What I pack in my BIG cooler.

School has taken most of my time. Well, on Tuesdays and Thursdays that is. I am at school from 8am-10pm on Tuesdays and 8am-7pm on Thursdays. Mondays and Wednesdays I have one 45 minute class. I wish I could've balanced it out more. oh well, it's only one semester right? So, lots of my meals are consistent everyday, except the weekends or if I ever eat out.

Lately I've been eating lots of greens! I used to dread making salad because I hated salads (I used to think they weren't filling enough, but I was wrong). Depending on what I put in my salad, I can stay full for up to 4 hours!

especially with this. I added 2oz of sweet potato and 5oz of chicken breast buried beneath this green goddess.

It wasn't til after I ate my salad, that my mom begged me to go eat with her! I was FULL, but I went anyway. She didn't want to eat alone and I felt her pain.

She ordered Pho; pronounced Fa? (vietnamese beef noodle soup) my favorite comfort food!

I ordered the Three-Bean dessert. With coconut milk, mung bean. and mashed up yellow corn mush! (don't really know what it's called)

My mom also decided to give me a facial because my skin has been actin' up, maybe due to stress? With honey and lemon may I add. Oh boy, it stung my eyes so bad!

Do you guys have any recommendations for a flaring acne prone skin like mine? It's been actin' crazy and I don't like it.

On Friday, I met up with friends just to catch up and mingle!

I ordered the seaweed salad (I ate my salad 4 hours before hand and was still FULL)

Really green! and refreshing.

My eel roll.

E- ordered a huge chicken katsu curry bowl!

R- ordered this, it looks really good!

I had a bite, but it was plain to me. I guess we both have different preferences. He didn't like my eel roll bc it was too fishy, I loved mine because it was fatty!

Alright, time for the dirty business! Since I am at school ALL FREAKIN' DAY on Tuedays and Thursdays, I had to learn to adapt to a) being at school all day and b) pack my food for this transition and carry my cooler all day.

Take a look at my typical meals I pack for school.

I carry this BIG cooler with me all day! it gets lighter and lighter through out the day :o)

I love how it is easy to carry and how much food this cooler can fit. I love it.

I carry tea bags in my side pouches. In case I crave tea I can always get hot water from the cafe (hopefully it's free of charge!)

I eat breakfast before school, so I pack my mid-afternoon snacks up to dinner in my cooler. So that I have meals planned for the rest of the day. Inside are:

• - Protein Powder
• -Almond milk to mix with my Protein Powder (is it funny I pack this whole carton?)
• - 5oz of chicken breast in wrapped in foil (to eat with my salad)
• - Salad for both lunch and dinner
• - Greek yogurt with pear and pumpkin (in the feta container)
• - Luna Bar
• - Home-made vinagrette

* unpictured I would sometimes carry fruits, brown rice, tortillas depending on my lunch ( I need the carbs!) and of course ice packs!

I have lots of veggies hidden beneath those layers.

Ever since I started eating more salads for lunch and dinner, I find that I add at least a new veggie every other week. This week I added radishes! last week was artichokes and sprouts.

Stevia in the upper zipper, incase I want coffee from the cafe or to sweeten my tea.

Along with forks and spoons and condiments!

It's a drag to carry both backpacks at school! but it's a life-saver to carry all of these and to be prepared, than not to and to order the school pizza. eek!

Do you pack your lunches? And is it now a habit?

- I used to hate preparing food, but now I love to prepare food and I always always always have to bring my cooler with me at all times. It's gotten a lot easier to know what I want. Plus, I thought it was uncool to pack my lunches in a cooler, but now I think I'm super cool for doing so  :o)

Have a great week! now time to catch up on Google Reader (so much easier to catch up, I just created an account and I think I've figured out how to use it) :o)

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tired!

Hey all.
I am so pooped and my eyes are tired and droopy.
Before starting college, as a high school student I was excited that I was the one who had control over my schedule. Over the years I would choose classes that would typically end in the afternoon so that I had free time later in the day.


What was I thinking this semester!??? Today I have class from 8am til 10pm!

class schedule:

Class one: 8-925
Class two: 935-11
Class three (lab): 1-405
Class four: 535-7
Class five (lab again...!): 7-10

That totals to a little over ten hours!! I need to fix this, it might be too late. I thought I could handle it, but I guess I can't!

By the time class three was in session, I was sooo hungry I couldn't concentrate. Of course I couldn't eat since it was a lab. (contaminated desks)


I am writing here (at the library) because I am waiting my fourth class. I have an hour to kill and I am lonely and tired and bored. I just ate a while ago.

Since I would be at school all day, I packed my cooler from breakfast to dinner :o)

Breakfast: Oats with Pumpkin (I bought four cans to last me!) and TJ's Pumpkin Butter. Cocoa Powder. Banana. Lots of Cinnamon. PB. Chocolate Cheerios to top. Deeelicious

Early Morning Snack: 12oz of 1/2 Unsweetened Almond Milk & 1/2 Soymilk with 1.5 scoops of Chocolate Whey

Had to head back to school and buy books! At this time i forgot to eat and rushed to my three hour lab! so hungry...and grumpy.

Lunch (four hours later and after lab): Spring Mix with cherry tomatoes, onions, herb feta, avocado, carrots, zucchini
with homeade dressing :o) yum!
with a side of whole wheat tortilla and Costco's  marinaded Salmon, and 1/2 a Luna Bar


Although it had been four hours since the last time I ate, before that it wouldn't be a problem that I didn't eat past the four hour mark. It could be because I just simply had a protein shake as a snack?

Well I should use up this time to nap in the library (making sure to set my phone alarm for my next class)

No pictures. Just a spontaneious post because I was bored and tried and lonely, ha. I'm so dramatic.



Have a great one!

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French inspired dressing and food shopping.

Hey all!

How are you guys doing?


Man, I think I am just having one of those weeks where my hormones are whacked out due to a "friend" who appears every once in a while. Which results in eating anything in sight! It's not that I am eating junk, I'm eating things such as greek yogurt, parsnip, oranges, and I just feel so stuffed up in a bad way. And even though I feel so STUFFED, all I can think about is filling my mouth with food.
It doesn't help that today is rest day from the gym, and I am upset just thinking about all the amount I put in the gym this week to have it all go to waste because of today. My progress will hinder down if I continue doing what I am doing. Enough of my venting!

After work on Friday I decided to hit up the local market, I was very excited when I saw fresh produce in stock! I looked at vegetables I've never seen or ate with oogily eyes. I circled around the store plenty of times.

 I heard someone say "you're still here?" I'm not sure if it was directed towards me, and I didn't want to turn around to find out either! :o)

Left with this!

I love eating carrot as a whole, it's fun and I actually feel like bugs bunny sometimes. No joke

When I saw this tea, I was instantly intrigued. Red Apple? I told myself I won't buy tea til I run low on my stashes at home. As you can see, I got it anyway!

This tea is soooo amazing! I had three cups that night. Smells really wonderful and tastes amazing, especially with Stevia.

They gave out samples of NuStevia. I really like this brand of stevia, it tasted pretty good.

(Karen is my sister) I find that drinking tea from a mug is pleasant rather than a to-go thermo. I think.

I know better than to get chocolate, especially when my hormones are actin' crazy!

This was my first time trying out Green&Blacks. I wanted something chunky and fruity and delicious.

 Look at those chunks of Hazelnut and Currant!

It was amazing!!! Hazelnut and Chocolate makes a great combo. It was fun eating this bar because I definately tasted the currants and the crunchy seeds made it fun to eat.

Lots of pictures from today.

Decided to roast Kobacha and Parsnip (my first time).

I peeled and chopped the parsnip into slices (like fries)

Tossed it in olive oil

garlic & herb seasoning

Cayenne pepper

ground pepper

350 oven for 40 minutes.

*no picture, but it was delicious and sweet. naturally sweet. Tasted great with ketchup

Not my frist time trying Greek Yogurt, but my first time trying Chobani 0%

Loved it!

These fat blueberries were on sale and I have enough to last me this week! yum

After my Kobacha roasted

I didn't want to add pile to the dishes and also wishing I didn't finish all that greek yogurt. It would have finished nicely with this Japanese Squash! boo

I was so full and tired. I accidently took a hour nap, slightly groggy but refreshed later. I was probably tired due to laziness, I hate that. I didn't eat til 9pm. I was starved yet my body still felt full. I hate those mind/physical tricks your body can play. But I knew I had to eat because I haven't eaten in almost 5 hours.

Stuck to salad.

Broccoli Crunch from Whole Foods (amazing!)

and a Spring Mix with:

Crimini Mushrooms

Shredded Carrots

Artichoke Hearts

Onion Sprouts

Red onions

TJ's Herb Feta

ANNND an amazing home-made dressing!

Ingredients for French inspired dressing (serves four):

- 1/2 clove of garlic
- 1 Tbsn Blsamic Vinegar
- 1 tspn Dijon mustard
- salt and ground black pepper
-splash of soy sauce
- 3 Tbsn olive oil

I got the recipe from Melissa D'arabian a while back. She lived in France for quite some time and really enjoyed the dressing to the salad she'd have at the local cafe in France. She finally asked the owner for the recipe after two years and here it is out for the inter-webers!

Directions:
Rub the inside of a large wooden bowl with the garlic clove and then either discard it or save it for another use. Put the mustard in the bowl and whisk in the balsamic vinegar and soy sauce (a French secret!) vigorously for about 10 seconds to get a creamy consistency. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Drizzle in the olive oil as slowly as possible with 1 hand while whisking as quickly as possible with the other hand to emulsify. Lay the salad greens on top of the dressing and toss just before serving.




I really enjoyed the salad and dressing. I remember I used to be so intimidated making my own salads, and now that I've come to enjoy it tonight (I haven't made salad in forever, since the summer) I hope that it would help me get my veggies in for the day. I'm also hoping that it would help me lean down slowly.

I know it takes more than just eating salad to lean down, I need to eliminate the chocolates *cough and other stuff. Just fixing my food choices in general.

Got this Sparkling Mineral Water (mixed berries) at Whole Foods. Wanted to make a simple concoction.

Whisked Crystal Light wild strawberries flavor, silly method I know, laugh.

Added Sparkling water and voila! It was nice.

Method not so classy, but I felt classy.

That was my day, hope you have a great week!

Got to wake up early for class tomorrow. It's an introduction to sport and fitness exercise. I'm excited!

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