SnackplateSnackface

Bonjour mes amis! I’m pumped that it’s already Thursday afternoon, aka the start of my college-student weekend. The fact that it’s Halloween weekend makes it even better!

My day started off wonderfully with a weights session at the gym. This week I promised myself I’d get 8 hours of sleep instead of procrastinating/wasting time on Facebook, and it actually worked! Makes those 6 am wakeup calls much more manageable. I did 40 minutes of full-body strength training before coming home for a simple breakfast.

Shredded Wheat, banana, almond milk, cinnamon. You know the drill J

After a relatively painless morning of classes (one of my professors had us do group work translating American marketing slogans, which made for some funny conversation) I hurried home for a double-snack plate lunch.  

The savory snack-plate:

Two whole-wheat tortillas, cauliflower and cukes dipped into tomato basil hummus.

That hummus certainly didn’t last long. It’s definitely worth a trip to Trader Joe’s to restock though.

The sweet snack-plate:

Gala apple with cinnamon, Barney Butter and a pumpkin spice scuffin topped with pumpkin butter.

Speaking of snack-plates and snack-facing, you know you all want to vote for Kailey to become Sunglass Hut’s new fashion blogger J Can you really think of anyone better for the job? Click here to vote for her!

Off to do Thursday afternoon things. Have a wonderful day loves!

Too Much Tech

First of all, I just realized that I am completely an inexcusably behind in responding to emails. If you’ve sent me an email recently, I’ll be catching up on them this weekend, I promise!

When I think about it, it’s actually a tiny bit absurd how many tech things we’re all wired to. Here’s what I try to keep track of:

-       Facebook

-       Twitter

-       Blogging

-       Responding to comments

-       3 email accounts (school, personal and blog)

-       Text messages

-       Phone calls

-       BBMs

I feel like I might be missing one, but it’s no wonder I feel overwhelmed! I’m not complaining- I love technology and all the awesome people it’s helped me come into contact with! But it does kind of make me wish I grew up in an era where you had just one phone to make all your plans on. You set a date, you picked a time, and you showed up. The convenience of cell phones has definitely made people much flakier with plans…

This afternoon before my midterm, I snacked on some protein pumpkin pudding for brain fuel.

Pumpkin, chocolate protein powder and almond butter all mixed up.

The midterm was…urgh…interesting. The article the teacher gave us to analyze was just completely different from what I was expecting. Can’t do anything about it now though- just cross my fingers that I got something right, I guess.

Since I wasn’t really in the mood to make anything for dinner, I stopped by Subway to use the gift card I received at HLS. It’s been ages since I went to Subway- probably my freshman year of college, when it was the most convenient alternative to dining hall food.

I selected the veggie delite on whole wheat bread. I requested just about every topping: oil & vinegar, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers, banana peppers and pickles.

The “meal” option included a bag of chips, so I chose Sun Chips. I was actually impressed by the ingredients list on these- everything was pronounceable and, even better, easily recognizable. They were tasty dipped into salsa.

It wasn’t Wawa, but it was still plenty delicious J

For dessert, I enjoyed a sliced grapefruit and a Trader Joe’s dark chocolate stick. The perfect amount.

And last but not least, I've been snacking on some French-style cornichon pickles while doing homework. I don't know if I've ever mentioned it, but I absolutely love love love pickles!

How many forms of technology do you use on a daily basis? What’s your favorite? Least favorite?

What do you call it in your neck of the woods: a sub, a hoagie, a grinder or a hero?

The End of Oversweeting

Yesterday while at Barnes and Noble buying a pocket-sized French-English dictionary this book caught my eye in the 20% off section.

I know several other bloggers have mentioned reading it, and because it’s been awhile since I’ve read a non-school-related book, I decided to give it a go.

Though I’m not too far into the book, it’s already fascinating. The author asserts that the mass-production and constant presence of unhealthy foods has made much of society addicted to added sugars, saturated fat and high levels of sodium. As a result, our desire for these foods goes far beyond hunger or satisfaction- we’re hardwired to crave them.

While reading, I questioned my love for sweets. Sugar in moderation is fine, but I have trouble defining moderation. Though I don’t always act on my desire for sweets, once I start, it’s hard for me to stop- like when I can’t leave the last few bites of dessert on my plate, despite feeling sick, or when I'm at a party and just can't stop eating M&Ms. Any friends or family reading know what I'm talking about :)

For the next few weeks, I’d like to make an effort to be more mindful of my sugar consumption in general. I'm not making any "rules"- I just want to be more aware! I’d never try to eliminate sweets from my diet because I never could or want to sustain that in the long run, but I do want to feel more in control when I choose to have a treat. I'll always choose sweet over savory and prefer those foods, but there's a way to do that mindfully. This goes hand-in-hand with intuitive eating: I want to be able to listen to my body when it’s satisfied, with both everyday meals and sweets.

* * *

I was planning on going for a run this morning, but when I woke up the sky was gray and the forecast predicted rain. Hence, I had a bowl of Trader Joe’s Fiber O’s with a banana and almond milk before heading to the gym for a cross-training workout instead.

I replaced my 5 mile run with 5 miles of hills on the elliptical, all while reading my new book. It sure made time fly!

For lunch, I used up a bag of browning lettuce and made a salad beast with carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, TJ’s meatless meatballs and tomato basil hummus.

I’m in a salad rut. I’ll admit it.

“Dessert” was an apple with almond butter and a pumpkin scuffin. The scuffins actually make the perfect not-too-sweet end to a meal- they’re a good balance of whole-grain carbs and spicy flavor.

I have a midterm this afternoon- wish me luck!

Do you have a sweet tooth? If so, do you have any tips for taming it with moderation?

What are your favorite super-easy meal options? I often turn to salads and sandwiches for convenience, but I’d like to add more to my repertoire!