Weekly Goals

Hey hey everyone! How are you guys doing today? Today's post will be short because I have tons of work to do. So, I ran 11 miles today (unlike the 12.8 miles last week). I'm going to cut back on running a little bit this week so that I will be ready for my half-marathon run on Sunday, October 6, 2013. Wish me luck!

So, here are this week's goals.

Those seem like simple goals, right? Well, wrong! When times get stressful, it is hard to remember just to take a few deep breaths to calm down a little. You really get in the moment.

As for the running, I love running. It'll be hard to cut back on running. But, I do want to rest up a bit before the big run so that I can get the best time I can get!

As for the meal plans, I guess that's self-explanatory. It's called college life.

Anyway,there is one more thing that I want to bring up. Yesterday, my family ordered fried rice from a Chinese restaurant (don't judge because I'm Chinese!). It was suppose to be a salted fish and chicken fried rice. While scooping some of the rice into my bowl, I saw a peanut in my rice. I'm not allergic to peanuts but I was surprised to see one. How did the peanut get into the rice in the first place?

Restaurants need to be more careful when preparing food and cleaning everything they use. It's very important, especially since there are people that have food allergies (and you don't want to get sick either). Someone who is allergic to peanuts may think that the rice was okay to eat and start eating it. But, with that peanut in the rice, they could have an allergic reaction. Reactions vary from mild to deadly. Restaurants really need to be careful and learn more about food safety and sanitation.

I wonder if that restaurant has anyone that is ServSafe certified.

Anyway, that's it for now!

How's your weekend going?
Do you have any tips on race day?

Recent Updates

Happy Saturday everyone! How are you guys doing today?

Well, I'm doing pretty well, thank you very much. I just volunteered for a sports nutrition workshop for my school's track team. It was quite fun. They were a great group and learned a lot from it. As usual, there was the 4:1 carbohydrates to protein ratio for pre-workout and a 3:1 ratio for post workout. 

We also learned that these athletes should eat every two to three hours during meets. It can be snacks such as  Nature Valley Granola bar or some fruit. Drinking water is very important too! Also, the protein requirements for college athletes is twice the amount of the normal person. 

What I also learned is that weight doesn't really matter (it's still important though). As it turns out, someone can still look fit and healthy but weigh more. I was surprised about the weight of some of the girls because I thought they'd weigh less. They looked so fit and healthy. I guess it comes from muscles! So, don't always measure your progress through weight. The measurements of body fat count as well (and how you fit your clothes). I'm not judging or anything but it was an observation. 

At the end of the workshop, the athletes were able to make sandwiches for their lunch. It was to show an example of a post-workout meal. The sandwiches looked so good! There were turkey, cheese, tomatoes, sprouts, avocados, hummus, apples and so many other things that can be used to make sandwiches! Also, there was the Alpine Valley bread (which I love!). I didn't get to make a sandwich, unfortunately. But seeing the hummus, I was in the mood to eat something with hummus after the workshop ended. So, for lunch, I went to Pita Pit after and bought a whole wheat black bean pita with red pepper hummus, cucumbers, spinach and craisins. It was so good ( I love red pepper hummus). 

So, the past week has been a bit stressful. I'd rather not go into it but I have to say, sometimes, unexpected things happened. Classes were fun though. On Monday, in my food preparation class, I made cajun rice (like I've said before, I think). I still won't post the recipe until I re-create it at home. It was so good! Like I said before, I'm really enjoying my classes but there's so much work since I'm taking a lot. I really enjoy my Social and Cultural Aspect of Food Class. What we're learning right now is how religion can influence food choices. 

So, also bought some organic green tea soba noodles and organic teriyaki sauce from the Asian store. I just had to buy the green tea noodles because it's green tea! I also made some whole wheat rotini pasta that my mom likes. I was surprised she liked it because she doesn't really like whole wheat things. I also made whole wheat cinnamon sugar tortilla chips, which I will post later. It's so easy to make.

I also tried foam rolling for the first time. It hurt so good! It really does help. =)

Anyway, I guess that's it for now.

Have you ever attended a nutrition workshop?
What's do you like to eat pre/post workout?

Pasta Primavera

Hey hey everyone. How are you guys doing today? I'm doing good, thank you very much. Today in my food preparation class (basically a culinary class), we made cajun rice and french onion soup. The rice was so good! I'll definitely post the recipe once I recreate it at home.

Well, remember that in some earlier posts, I mentioned that I might post a pasta primavera recipe? Well, here it is! It's delicious. This would be a good pre-workout meal the night before a game or a track meet. It can also be a good post-workout meal, if you add milk and eggs to it for extra protein. Here's the recipe.




Ingredients:

• 1 16 oz package pasta (refined or whole grain, whichever you prefer)
• 1 16 oz package frozen vegetables, non-starchy/starchy
• 2 tablespoons margarine or olive oil
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to directions. 
2. In the last five minutes of cooking, add the entire package of frozen vegetables to the pasta pot.
3. Strain the pasta and vegetables. 
4. Toss the pasta and vegetables with margarine or oil and cheese.  
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

It serves 4, 2 cups per serving. 

There will be:

88 grams of carbohydrates

17 grams of protein

7 grams of fat

I hope you guys enjoy this pasta primavera like I did. It was delicious! Buen provecho. =) 

Do you guys like pasta?

What's your favorite pasta dish?

Weekly Goals + Half Marathon Training Update

Hey hey everyone. How are you guys doing today? It's a fine Sunday, isn't it? Well, it was a great day for a run. But, it rained yesterday. Oh, the rain.

Anyway, let's recap on my goals I set last week. I actually completed all of my goals. I'm so happy. I did study for my chemistry exam. I did create a new schedule. And, I did improve my mile time this week. My long run was actually today. I'll talk more about that in a bit. But, first, here's this weeks goals.

So, today was a course preview run. I decided to go, so that I can get a feel of the course before the actual run. We all met up at 7:30 am and it was a bit cold (since it rained yesterday). Thankfully, there wasn't too much mud. There were two options: 11 miles or almost a full half (12.5 miles) . I opted for the longer run.

We started running around 7:45 am and it was exciting. I didn't know what to expect, especially since I haven't ran with a group for such a long time. The course was great. However, I didn't expect a couple of huge hills along the route. What was great was that I was ahead of most of the group.

For some reason, my best time was today too!I think it was due to the excitement. I was so happy. Me and two other people (Lynn and Russ) ended up getting lost near the end, because we didn't see the arrows marked on the ground. We found our way back. We still finished ahead of most of the group. It ended up running 12.8 miles, in 2 hrs and 2 minutes. I have to say, I was impressed with myself!

They had coffee and pastries for our post-run meal/snack. I ended up just going home and making myself a whole wheat peanut butter and jelly sandwich with coffee.

Anyway, that's today. The past week was also cool too. I got to do homework, study, and hang out with friends. Work was fun too. I spent half the day selling root beer floats to raise money.

On Tuesday, my cousin and I went to eat at the school's restaurant. This is what I ordered.

It was sweet potato fries and a grilled veggie sandwich on focaccia bread. It was delicious! They really stuffed the sandwich with veggies.

On Wednesday, I went to Fluid and I ordered coffee and their new egg white spinach breakfast sandwich. It was on a homemade biscuit. I hadn't eaten a biscuit in so long. It was so good! I also ended up eating some ice cream from the root beer float sale.

And, here are some other food of the week:

I've been obsessed with trail mix! I love trail mix. 

I made a pizza with a whole wheat tortilla.  I added marinara sauce and cheese. 

This is new. I haven't eaten a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in a while, so I decided to buy a healthier jelly! 

And look what I bought yesterday. I bought a hello kitty lunch box (to put my lunch in) and new running shoes (for after my half-marathon). 

Well, I guess that's it for now!

How was your weekend?
What are your goals for this week?
Do you prefer running with a group or yourself?
- Personally, I like running by myself. It see it as "me" time. But, it's fun to run with a group once in a while. 

Tip of the Week: Organic and GMOs

Hey hey everyone. How is your week going? This week's tip is late in the week. I've been busy all week. Homework, exams, work, being the average busy college student. The only difference is that I'm taking a lot more classes. I'm taking 6 while the average is 4 or 5 classes.  I really enjoy my classes though! I'll talk more about it in another blog post.

Anyway, here's todays tip.

"Organic" and "GMO free" doesn't necessarily mean healthy or better for you. All organic produce contains the same nutrients as the ones in the regular store. For the most part, organic produce does taste better though. If you're worried about pesticides, there are still some pesticides used in some organic produce. Look up GRAS, generally recognized as safe.

Oh, and by the way, if you claim to eat "GMO free", and yet you eat bananas, you aren't eating 100% GMO free. Bananas were genetically modified a long time ago, in the mid 1900s. The banana you eat now is different from the ones your ancestors ate. Before, the bananas used to be harder to eat. They had a huge pit with a lot of seeds. Now, we can just eat the whole thing (except for the peel). It's amazing what science can do.

I guess that's it for now.

What's your opinion on organic/GMOs?
What's your favorite subject at school?

Weekly Goals + Other random things

Hey hey everyone. How are you guys today? I know that this post is being posted a bit later than usual but I had a pretty busy weekend! I went to Six Flags con mi familia and we had so much fun. And, I didn't let my trip cut my run long short, which I was tempted to do.

Anyway, I pretty much kept up with my goals last week. I did my best to do some yoga stretches throughout the week. I even did a full yoga workout yesterday for my rest day ("active" rest day). I did my best to stick to my schedule. That's how I'm able to keep track of everything and get everything done. And, for the last part, I did that. Smile and be happy. Just smiling when you're sad can really change your sad mood. It's surprising how one smile can change things!

Here are this weeks goals.

And, now, here are some random foods!

My family bought these pure protein bars from Costco. They are pretty good, in my opinion. There is a bit of a protein powder taste to it but it still tastes good. They're nice, chewy and filling.

I also bought the Naked Smoothies. They are so good! The Berry Blast smoothie and the Green Machine smoothie were awesome! There was also a Mango one that was good but I like these two better.

 I saw these Balance Dark Chocolate Peanut bars at my school store while looking for a snack. The words dark chocolate and new caught my attention. I just had to try it out! Chewy and chocolatey. That's all I can say.

 I know packaged food is bad but if all else fails, here's what I bought. I bought a Turkey Whole Wheat Pita. I read the ingredients list and it was definitely whole wheat. I wanted something sweet, so I indulged and bought a Fiber One brownie. It was actually pretty good. I hate to say that I bought soda but I did. I don't drink soda much but when I do, it is always that kind, the zero calorie kind. Pretty much, it's best to NOT drink soda. Ever. There are just so many negative effects it has to your health!

Anyway, I guess that's it for now. I pretty much had a great week and a great weekend. I did get my hair permanently straightened (it's suppose to last a year) and it took 5 hours! I know, that long. But, hey. At least my hair is easier to manage now.

How was your week?
Do you have any goals?
Do you like roller-coasters?

College and Life

I am loving my classes this semester, even though I'm taking a lot of units. My classes are interesting and fun. The cool thing is that in one of my classes, we get to cook. We'll be making salsa on Monday, which I'm happy about. I love salsa. This is kind of off topic but since I'm talking about food here, here's a picture.

I've been using the marinara sauce with whole wheat pasta and adding cheese to it. It's so good!

My favorite class, besides the cooking class (well, it's food preparation), is the Cultural and Social Aspects of Food. Each culture views food differently. What is considered a meal in the culture? How often do they eat? What are their portion sizes? What is their core food (staple) and what are their peripheral foods (things not eaten that often but they still eat)? How do their views affect how they view food? It's a very interesting course and I love it! It's important to understand other cultures. That way, you can make a difference. If your clients don't agree with your views of what they should eat or not eat, they're not going to change. You have to understand where they come from and incorporate change slowly. My professor is amazing and keeps us all engaged in that class. Time flies by so fast! 

Also, that professor is a Registered Dietitian and she is the sports nutritionist for the sports teams. Yesterday, me and a few other nutrition students were able to help out at a sports nutrition workshop she was holding for the cross-country team (there will be more workshops for other sports teams). It was fun, meeting other nutrition students. I also learned a lot about sports nutrition. Hydration is important. The carb/protein ratio for pre-workout is 4:1. And guess what. The post-workout is 3:1. You would think it'd be 2:1 but no, it's not. It is 3:1 for post workout. 

Pre-workout is the only time that is best to eat refined grains (unless your body is already used to eating whole grains) because of the fiber content. It tends to absorb more water. 

Anyway, I'm getting off-topic. I had fun volunteering and we got to eat pasta primavera! It was delicious! I have the recipe, which I may post later on. You'll be hooked once you try it!

On Thursday, it was bootcamp. Class that day was tough. We worked with barbells. It's been a while since I lifted weights (June), so imagine how weak I've gotten since then. It was a pretty intense class but I loved it. I'm still feeling it right now. Also on Thursday, I had to present  current event in my government class. Guess what topic I chose. I chose Obamacare. We had to summarize the article, analyze it and give our own opinion on it. My professor loved my presentation. =)

I guess that's it for now.

How was your week?
What do you eat pre/post workout? 

Tip of the Week: Choose Healthier Alternatives

You've probably heard this before. Choose 100% whole wheat bread instead of white bread. Substitute non-fat plain greek yogurt in place of sour cream. Use whole wheat flour in your baked goods. Use non-hydrogenated margarine instead of butter. Oh yea, by the way, most companies removed hydrogenated fat from their margarine (by the way, the human body naturally has trans fat). 

And, then, you hear about already packaged foods. Which crackers should I choose? What if I want some chocolate? Which should I choose?

Well, here's an analysis of two kinds of Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups. One is Justin's Organic Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups. The other is the Reese's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup. Here are the nutritional labels for both. 

Justin's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup

It's surprising how both of these are still pretty high in sugar. Even the "healthier" alternative has more saturated fat. Then again, the nutritional stats are pretty much equal. The organic brand does have a little less sugar, which is good. It has 5 grams less sugar. There is more cholesterol in the Reese's brand.

What most people are worried about here is the ingredients list. Are there preservatives? Are there ingredients that I can't even pronounce? Where did that come from? How did they make it? 

What I noticed is that Reese's has PGPR and TBHQ as preservatives. PGPR is Polyglycerol polyricinoleate. TBHQ is tert-Butylhydroquinone. Doing some research, it shows that TBHQ negatively affects the body. Apparently,  the FDA states that "the total antioxidant content of a food containing the additive will not exceed 0.02 percent of the oil or fat content of the food, including the essential (volatile) oil content of the food." (Click on the link for the source)

Tasting these two products, the Reese's was definitely sweeter. It was actually too sweet for my taste. I couldn't really taste the "dark chocolate" it claimed to have. The Justin's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup did have the dark chocolate taste. It was more satisfying too. 

It's really up to you what you prefer. It's better to practice moderation. Eat this one in a while and eat that once in a while. But, if you prefer to eat more natural foods, make your own or try the Justin's brand.

Weekly Goals + Random Things

Happy Sunday everyone. As you know, Sundays are my long run days. I ran the half-marathon distance again. The last mile was hard, but I pushed through. I also noticed that since I drink water every two miles, my stomach issues have gone away. Hydration is important!

So, let's recap on my goals for last week. As you know, I took some boot camp classes, which was really fun. I completed that goal. I was unable to take a Zumba class though. Hopefully, I can soon! I'll also will create a schedule today, since I am taking a lot of units this semester.

So, here are my goals for this week.

The past week has been very eventful, as I've said in my last post. I also had some great eats too. Take a look.

I tried this iced cinnamon latte from ecogrounds, and it was alright. There was just TOO much cinnamon in here for me.

I refueled after my boot camp class with Jamba Juice and a kind bar. The Fruit & Nut Delight kind bar  was delicious!

This sandwich was awesome. Pesto, chicken, provolone cheese, tomatoes and some greens. All the flavors just melted together.

That's it for now. The next post will be about comparing two foods. Keep an eye out for it!

How was your week?
What's your favorite post workout snack?

Bootcamp and Classes

This past week has been quite busy for me! I have to say, it was pretty eventful. Classes, tarea, bootcamp, crashing classes, and many other things. I think you get what I mean.

I was able to get into 3 classes that I was wait listed for. I'm so happy! As you know, some departments or professors allow only a certain amount of people into their classes for whatever reason it may be. I was able to get into Chemistry, Government, and Food Safety and Sanitation. I was already enrolled in 3 other classes, so, that means I have a lot of studying to do. But, hey. It's something that has to be done! I think I'll enjoy my classes this semester.

It took a while to get into Chemistry and Government. The professor wouldn't add anyone into Chemistry the first day. I had to wait. The next class meeting, I attended the class. Even then, he told the wait listed people to leave since it was no point. I stayed and talked to the professor. He let me in! With government, the professor said that there would be a very slim chance that she would add other students. I did the homework and she let me in the next class meeting. If you really want to get into the class, persevere and show that you really want to be in the class. It may pay off at the end!

Also this week, I did bootcamp for the first time! I attended two classes this week of bootcamp. I have to say, it was pretty fun. Meagan, the instructor, is awesome. She really keeps us motivated and is very energetic. It was so weird working out in a class environment (since it's been a while since I did a group workout) but it was really fun. Maybe adding this bootcamp can help with my half-marathon training. It's also important to strength train too! My legs were sore after the first class, which says something. =)


Do you like group fitness classes?
What other classes do you recommend I should try out?

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

Hey hey everyone. I've been busy all week with classes. I'm sorry I didn't post this recipe earlier in the week. But, I finally have it up (I'll talk about my first week back in the next post)!
These whole wheat peanut butter banana muffins are delicious! They are really simple to make. These only make about 7-8 muffins. I made half the recipe since I only had one banana. But, hey. Making some is better than having none. Here's the recipe.
Remember that you guys can eat these as a snack or part of breakfast!




Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 ripe banana, mashed
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/3 cup sugar (or less, if you want them to have less sugar)
• 1/4 cup peanut butter 
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
• chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. 
2. In a bowl, mix together the milk, sugar, banana, and peanut butter. 
3. In another bowl, sift together the flour and the baking powder. 
4. Slowly pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and mix as you pour the flour in. 
5. Pour the batter into the muffin pans, 
6. Bake for 20-23 minutes. 
7. Take it out, let it cool and enjoy!

I would have added chocolate chips (dark chocolate chips, that is!) but I didn't have any. So, next time, I will add it. 

I hope you guys enjoy these muffins!

Do you like muffins?

Who here LOVES school?

Tip of the Week

Hi Everyone. It's Labor Day today. Happy Labor Day. The only thing is that it's raining here today.

So, this week's tip can apply to today as well as your outlook in eating.

Many people host barbecues during the Labor Day weekend. There's hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, desserts, drinks and what not. You can, however, make some of these foods healthier. Here's how.

• When choosing hamburger or hot dog buns, buy the 100% whole grain ones. 
• Try making your own hamburgers with lean ground beef. You can even use chicken or turkey instead. Veggie burgers are another great thing to make too. 
• When making potato salad, try substituting some mayo with non-fat plain greek yogurt. You can also make your own mayo! You can use that instead of buying them from the store (which has preservatives!). 
• Serve fruit as dessert! If you just have to have some other kind of dessert, make homemade whole wheat chocolate chip cookies. 
• Adults, limit yourself to just one drink (that is, if you do drink). 
• Serve water and iced tea at the barbecue. If kids don't like those, then at least choose 100% apple juice or orange juice. Make sure no extra sugar is added. 

It's that simple. You don't have to totally give up your favorite barbecue foods. You just have to make healthier choices when it comes to which kind you actually buy. Remember, don't overindulge! 

Have a great Labor Day. 

Weekly Goals + Training Updates

Happy Sunday everyone. How are you guys doing today?

I'm feeling pretty great today. I finally ran the distance of a half marathon for my long run. The last few miles were torture but I made it through. I finished it in 2 hr 9 min 57 sec. I'm so proud of myself. My legs and feet are so sore though. I guess tomorrow will be my take it easy day.

By the way, I cannot stress how important it is to hydrate while doing physical activity. You really do need water and liquids when doing working out or doing strenuous activity.

So, let me recap my weekly goals for last week. I ended up not studying for chemistry because I am still on the wait list. I did make flashcards for nomenclature though! I guess that counts as studying. =) I also did call up a friend. It was nice to talk on the phone. I kind of miss the old days when people actually used the phone to talk. I also ended up using the computer pass 9 pm. It's so hard to not use it! I'll do better this week on that.

Anyway, here are this weeks goals.

This past week has been good. I stayed home and relaxed. Here are some pics from the week.

I love pineapple red bean buns. I basically just like the red bean filling! I show this picture because this was from the Chinese store and they actually but TRANS FAT FREE shortening. I was amazed! I guess it's "healthier", you can say.

I also tried making homemade tortillas and I made a chicken brown rice sushi salad.

I also made these whole wheat peanut butter and banana muffins. I'll post the recipe later this week!

It's a lot of food pictures. I'm sorry! Anyway, on Friday, I went to work. But, of course, I went to Fluid to get some food to eat at work. I went in and they saved me a veggie burrito (they ran out when I went in last week). That was so nice of them. That's why I love going there (and the fact that their food tastes amazing!). They even had my name on the paper wrapping the burrito. =)

This was just half of the burrito. There was zucchini, pesto, eggs, potatos and some other things I don't remember. It was so good though! And, I ate a whole wheat chocolate chip cookie. Their chocolate chip cookies are the bomb! I also love that they have organic free-trade coffee.

I am now officially CPR certified! I got it yesterday! =)

Before getting it though, I went to eat breakfast at McDonalds. I got the egg white delight and took out the ham. I don't like ham.

And, of course, I got coffee. I have to have my cup of coffee every morning. The sandwich was just decent. I don't like eating breakfast any McDonald's but my family eats their once in a while. I usually just get coffee whenever I'm with them but I decided to try this because it has egg whites. Their's also cheese too. The sandwich tasted alright.

The CPR class was very informative. It's good to learn some new skills.

So, how was your week?
Who is ready for school to start?
Do you have any plans for Labor Day?