As inspired by the Brick Pit

When I'm home I work at a barbecue restaurant named The Brick Pit (if you're ever in Mobile, I definitely recommend stopping by!). My favorite menu item is the pulled pork but there isn't one thing I don't like on their menu. Thinking about it makes me wish I was able to cruise down the road and get some! The Brick Pit inspired my dinner for tonight. For a little while The Brick Pit sold a barbecue baked potato. You got to choose between chicken and pork, your choice was put into the baked potato, and topped off with some barbecue sauce. This afternoon I went to the grocery store and bought some potatoes and a chicken. I baked the potato for about an hour. I pulled the chicken and heated it up on the skillet in some olive oil. When the potato was ready I opened it up, put in a little bit of butter, and poured some barbecue sauce on top. I put the chicken on the side and ate it all together! I got a little bit of home right in my kitchen :)

"If music be the love of food, play on" - William Shakespeare

get moving, cool things happen!

Today was absolutely awesome. Sunny, not too cold, got out of class early, and ran with an Olympic athlete. YEAH, REALLY. I went on a run after class and as I was running down the road I passed this guy on the sidewalk. I felt pretty speedy since I don't usually pass guys up. I felt speedy until he caught back up to me and started talking to me. He started off by asking me how long I was running for, I said 5 miles and he said he was running 12. Oh, not so speedy now. He then told me it was his second run of the day after running 10 miles this morning. Yep, definitely not speedy anymore. I asked what he was training for and he said the Olympics. OK, that's pretty freaking sweet. I learned he is from Kenya, sponsored by Adidas, and is competing in the 1,500 meter race. I also learned that he has competed in Mobile (my hometown) and that we've even run in some road races together! This pretty much made my already good day even better. Not only did I get the chance to talk to and run with an Olympic athlete, but I got out of class early. :) 


As important as watching your diet is, exercise is essential. It isn't hard, as I'm sure you've heard over and over again. For me - I bike to campus from my apartment, walk to my classes, and jog a couple days a week. It all adds up quickly when you aren't noticing. For some, exercise is hard to fit into a day. On these days you just have to try and get creative. Like parking far away, taking the stairs, or getting up early (which isn't the best thing ever) to get a workout in. For me, it is always easier when I have an awesome playlist or when I have a friend with me. I found a good playlist on Pandora (just type in workout in the search radio menu and lots of options come up). Another great place to find music is on rockmyrun. Members of the sight have put together mash-ups and playlists. You can choose how long your workout is and there is a fast-paced fun list of playlists you can download! 


As Nike says, "just do it!" Get out, get moving, and maybe you'll run into someone training for the Olympics. Even if you don't, you will for sure  feel good about yourself!!

What makes the salad?

I was riding in the car on Friday to visit some friends in Auburn. Earlier that day I was thinking to myself, "what makes the salad, the toppings or the dressing?" To me, it is definitely the toppings that bring it all together, but I was curious as to what other people were thinking. So, I asked the people in the car with me and they all agreed it was the toppings - whether it be meat, vegetables, or fruit - that make the salad! With the right additions, I could even do without the dressing (but it definitely adds to the salad)!! And then THAT got me thinking, "what are my favorite things to have on a salad??" This is what I came up with:


My favorite salad toppings:

Avocado

Sliced mushrooms

Strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries

Dried cranberries

My favorite dressings:

Thinking about this makes me want to go make a salad!!! What makes a salad for you?

"The first wealth is health" - Emerson

h2o

Today I was reading for my Food Science class, trying to stay on top of my school work and all, I remembered how my teacher had been talking about water and it's importance. It got me thinking about all the actual benefits of drinking water. Besides the obvious - that it has zero calories, keeps you hydrated, and quenches thirst - what does water do for you after you drink it? I did a little googling and found out some really cool things. My top five favorite benefits of drinking water, check it out:


1. Lose weight (cha ching!)- drinking water helps you lose weight because it flushes down the by-products of fat breakdown. It also helps reduce hunger and has zero calories so you can drink as much as you won’t and it won’t add to your daily calorie intake! Also, it fuels your body and muscles so when you go to workout you can have enough energy to get your burn.
2. Relieves fatigue - sure, coffee can jump start your day pretty nicely but when you’re properly hydrated your body doesn’t have to work harder to pump oxygenated blood to your cells. That way, your organs aren’t exhausted and you won’t be either!
3. Better productivity at work - Your brain is mostly made up of water, so when you drink water it helps you think better. Easy enough, right?
4. Look younger with healthier skin - hydrated skin is younger looking skin! Water helps replenish skin tissues, moisturizes skin, and increases skin elasticity. If only this worked in middle school.
5. Natural remedy for headache - dehydration is a common contribution to headaches, so drinking water can be an easy fix! Instead of going straight to the Advil, try a glass of water and maybe that's all you need. Water also helps relieve/prevent joint pains because hydrated muscles are more elastic and suffer less from strain.


So next time, instead of that diet coke, grab a glass of water! You'll be glad you did!

"Water is essential for all dimensions of life." - World Bank Institute (Water Policy Reform Programs)

Avocado Grilled Cheese: My Way

I FINALLY got the time to cook today! As I said earlier, I saw an avocado grilled cheese on Pinterest and was determined to make one for myself. I went to Publix and decided to buy a package of pitas instead of a loaf of bread (change number one to Pinterest's recipe). I found the avocados and the tomatoes beside them caught my eye (change number two). Next: the cheese. The cheese on Pinterest looked like American cheese, but I decided on shredded mozzarella (change number three). I went home and decided to put it all together. I opened the pita and cut up the tomato and avocado. I sprinkled the mozzarella around the pita, put the tomato and avocado in, then spied the mushrooms in the fridge (change number four). So, in the end, I had a pita with melted mozzarella, sliced tomato, avocado, and mushrooms. Completely different from the original idea!! I cut up the other half of the avocado, sprinkled some Tony's Creole seasoning on it and devoured that! I also put a spoonful of hummus on the side and ate that with some triscuits. 


In the end, I couldn't finish it but it was totally delicious and didn't take much time at all!

"Anything is good if it's made of chocolate." - Jo Brand

Blueberries, Granola, and Vanilla Yogurt!

Today was the second day of classes for the Spring semester. I had Developmental Nutrition and Intro into Organic Chemistry today. Not too bad, the labs haven't started yet so my day ended at noon instead of six this afternoon like it would've. This morning I made myself some yogurt. Last semester I loved making up different yogurt concoctions so I did that again today!! I bought vanilla non-fat Greek yogurt, nature valley granola bars, and some blueberries. I scooped some yogurt into a bowl, broke up the granola bar, and sprinkled some blueberries on top. I added a glass on skim milk and it ended up being around 420 calories, not too shabby! 

Since I have my meal plan back, I'm eating lunch in the dining halls. I'm trying to make good choices, but it's not always easy. This afternoon I had a turkey and pepperoni sandwich with tomato soup, some homemade chips from the dining hall, and a slice of bread! It was perfect since it is so cold and gloomy outside. Now... what to do for dinner...?

A man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools. - Spanish Proverb

Back to school! (ROLL TIDE)

I returned to school yesterday after a fabulous Christmas break. I'm glad to be back, but being at home was great. Since I was home for almost an entire month, the kitchen in my apartment is completely empty. I felt real college-girl like when I fixed myself a peanut butter and nutella sandwich. Quick, easy, cheap... definitely back at school!!


When I woke up this morning knowing I had to go grocery shopping at some point today. First day back, got to make something yummy! My original plan was to make an avocado grilled cheese sandwich (an idea I got from pinterest). It looked AMAZING online but when I got to the store I couldn't find a single avocado. New plan: salad and pasta. I bought some lettuce, strawberries, sliced almonds, feta, and rasberry-lime vinaigrette. It was a really great salad. I have been craving something sweet, so it was perfect!

For the pasta I found a three cheese whole wheat pasta and some sliced mushrooms. I sauteed the mushrooms and topped it all off with some light Alfredo sauce. The whole meal only took about 30 minutes to make!

"Garbage in garbage out" - George Fuechsel

Lunch: Homemade Pizza!

This morning I woke up and realized I was the only person in the house. Living in a household of five, this is rare. Naturally, I went directly to the refrigerator to see what there was to eat. Naturally, nothing I was in the mood for was in there. I decided I was in the mood for pizza. I remembered a pizza a friend of mine had taught me and headed to the grocery store to buy what I needed. The pizza consisted of whole wheat flat bread, Philadelphia Herbs and Cheese cooking creme, sliced mushrooms, tomatoes, and feta. 


First I laid out the flat bread. Then I spread the cooking creme across. After that I added the mushrooms, tomatoes, and feta. Lastly, I placed the pizza in the oven at 350 degrees and cooked it for about 15 minutes!


It was delicious and only contained about 310 calories for the entire pizza!!

"He who had health had hope, and he who had hope has everything." - Arabian Proverb

New Years Resolution

Last fall, my nutrition teacher told the class they needed to do something to make themselves stand out. Among the things she listed was blogging. My best friend and I have been talking about making our blogs for entirely too long now. She made hers last night, so that means it's time for me to make mine. Usually my New Years resolutions are the same old thing: be healthier, more active, make better grades, all that. This year, I'm trying to do something more solid. For 2012, my goal is to cook more of my own food. I got a cookbook (The Biggest Loser Cookbook, I'm not ashamed) for Christmas this year so I need to start using it! Being in college, it is definitely a challenge. Sure, Ramen is cheap and easy, but it gets old real quick. I need to break out of my "sandwich every meal" routine and start cooking.


I started this morning by making myself a lovely omelet. It had 3 eggs, baked chicken, and some sharp cheddar cheese. I added a glass of 2% milk and cut up some avocado. I'm still full (which is crazy because I am constantly hungry). The omelet was delicious. My father eyed it the entire time, wishing he had chosen that over his boring cheerios. 

"To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art." - La Rochefoucauld