Whole Foods Hot Bar Plate <3

Mmmm. What a great midweek treat! Fresh chips with rice, black beans, roasted veggies, tofu, and a grain and veggie salad. Perfect lunch!

What’s new with me?
School and work is taking up about 80% of my life right now (as usual!) The other 20% of my time is being shared with family, friends, eating, Zumba fitness, The Big Bang Theory (new favorite show), and very rarely blog reading. I miss you guys!

Do you watch The Big Bang Theory?
If so, who is you’re favorite character?

I like all of them but obviously Sheldon is my favorite! 😛

The Weekend Check-In

Hi Friends!

Happy Saturday, right?

If you started school this week, I bet you are so happy that it is finally the weekend! Classes are going really well this semester! My new teachers seem to be pretty nice and easy to understand.

Getting back in shape has been a great challenge for me this week! I am setting goals each week to try to get myself to the gym. This week I set a number of calories I wanted to burn at the gym and I managed to meet that goal with no problems! I love goal setting! Waking up early to go workout is another goal that still needs a little work but, I am getting there for sure. My energy levels are awesome and I cannot wait to set new goals for next week!

As you can see, I am keeping myself pretty busy! With that said, guest post will be greatly appreciated this school year. So, if you want to be featured on my blog, please e-mail me at Whitney10@comcast.net and we can discuss topics. I love having guest posts!

Have a great weekend!

Market Recap Monday week 15

Hi im Whitney and I like food. Currently, I am just eating for one. Not two, not three. One. So please, stop asking me. It really makes things awkward and uncomfortable for the both of us.

Im not sure why I keep getting asked if I am pregnant when I am at a perfectly healthy weight.

That’s enough of that.

Needless to say, the market went great. It did rain, and it was very chilly! But we are champs.

We created new hummus recipes which include roasted beet and horseradish, yum. Although everyone loved the beet hummus, we didn’t sell a single one. The horseradish hummus definitely made up for the loss.

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Now I am spending my labor day indoors (freezing out!) And getting ready for the fall semester starting tomorrow.

Classes I am taking:
Algebra 2
General Biology
Developmental Psychology (so excited!)
Using the Internet

Not too much stress this semester aside from algebra 2. I am actually really excited to start new, fresh classes and start packing an awesome lunch everyday. One of my goals for this semester is getting back to the gym in the early morning. I want exercise back into my daily routine more than anything.

Weekdays are going to look like:

6:45AM wake up

7:00AM gym

8:00AM come home, shower get ready for school

9:00AM class

2:00PM come home, eat

3:00PM work

9:30PM come home

10:30PM sleepy

That schedule is missing a lot of activities such as homework, breakfast, and blogging but I think I can make it work.

If you workout in the morning, do you eat breakfast before or after the workout?

 

For the Love of Blogging

Good evening, friends! ♥

I was so happy that a lot you who commented on my last post agreed that I should get my Zumba on rather than getting to study on.

But, you didn’t have to tell me twice! I was already going to shake my butt either way. I had so much fun at Zumba yesterday that I think it was totally worth every minute I spent. After taking 2 weeks off I thought I would so lost and confused the entire class but we actually didn’t do any new routines so I was pretty thankful. That can be so frustrating sometimes!

So, I wanted to explain about my studying habits.

Basically, I have been studying harder than I EVER have in my entire life.

• I have been using my ‘gym time’ to go to school 2 hours early (everyday) to study for med. terms. with no positive results. Last week I studied my butt off and received my worst exam grade yet, 58%.

Not to sound immature, but I seriously believe that it can’t be my fault, it’s the instructor’s! I know all of the term by hearts and then she’ll randomly throw in questions on our weekly exams that have NOTHING to do with the terms.

 How rude!

One thing I  wanted to bring up (yes, there was a point to this post) is why I am still blogging regularly with my extremely busy schedule. I know it’s probably not a smart thing to do, but I just can’t give up blogging for even a month, it’s just weird. Yes, if I ignored the blog, I would probably have a lot more time for other things like studying, homework, sleep, jobs, cooking, sleep, grocery shopping, sleep and sleep.

But you know what?

It’s worth it to me, I love blogging. I love all the new people I “meet”,  I love learning from your experiences, I love letting all my silly thought out, I love sharing my food on WIAW, I love that connection with people from all around the world that have very similar interests.

It’s just really special to me. ♥

Even if you “don’t have time to blog” do you do it anyway just for the love of it?

Skip Easter Dinner…

I want BREAKFAST!

Did everybody have a happy Easter?

Easter breakfast consisted of my first ever BOATMEAL CAKE!

Flavor of choice? Banana Bread! 😀

I didn’t really feel like making anything too special for dinner. I actually spent my Easter studying for finals and writing a final essay. Sounds fun, right?

I did however have time to make dessert. That’s just a must.

As I was writing my final paper I thought I would share a piece with you.

“Topic of choice” essays usually led to something along the lines of “Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet” research papers. As much as I write about this topic, you think I would just recycle old papers and turn them without having to do any work. For my own sake, I mix them up a bit. One time I wrote about the dairy industry, another time I wrote on factory farming. Now, I’m just combining them all together muhaha. Anyway back to my research I wanted to share!

The plant-based diet includes a wide variety of whole foods consisting of beans, whole-grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, along with products made from these natural foods, such as tofu, tempeh, and meat analogs. Those who believe plant protein is inferior to animal protein may be surprised to learn that plant proteins contain the same 22 amino acids as animal proteins. The meat and dairy industries spend billions of dollars to project their message right into your shopping cart through television commercials, magazine ads, and grocery store ads. These powerful industries even recognized it was important to teach young children “good nutrition”  at a very early age. Since the end of World War 2 they spread their protein message to our nation’s youth by providing schools across the U.S. with colorful charts of the “important food groups” that emphasized meat, dairy products, and eggs. For the decades following World War 2, one simply could not ignore the emphasis on protein.

Interesting, eh? It goes on to say that protein deficiency only occurs in 3rd world countries (if any) because of the lack of food. Basically, if you have food, you have protein whether it be a grain or a bean.

On to other news,
Alexandra has awarded me with the…

The Rules:

1. Post this award with the picture and name of whoever awarded it to you

2. Do the stuff

3. Award to 7 others and tell them you did so

The stuff:

1. Name 3 things that are lying right next to you

2. Name 2 foods that you cannot live without

3. Name 1 thing you did today

Three things next to me:

Phone

Tea

Maggie

Two foods I cannot live without:

Nut butters!

Chocolate!

One thing I did today:

Zumba! & Coffee/tea with the Zumba girls.

& Tag your it? You know how I feel about tagging people, tell them Whitney sent you.

Well, I’m off to get ready for the day and TAKE MY FINAL MATH EXAM. Holy cow, I’m on the borderline of passing that stupid class. Stress? Wish me luck!

Hello again winter…

I really didn’t miss you but I did enjoy my day off from school, so thanks anyway!

Yesterday morning I totally thought I could drive in this 8 inches of snow we got, HA! I woke up early for Zumba and realized that I probably won’t make it in my little car. Lucky for me, I have a super nice daddy that drove me to Zumba at 6AM because Big Boy (he goes there for coffee with his friends EVERY morning) was not open yet. So, I was really happy to get my Zumba fix in, I’ve been craving it. Zumba and strength training is about the only exercises I have been doing lately cause of this stupid whether that makes me feel crappy. I need a warm nature walk…

But, I’ve been keeping warm with lots of soup! My favorite so far being this broccoli cheddar soup, it’s sooo yummy! I’ll post the recipe later if I have time.

But for now, I just got out of work and I have to go to class in a few hours. I will be taking my first test in psyc! Ahhh I’m nervous. I am NOT a test person. I’m also finding out that I’m not really a math person either. I missed one day of stupid math and now I’m so behind! 😦

What is your favorite soup?

This is my brain on caffine.

Hello friends!

I hope everybody had a lovely Valentine’s Day!

First off, I want to let you all know that I am going to be okay! My test results came in and I’ve had a terrible yeast infection for the last 6 months that turned really bad. Obviously you should go get that stuff check out ASAP, unlike me. (I didn’t have health insurance for a few months 😦 ) But this is like the BEST I could have hoped for because they worried me so much with all the other things they thought my infection was. I am so relived! Actually, I’m kind of mad that they didn’t test me for this first because I told them I thought I had a yeast infection….silly doctor’s.

 

ANYWAY.

Look what my Valentine made me! 🙂

Angel hair pasta & homemade sauce with black olives, mushrooms, artichokes, onions, and probably some other stuff I can’t remember.

I love him. Not just because he cooks the best meals in the world, but he is so sweet and good to me every single day, I’m so spoiled!

 College Rant Start.

By the way, my new psychology class is going very well! I really enjoy learning how the mind works. Although, I feel my hardcore Christian side come out sometimes and want to blurt out, “THAT’S JUST THE WAY GOD MADE US! GET OVER IT!!!!” For example, finding out whether or not your unborn child is mentally challenged. Give me a break! Every child is a gift from God, and matter of fact, mentally challenged children are such a greater gift on a whole nother level. Yes, they may be quite costly. But you know what? How often does a mentally challenged child beg for the latest designer jeans, and the hottest new car? Not often.

Also, I feel my animal advocate side boiling up too because we talk a lot about animal testing which pisses me off! My teacher talked to us today about why rats are good to experiment on. I guess it’s because if you inject them with cancer, they react quicker than a cow would… isn’t that lovely? And then he goes on to talk about how a rat is NOTHING like a human so we don’t ever know if the testing is accurate or not. That makes sense, right?…

Do you ever feel like blurting out random feelings at unnecessary times?

College Rant Over.

Do you like how I just tried starting that off positive and then it turned evil! Haha. Sorry, I drank coffee for like the first time  w e e k s  today and I can’t stop typing! I was sooo freakin’ tired before class, I needed it. Well, I thought I did. Then it kind of made me sick.

I wanted to do another post about sugar, but I’m not in the mood. … maybe tomorrow!

Be prepared.

Trying New Things

Thanks for all the support on my last post. I did it. I dropped A&P and now I will be taking a phycology class on Tuesday nights for 4 freaking hours! That’s a long class! I don’t get out until almost 10PM which really sucks for multiple reasons:

1. I get up at 5AM on Tuesdays because I work from 6-2, I’m going to be so freaking tried!
2. No more Biggest Loser 😦
3. No more pilates/yoga class and legs class with my favorite instructor
4. The last place I want to be at 10PM is the 4th most dangerous city in America, not to mention the first worse city for assault.



My father is NOT pleased with this late night class, he says I must get a gun permit and I honestly don’t think he was joking!

So as you can tell, I’m still not confident in the choice I have made. But you know what? Life goes on. It’s not about finishing first and rushing through life. I need to chill! My adviser told me, “Well, you know, if you get a 2.0 you’ll still pass the class…” I’m sorry but that was such a stupid statement! Who wants to ‘just pass’? Well, maybe the old me would have settled for ‘just passing’ but I want a 3.5 or higher, please!

Anyway, as far as the food has been I changed it up a little! Now for breakfast I eat a protein-loaded meal such as a smoothie, or some ‘fu scramble w/ black beans. This is just a little test for me.  🙂

Speaking of protein smoothies, I’ve switched back to my hemp protein instead of soy. It’s weird how sometimes I love something but then automatically stop liking it for no reason at all and switch to something else. I’m so silly.

And as far as working out goes….

I’ve been going to the gym like less than 2 times a week; it’s sad.

But I do have some good news!:

So remember how I hated Zumba because it was so awful and confusing? Guess what? My favorite instructor at my gym is now teaching Zumba and I love it! I don’t feel off-beat and behind, it’s great. And you know what else? I’m the youngest one in the class, HA! I love old ladies, they make me feel good about my Zumba skills. However, I am still experiencing crazy blisters on my feet because I’m constantly sweating like a pig! That’s my own fault though, I really need to get some good sweat-proof socks. Any suggestions?

Hopefully with this extra time I have now, I can whip myself back into shape!

Wow this post is all about the new, positive things in my life, I love it.

Have you tried any new fitness classes lately?

Oh, and Katie is having another giveaway! I want this one bad!!!

And did you check out my new side bars, I’m so fancy! —> —>

Winter Warm Foods

Ahh, my last week off before I go back for my second semester of my freshman year of college! This weather has been so crazy lately! First it was a snow storm, then it was 40 degrees and rain, then the sun was shinning,

and now, its freezing! 😦

Ahh Michigan, you always keep me on my toes!

That’s ok though, I’ve been keeping warm with my lentil soup 🙂

Not to mention a  H U G E  batch of veggie chili that will probably last me all winter long:

Score! This is a huge time saver! Always make big batches of soup and freeze it for later. This will come in handy on the one night you don’t want to make dinner!

And perhaps I’ve been eating some squirrel-style potatoes! Yumm.

Sweet potatoes, purple potatoes, and long white potatoes all roasted up and seasoned with thyme, basil, and oregano.

A   p e r f e c  t   snack.

What foods have you been eating to keep warm?

In other news, I’m totally loving my new book:

Crazy Sexy Diet

By: Kris Carr

This girl is amazing! She’s like a combo of Rory Freedman and Alicia Sliverstone yet, totally different in her own way. I don’t want to give too much away but you should really go out and get this book. She has a lot of great health and wellness tips and some great recipes at the back of the book.

Does anybody else own this book yet?

I’m so ready to get back into a regular routine. I haven’t went to the gym in over a week! My head is killing me from all of the junk I’ve ate over the holidays like cookies, chip, and SUGAR. I am in need of a green smoothie and some hard-core pilates, that’s for sure! Plus, I still haven’t tried out my new gear! Geez I’m behind! 🙂

 

Tofu Spinach Lasagna

Happy Monday!

Well, it’s a happy Monday for me anyway because my last class was canceled so I got to leave super early today. This is the 3rd or 4th time this class has been called this semester, not accounting all of our days we don’t have class he gives us in advance, and I’m not complaining but lots of other people are. Some students get so mad that our class gets canceled and I can’t figure out why. It doesn’t really create more work for us but then again, I guess we are paying to go to those classes, right? Other students: what is your take on this? Do you get excited when class is cancelled? 

Sunday was an awesome day filled with awesome food.

First off, Scott and I made this awesome Tofu Spinach lasagna we found in The Vegan Table recipe book:

Like the rest of The Vegan Table recipes, this turned out wonderful. We added Daiya shreds to the dish and I’m so glad we did, amazing! I would type out the whole recipe for you to use but I just really think you should do yourself a favor and go out and buy The Vegan Table.

It took about 2 hours to make but we had fun doing it.

Meanwhile, we enjoyed drinking a new Silk flavor: Mint Chocolate

!!!REVIEW!!!

I love the new holiday Silk flavors! I bought a few of them so far. This flavor was nice, smooth, and chocolatly. Scott said he cannot imagine somebody noticing this was dairy-free,”it taste like drinking a chocolate mint!” I agree. This is a sweet treat served hot or cold, perfect for this crazy Michigan weather!

Would I buy it again? This and every other flavor!!!

With the leftover lasagna mixture (we purposely made extra) we made stuffed baby Portobellos:

I have been craving mushrooms lately so this was a perfect idea. Plus, mushrooms are always on sale! Scott says that he is glad people are so afraid of mushrooms, more for us! Are you afraid of mushrooms?

The finished product:

Leftovers anyone?

Psst: Don’t forget to turn in for the 100th post surprise either on Tuesday or Wednesday!