Goals

Today, I accomplished something huge.  I ran SEVEN miles. SEVEN freakin' miles!

I can't believe how far I've come. I remember when I first started running. I decided to run up to the temple and back--from my apartment at the time, it was a little less than three miles. It's uphill the whole way, but it gets even worse right before you reach the temple. The road becomes steep half-mile climb up around the temple, where you can then loop around and head home. Last April, I couldn't even get halfway up the hill. I went home, satisfied that I sorta ran two and a half miles.

Don't get me wrong, two and a half miles was great for me at the time--the problem was, I settled. I didn't care if I got up to the top.

Today, not only did I run all the way around the temple, but I ran two miles uphill before I hit the steep hill. I pushed to the top without stopping, and then ran another four miles.

I have been pushing to reach six miles for a while now, but I kept running (excuse the pun) into problems. I've had digestive issues. This week, I developed knee tendonitis. It's been frustrating, but mostly scary. I have been terrified that I won't be able to run the Urbanathlon--I was afraid I just wasn't strong enough, mentally or physically, to reach that goal.

Today I proved myself wrong, and it felt great. My knee still throbbed, my mouth was dry, and I felt like puking part of the time, but I knew that I could keep going.

Although I have not met all of my goals yet, I'm going to keep pushing. Because I can do hard things.

New York, you better watch out because here I come!

Blueberry Banana Bread

Sometimes, a girl has just gotta have something sweet. And for me, that is like every hour. ;) This is a fantastic recipe from Emily over at Daily Garnish that totally hit the spot! (plus, it used up the brown bananas sitting on my cupboard...)

Blueberry Banana Bread Muffins
adapted from Daily Garnish

Ingredients:

• ¾ cups white flour
• ¾ cups wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup white sugar
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 large ripe bananas
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup Greek yogurt (preferably vanilla or honey flavored)
• 1 cup fresh/frozen blueberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine bananas, eggs, sugars, vanilla, and greek yogurt. Sift in the flours, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Fold in blueberries. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan or greased muffin pan. Pop into the oven and bake for one hour (in loaf pan) or 20 minutes (muffin pan). Good hot, but even better the next day for breakfast. Yummy!

15 Muffins
Calories: 115
Protein: 3.2g

Moving In

Whew! Moving into a new place is tough stuff, especially when you have loads of food to find a place for! I am so excited to get this school year started.  It's a little terrifying to realize that its time for me to put the skills and habits I developed during the summer to the test. Its definitely going to be an adjustment, but one I am looking forward to. 

I wanted to make sure that I was prepared to eat well because I probably won't be able to make it to the grocery store very often. Here's what I got:

Whole wheat flour 

Quinoa

Brown Rice

Whole wheat pasta 

Splenda

Oats

Protein powder

Nuts and dried fruits

I love produce, especially vegetables. They give you the opportunity to eat tons of food for almost no calories! Here is a list of all of the fridge items I have for the week:

Spinach  Bananas

Applesauce  Avocados

Onions  Zucchini

Green Beans  Greek Yogurt

Eggs  Milk

Apples  Pesto

Have you ever seen so much food?! I am always amazed that I am able to fit so much food into such a tiny dorm room. Seriously though, I am so stoked about all of the great food I have. I really think that as long as you keep tempting foods out of your home, it really makes life way easier.

I can't wait to start cooking in my new apartment!

My Quinoa Love Affair

One of my best friends introduced me to quinoa (a.k.a. a gift from the Gods) this summer and I am completely addicted! I eat this fantastic whole grain at least once a week, if not more. It drive The Mom nuts because the uncooked granules will stick to everything...and I have always been quite amazing at creating messes in the kitchen. The thing I LOVE about quinoa is that 1) its super easy and fast to make and 2) it can be used in virtually any recipe that needs a grain bases...including sandwiches.

So without further ado, I want to introduce you to the latest quinoa dish I made: BLT Quinoa Salad.

Heck Yes.

BLT Quinoa Salad

Adapted from Family Fresh Cooking

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup dry Quinoa, prepare according to package directions
• 2 slices Bacon, diced
• 1/4 cup Cherry Tomatoes, sliced in half*
• 2 tablespoons diced Green Onion
• 2 tablespoons Avocado, diced
• 1/2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
• 1/2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
• Garlic Salt to taste
• Cracked Black Pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup Romaine Lettuce, shredded
• Feta Cheese

Directions:

Prepare quinoa in chicken broth and season with garlic salt and pepper. Let it cool. Mix lemon juice, vinegar and oil with quinoa in a medium bowl. Add the bacon, tomatoes, and green onion and combine well. Season to taste with garlic salt and pepper. Add more lemon juice and vinegar if desired. Gently mix in the avocado, shredded Romaine, and sprinkle in feta cheese as desired just before serving. *I used diced garden tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes because that was all I had. But it worked just as well. :)

Servings: 1
Calories: 374
Protein: 15.8g

Getting Started!

The first post. My first blog. Talk about pressure! It's a little weird writing to nobody...hopefully this will change soon. :) Seriously though, I canot tell you how excited I am to begin sharing my journey with you. I stayed up until 2:00 a.m. last night working on it, and then I was too excited to fall asleep!

I never thought I would start a blog. I couldn't picture myself starting a "journaling" blog--I'm just too private of a person to bring myself to discuss every intimate detail of my life across the world wide web, where anyone and everyone can read about that time when I was super awkward (in case you were wondering, that time when I was super awkward is all day, every day).

I couldn't picture myself starting a "fashion" blog--jeans and a t-shirt. Exciting.

I didn't see myself as a "food blogger"--especially when compared to the likes of people like the Pioneer Woman or Perry's Plate

And before this summer, there would've been no one in their right minds that would've read a "health" blog written by me! Oh man, that idea actually makes me giggle a little!

Ultimately, it came down to the fact that I never thought I had any skills that could compare to all of the amazing people of the current blogging community. Maybe I still don't. But then again, I never thought I would become a health/fitness junkie and a runner either!

And now that I've gone through all of the reasons why I shouldn't be blogging, you are probably asking yourself, "So what in the world is this girl gonna bring to the table?"

I asked myself the same question, and this is what I came up with: 

1) Passion. I have a passion for living life to its fullest, accomplishing goals, and reaching my potential. 

2) Youth. I'm and young and inexperienced, but that just means that you get to learn along with me, instead of listening to me impart my impressive advice from years of practice.

3) Knowledge. I may be fairly new to the health world, but I sure do know my stuff. You don't lose as much weight as I did without picking up a trick or two. :P

Ultimately, I am just beginning my healthy journey. You will get to see my struggle and triumph as I work to develop a lifestyle that will literally last me a lifetime. Hopefully this is as exciting for you as it is for me! :)