going to a beach house with some good friends. It was so great to spend time together, get off campus, and unplug (no cell signal there).

Not letting the boot hold me back. I tried to have fun with it and do all the same fun activities with it. I put lights on it. It was my pal, my trusty sidekick. Always find the positive in negative situations.

This is one of the moments where I was just so overwhelming happy. I had a little graduation party during the last week of school, and everyone I care about came. It was incredible. There was a school tradition of walking around campus as a giant group on the last night of the year, ending in the fountain. I had never been since I would usually go home earlier than that, and everyone wanted to go. I had just gotten my boot off and could barely walk, and surely couldn’t make it all the way across campus on foot. My friends literally took turns carrying me across campus. So grateful for them.

Visiting Emily in Nashville when I was living in Tennessee. I had such an amazing time, and it was great to see a friendly face and catch up after some time living alone, plus getting some solid life advice.

My time in Knoxville was incredible. I think one of the best moments was leading an alpaca around, although I don’t have pictures of that for confidentiality reasons. It was one of those moments where I just thought, “this is so freaking cool.” When I came home, I felt like a completely different person thanks to all my experiences there. And it got me even more excited about my future career path.

Coming home from Knoxville and seeing old friends, and getting a good look at this view. I love my city.

Doing something I never thought I’d do: go to a country concert. After living in Tennessee for 5 weeks, I felt pretty qualified to attend a Florida Georgia Line concert in St. Louis. I went alone, but still had a blast. Made me miss TN!

The Giant’s wildcard win, which was incredible and allowed me the chance to take a trip to Chicago (my first time there!) to see my home team play in the playoffs. We can also toss in our Game 3 victory which was the biggest roller coaster of emotions and kept me up past 3 am.

Bottle feeding young goats at Grant’s Farm. Or even just being surrounded my goats. I love goats.

Running the Halloween Race in St. Louis. It was my grand return to racing post-stress fracture, and it’s always fun to do races in new cities.

Yindi (Tasmanian Devil) playing with a pumpkin. This made my morning, my week, and my year. This was the only thing that was going to cheer me up the day after the election.

Wine tasting in Missouri wine country with my fantastic coworkers. But seriously, my zoo buddies were incredible and I miss them dearly!

And finally, having the opportunity to spend hours a week with this fantastic creature. I miss Kali!

What is one of your best moments?

Blogmas Day 3: Pumpkin Gingerbread

Date: December 3, 2016

Author: astottler

Categories: Uncategorized

Welcome back to Blogmas! I hope you’re enjoying reading these posts, because I’m certainly having a blast making them. It forces creativity and a little more special effort to be put into each post, and having new content helps keep things fresh around here. As I type this up today, I’m cuddling under a blanket with my trusty sidekick.

I brought him here, oh, 4-5 hours ago, to help me read microbiology and he has not moved. During that time, I’ve done reading, eaten lunch, made this recipe, and walked the dog. He’s still snoozing. No shame.

Today’s recipe is another idea that popped into my head while walking around the zoo and dreaming of the holidays. My FAVORITE healthy pumpkin bread recipe ever doesn’t actually call for any spices, so I usually add a ton of pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon to make pumpkin bread. But I thought, huh, why not make this into gingerbread? And just add gingerbread spices? I don’t have the original source of the recipe since it’s a print out from many years ago, but I adapted it to make delicious pumpkin gingerbread.

This loaf has a warm flavor that just feels like the holidays. Even though we have yet to get a tree or put up decorations, when that sweet, molasses-ginger scent fills the house, I know it’s December!

This recipe also packs a bit of a nutritional punch: it’s filled with Vitamin A from pumpkin, lots of important minerals from molasses (iron, calcium, magnesium, and more), and it isn’t a sugar bomb.

Pumpkin Gingerbread

Ingredients:

2 1/4 c flour (I used GF but this recipe works well with half whole wheat and half white)

1/2 T baking powder

1 t baking soda

1 t salt

1 large egg

1 egg white

1 can of pumpkin (about 1.5 c)

1/4 c oil (I used avocado but you could use any type of vegetable oil)

1/2 c molasses

1/4 c packed brown sugar

1 t vanilla

2 t ginger

1/4 t nutmeg

1/8 t cloves

1 t cinnamon

powder sugar for dusting (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk all dry ingredients besides the sugar together in a large bowl.
Stir in wet ingredients until well blended.
Pour batter into a tinfoil-lined loaf pan.
Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until done.
Sprinkle powdered sugar on top. Enjoy!

*Extra points if you have a holiday-themed plate.

I Really Hate Leaving

Date: November 17, 2016

Author: astottler

Categories: Uncategorized

I know everyone keeps saying what a terrible year 2016 was, and while from general world perspective, I might agree. However, for me personally, it’s been a pretty great year.

I was worried that I wouldn’t do anything meaningful for my gap year, but instead, I couldn’t have wanted anything more thus far.

I’ve done a lot this past year. Graduated college. Moved to Tennessee for the summer. Moved to St. Louis for the fall. These have all been absolutely amazing things and experiences. But you know what it means? Lots of leaving. Lots of goodbyes. Lots of friendships and attachments made. That’s all I could ask for in life, but it makes leaving so hard.

#zoocrew

So here we are, just a few days from leaving again, and the goodbyes have begun.

Today I said goodbye to the handsomest gorilla ever, Jontu.

I’m trying to squeeze in some last bits of time with these people. Last night, the interns and I went line dancing. Let’s not pretend I can dance, to be clear. But I do know a lot of country music after living in TN!

I know I can’t dance, but I did give it a try! I’m thankfully at the point in my life where I don’t care too much what others think of me. Plus there’s the fact that I’m moving across the country in 3 days and theres 0 chance of seeing anyone again!

In other exciting life news, I saw the bat eared foxes at the zoo yesterday! I walk past their habitat at least 3 times a day. Every day. For the past 3 months. They are NEVER out! Finally, on my last week, I saw them! SO exciting!

I also went into the antelope house for they first time, and saw baby gazelles, as well as a kangaroo in a pouch!

And since we’re on the topic of zoo pictures, here’s baby Ginger:

Anyways. I’m definitely sad to leave. But also excited for what’s to come. Seeing my pets. Celebrating the holidays. I’m getting pumped for Blogmas, which will be a post a day Dec 1-25, full of interesting content: recipes, workouts, chats about health during the holidays. I have some recipe ideas that I cannot wait to try out. I love blogging this time of year and doing special things, like my 12 days of Christmas in years past. This is the first time in a while I’ll have time to really put some work in. To be completely honest, I don’t know next year will be like for this blog, so I’m trying to do what I can and enjoy it now!

To be honest, I’m also a little nervous about being home and the holidays and health. Every year during the holidays I end up going crazy on sweets, feeling gross, and therefore getting worked up. Except for last year. Last year, with my chronic stomach condition, I was too sick to rally overindulge. We had Christmas dinner in soup form, for crying out loud! Honestly, gaining weight over the holidays doesn’t worry me. What I really want to do is feel good during the holidays. Stay sane, stay happy. So that’s something we’ll be chatting about a little bit during Blogmas!

In terms of recent eats, I’ve actually shaken up breakfasts lately.

Greek yogurt with maple syrup and sunbutter.

Oatmeal with blueberries, cherries, and white chocolate chips. I added some sunbutter and a drizzle of maple syrup, and had cherries on the side. I actually really don’t like having oatmeal for breakfast. I hate how it makes me feel. I need fewer carbs and more protein, which is why I love yogurt! I found myself craving lots of carbs all day as a result. But I’m trying to eat all the food that I bought and has been sitting in the pantry.

Dinners have also been an exercise in cleaning out the fridge and freezer. That being said, I really hope my dinners are an example of how healthy can be quick and simple. My meals come together in about 15 minutes tops.

Spinach patty with ketchup, polenta with parmesan, and spinach and mushrooms sautéed with garlic and soy sauce.

I’ve gotten really into eggs and avocado toast lately. I could have an egg, avocado toast, and a veggie for every meal and I’d be happy. The veggies of the day was a salad with Bolthouse Farms honey mustard and Mexican blend cheese. I don’t quite know how I feel about honey mustard dressing. I never know what to put in salads with it. I feel like you need something salty to counteract the sweet, so I went with cheese.

Is there anything you want to see on Fitness is Sweet?