Ditch the Soda

Does this shock you? Because this photo sure surprised me when I first saw it!! I look at this and immediately cringe knowing that much sugar is in these drinks. After I thought about it though, these measurements aren't surprising.

Need the caffeine? Try a regular coffee with skim milk and artificial sweetener. It isn't near as much sugar and calories as the Red Bull, Mtn Dew, and Starbucks prepared drinks. I even make my own iced coffee at home if I don't want to drink it hot. The trick is to fill a cup with ice and pour the hot coffee directly into the cup. The ice "shocks" the coffee and doesn't melt as fast as when you put ice into a cup of hot coffee. 

Like the carbonation? Opt for diet sodas instead. I know many people don't think diet sodas taste similar to their regular versions, but consuming this much sugar isn't healthy for anybody.

Need something sweet? Try Crystal Light packets! They're low in calories, taste awesome, and are easy to have on the go.

No matter what though, water is always my go-to drink!!

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Behavior Change Project

For one of my nutrition classes this semester, my class was assigned to do a "behavior change" project. We had to choose a behavior we wanted to change and change this behavior for two weeks, record our progress, and then write a two page paper on it. Doesn't sound that hard, right? I had been thinking about how often I go out to eat and decided to change that behavior. For those two weeks I was only going to go out to eat once a week. ONCE A WEEK.

Let me put this into perspective: I typically eat dinner out around 4-6 days a week. Its embarrassing and costs me a fortune. I never realized how much money I spent eating out until I stopped and counted it up. Our project included a reward of our choice. My reward was to buy decorations for my very bare apartment. After those two weeks I ended up with money for decorations, gas, and the weekend. Cha ching!

Back to the project though: throughout those two weeks I discovered an amazing thing. Tyson Frozen Grilled Chicken strips. It sounds questionable but just about saved my life. Being a nutrition major, I really should cook more but sometimes you just do not have the time (excuses, excuses I know). But this product by Tyson is amazing. I put the chicken strips on salads, in sandwiches, on pizzas, and even just ate them by themselves. Pop a few into the microwave for about 2 minutes and viola! Protein! I knew about frozen chicken fingers but I really did not want a bag of frozen fried chicken in my freezer. This way, I had healthy cooked chicken and it didn't take an hour to prepare. Tyson has a whole line of Grilled & Ready Products, be sure to check them out!

Confession: I went out to eat twice one of those two weeks. Embarrassing.

The Color Run: Birmingham

I AM OFFICIALLY A COLOR RUNNER!!

On Labor Day I did the Color Run in Birmingham and it was a blast! The entire drive from Tuscaloosa to Birmingham my friend Riley and I were doing a bunch of different "anti-rain" things (you know... rain dances, praying to the rain gods, all that). It didn't work so well. That's when we decided to suck it up and have a great time. Despite the rain everyone I saw had a smile on their face and was ready to be doused in color. 

The costumes I saw were so great! Lots of wigs, socks, and tutus. The race was on a race track so you could see all of the other runners getting their color on. There were so many people that we had to start in waves. It was torture!! All I wanted to do was get out there and start my Color Run. Having signed up for the run back in April, the anticipation was getting a little out of hand.

I didn't even care about the fact that I resembled a wet dog because the WaterColor Run (props to Riley for coining such an awesome term) was amazing! I cannot wait to do another one!

Can chicken noodle soup cure a cold?

Waking up for class today was an absolute nightmare. My head hurt, my throat hurt, my nose was stuffy, and I was achy. Class only resumed last week so I do NOT want to already be missing class!! I hate being sick so on my way home from school I Googled the best things to eat while having a cold. I know drinking orange juice to consume Vitamin C, getting lots of rest, and eating chicken noodle soup are essential. It became my mission to find out if chicken noodle soup actually helps cure the common cold. It turns out that the combination of vegetables, broth, and chicken may contribute to the movement of neutrophils, a certain kind of white blood cells! One theory states that the steam coming from the broth is what helps because it helps clear the sinuses. Another says that the hot broth helps move the mucus.

After learning all this I decided to make a stop by Publix. I checked out with cough drops, 2 cans of chicken noodle soup, and a box of saltines. I'm sure the cashier knew exactly how I was feeling. Next time you're feeling a cold coming on be sure to stock up on some chicken noodle, it is starting to sound like more than an old wives tale!

Healthy Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cutie Cookies

My dear pal Alana is famous for her healthy cookies. She makes different kinds all the time and they are amazing!! I always beg her to bring me some because I eat a handful and don't feel bad about it. Okay, that may be an exaggeration, but they're just too delicious! Her latest concoction are these cutie cookies. Made with apple sauce and molasses instead of sugar, and whole wheat and oat meal flour instead of all-purpose, these cuties are an indulgence that won't make you feel guilty!

Here's what you need:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup oat meal flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup peanut butter

Here's what you do:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Combine wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ones.
3. Cook for 7 minutes or until they look golden brown.
4. These cookies have M&Ms baked on top but anything would taste delicious on these!

Chicken & Broccoli Pasta

I have a fantastic roommate that makes delicious dinners, so delicious I want share them with everybody! Her latest creation doesn't have a single difficult part about it. It is angel hair pasta with chicken, broccoli, parmesan, and olive oil. Pretty simple, right?

She pan-fried the chicken in some olive oil and cooked the angel hair pasta and frozen broccoli according to the directions.

After the pasta was cooked and drained, she added additional olive oil and then stirred in some shredded parmesan.

Once the chicken and broccoli were ready, she stirred those in too. 

Sometimes the easiest things are the best things. And sometimes, the easiest recipes aren't the ones that initially come to mind. Each ingredient was eye-balled, but I would recommend being conservative with the olive oil and load on the chicken and broccoli! 

Dark Chocolate & Marshmallow Crescents

Yes, another crescent recipe, I just can't get enough of them!!! I've made meals, desserts, and snacks from these things. Seriously, it is the easiest thing and never fails to satisfy my cravings!

For my latest crescent creation I combined dark chocolate chips and marshmallows with the crescent dough. I placed the chocolate chips and a few mini marshmallows onto one end of the dough and rolled it up like a typical crescent. With the oven set to 375 degrees fahrenheit, I baked the rolls for around 10-12 minutes. SO yummy!!!

I ate these for both dessert and breakfast!! Do you have any creative crescent roll recipes?