Monthly Archives: January 2011

BranCakes and Running

By Posted in Breakfast, Food, Recipe, Running, Swimming Tagged , , , , , , , , , , 26 Comments

Today I realized why I joined cross country. Because when my ride forgot to pick me up after my math class at 9:50, I had to power my way to coaching class by 10. It is about a 1 mile walk (with hills). When your teacher lets you out late to begin with and you wait a few minutes for the ride that never comes, you know it’s coming to be a trek. Needless to say, cross country did me well today.

Speaking of running, I ran 7 miles at an 8:15 pace today. No incline on the dread mill and I caught up on trashy TV, double win. (And would it shock you if I told you Caitlin was at the gym getting her workout on as well?) No? Well good, we are a basically twinnies anyways.

Breakfast today was a type of pancake that I hadn’t had in quite some time. I’m thinking since the summer, but I had them almost every day and wore them out for a while.

Brancakes
1 cup bran cereal (I choose fiber one today, but have also used Kashi)
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder

Optional:

Sweetener
Protein powder

Place cereal in a plastic bag and crush until it has fine powder like consistency. (You can be lazy and put it in your magic bullet, which is what I do.) Add other ingredients and water. Then place on griddle like a normal pancake.

I also made a nice fruity yogurt topping by taking ½ cup cranberries and putting them into my magic bullet then mixing with some yogurt.

For lunch, I had another Baja fajita wrap with two red delicious apples. They gave me some corn chips too that I didn’t ask for, but who can complain. Red and purple chips. Doesn’t that remind you of the green ketchup back in the day?

Does anyone know how to fix this shadow? I'm no professional photographer.

Um anyways, it was nice to catch up with Kelsey.

After calculus I walked back to my room and finally got a few things on my to do list done such as emails, cleaning and all that jazz.

Swimming wasn’t bad today. We are in taper after all.

Taper-cutting down yards/miles to prepare for a big meet.

Aka.
Easy practices until my championships next week.

300 swim-kick-pull-im-drill
4X150 backstroke
10X100 medium pace
400 kick/400 pull
12X50 midpool

After practice, I came back and whipped up some oh so yummy fish. I bought some new fish at the grocery yesterday with the skin on it. The skin is my absolute favorite part of fish. I don’t care if it’s unhealthy, fish skin is where it’s at. (And a mass amount of broccoli)…I don’t actually even know if fish skin is unhealthy. I know chicken skin is, but haven’t a clue about fish. Nor do I really care ha.

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Day 12: A picture of you and your favorite object
Would you judge me if I had posted a picture of any of the following things?
1. My coffee pot
2. Julies griddle (mine is still in the box-no need to clutter our kitchen with two of everything)
3. My running shoes?
4. My credit card? Ooh yes.
5. My hair gel (to um tame the beast of a mane I have).
6. My car (that I named Lorraine…)
7. My laptop

As you can see, there are way too many things that are my favorites. I would dare to say my favorite is still my stuffed bear, Bloomie. He can always um cheer up when nothing else can. I mean how can you not like a falling apart stuffed bear with his eyes scratched up and lots of coffee stains. (And no-those stains aren’t from my youth.) On a side note-do you think I can try out for a horror film with this picture?

Why am I a weirdo?

Question for you:
What is your most prized possession?

Diner Dates and Serving Sizes

By Posted in Breakfast, Food, Resturants, Running, Sundays Tagged , , , , , , , , , , 24 Comments

So we haven’t learned very much in nutrition that I didn’t know already (and I’m sure the blogging world didn’t know). So I will share bits of information as I get it processed. The first week of classes, I’m always so excited to learn things but you never really get into it until a couple weeks in (or so)…

Unlike math, you dive right on in. You say oh hey proofs long time no see (and I wish I never had too…)
.
I love math… But that it serves no purpose for me to ramble on about how calculus makes really happy (and proofs make me oh so sad)and I told my housemate I would take all her online calculus quizzes (and my proof notebooks look like I wrote a small collection of best sellers.).
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But this beautiful Sunday morning, I woke up at 8am and had breakfast at the local diner. Aka, my favorite restaurant in my little town. I had to force my believes down Caitlin’s throat and make her love Foxy Roxy’s too. I mean with that mind set, how could you not want to be my friend?

To further prove I’m a fattie, I ordered two large pancakes while Cait had delicious oatmeal. I do have to say, their oatmeal is the bomb (.com). I used to steal about half of Aram’s when he got it.

I finished my raspberry pancake but not the blueberry. Actually I didn’t even start the blueberry-I just brought it back home. My diner ladies were so shocked. I swear they expect to eat every single person’s plate in there. Ha-I’m okay with it though, if everyone got pancakes I would have a hell of a delicious breakfast/dinner/yearly meal.

I love that they top it with whip cream. Everything is better with whip cream.

So today after my diner date, I came and bonded with some advanced calculus for a few hours then went to the lovely gym. One of my running goals is to run at least one time a week, uninhibited, meaning no music and not TVs. Believe me, it’s a lot easier outside. Oh well-there were plenty of people to watch working out today.

7 miles in 59 minutes. The pace ranged from 8:57 (to warm up) and reached 8:13 today. So I’m slowly getting better. Done on a 1% incline. Another thing I need to work on are hills.

I think by March I’ll be running under 8 minutes again and then by April perhaps under 7:30. We shall see. All in due time.

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So in honor of my nutrition class and because it pertains me and my blogging recently, I thought I would ramble off about proportion size of a serving of fruit and veggies. But on a side note, did you know they are changing the nutrition guidelines and a new food pyramid is coming out soon? (Literally in the next week or two.)

Speaking of serving size, I got 30 servings for fruit and veggies for the entire week. I think I’ll count again this week. Anyone else count their fruit and vegetable intake?

VEGETABLE SERVINGS: SIZES
• Asparagus, canned 7 spears
• Asparagus, fresh 5 spears
• Avocado ½ of an avocado
• Baby sweet corn 6 spears
• Broad beans 1/2 cup
• Broccoli 2 large florets
• Brussels sprouts 8 sprouts
• Cabbage 1/2 cup
• Carrots 1 large carrot
• Celery 3 sticks
• Cherry tomatoes 7
• Curly kale 1/2 cup
• Eggplant One-third of a large one
• French beans 1/2 cup
• Mixed salad Cereal bowl full (1 cup)
• Mushrooms, button 14
• Onion 1 medium
• Parsnip 1 large
• Peas, fresh, frozen or canned 1/2 cup
• Potatoes Never count towards your daily vegetable servings, in any form
• Salad leaves, lettuce etc Cereal bowl full (1 cup)
• Scallions 8
• Snow peas Handful
• Spinach, cooked 1/2 cup
• Spring onions 8
• Sugar snap peas Handful
• Sweet corn, fresh, frozen or canned 1/2 cup
• Tomato 1 medium
• Vegetable soup 1 serving of fresh or canned soup
• Zucchini Half a large one

Something that I found extremely interesting is that potatoes don’t actually count towards your veggie intake. I have heard some books consider sweet potatoes too, but others do not. What is your opinion? What have you been told?

After goggling for a while, I have found most people consider sweet potatoes a vegetable but not regular or red potatoes. So if you are going that route, the general accepted serving is ½ cup. But who eats ½ of a potato? Certainly not this girl. The skin is actually my favorite part ha.

All in all-most cooked vegetables are considered 1 serving at about ½ cup.


FRUIT SERVINGS: SIZES
• Apple, dried 4 rings
• Apple, fresh 1 medium
• Apricots, dried 3 whole
• Banana 1 medium
• Blackberries Handful
• Clementine’s 2
• Cherries, fresh 14
• Dried fruits, mixed 1/4 cup
• Figs, fresh 2
• Fruit salad, fresh or canned 1/2 cup
• Kiwi 2
• Grapefruit Half
• Grapes Handful
• Mango 2 slices
• Melon 1 large slice
• Passion fruit 6
• Peach, canned 2 halves
• Peach, fresh 1 medium
• Pear 1 medium
• Pineapple, canned 2 rings
• Pineapple, fresh 1 large slice
• Plums 2 medium
• Prunes, canned 6
• Nectarine 1 medium
• Raisins 1/4 cup
• Raspberries 2 handfuls
• Rhubarb, cooked 1/3 cup
• Strawberries 7

Did you know I eat 3 pounds of grapes in what sitting? I would get my 25 servings of fruit in that 5 seconds that I ate them all. I should just do that weekly, eat 3 pounds of grapes and candy the rest of the week for food? Om nom nom.

In other news, 1 serving of fruit or vegetable juice (aka prune juice) is ½ cup. Another way I could probably get all my servings of fruit.

This is obviously just a general list, but when in doubt consider about ½ cup of most fruits and vegetables to be a serving. Add them to your pancakes, and waffles. All the cool kids are doing it.

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Day 12: A picture of you in favorite outfit. I feel I’m always half naked between running and swimming but is it socially acceptable to say that my birthday suit is my favorite outfit?

Lovely ladies and sports bras

But no really-if you go up all the way to the top of the screen and stare the my welcoming face to my blog. That is my favorite outfit (which is why I chose that photo…go figure.)


Question for you:
1. Do you get enough fruits and vegetables?
2. What is your favorite outfit

Just Keep Swimming…Just Keep Swimming

By Posted in Personal, Reads, Swimming Tagged 11 Comments

Yesterday at swim practice, and I kid you not my swim coach says, now until your big meet (Feb 9-12) you may not have any desserts. You need to be tapering here people. We are cutting down your yardage and many of you gained weight over the summer and you’ll simply get fat if you don’t eat well during taper.

Well my friends, I’m still having dessert. So there. I like to pretend I’m a rebel (without a cause…)

Today I write to you while traveling back from Burlington. We had a swim meet, actually, our last one (besides championships). My favorite part of the journey is that I get free wifi all the way to and from my meet. HOLLA. Extreme amount of blog reading? I did get a little bit of homework done on the journey as well.

But anywho-I also have a confession to make. After wearing compression socks (different pairs of course, for four days straight, I had to take them off. There were literally lines going down my calves due to how tight those babies were. Someone actually asked me what was going on with lines on my legs. But at least my calves feel amazing and I get my 20 miles of running in this week.

For breakfast we stopped at a local diner and I had silver dollar pancakes. They were certainly not my favorite pancakes of all time (or actually at all) but carbs are carbs so you can’t complain.

But this wasn’t really meant to be a food blog today, more or less meant to talk about the season of swimming.

As I have said before on my blog, I have swum since as long as I can remember. I have been staring at the bottom of pools for years and have somehow continued to love it. This season, however, was a little harder for me to love. I have added almost an entire minute to my 1000 time. For my running friends, that is similar to adding a minute to your mile time. So adding 3 to a 5k and 6 to a 0k…ECT. I went from getting first in dual meets-to third or fourth MAYBE…But you know what?

I still had my friends and still had fun. I still (barely) qualified for the championship meet that I made finals in last year.

So the culmination of my junior year of swimming comes down to one final meet (February 9-12).

Before I started cross country this season, my dad and I had a really long talk. A heart to heart if you will. He told me of the potential I had for running and the fun that I would probably have. He warned that not every workout and every race would be sunny skies, but if I was interested that I should give it a try. The last thing he said was Hollie, if may affect your swimming and you might not do as well because often with triatheletes they became very good at 3 sports, versus extremely good at one.

I, of course, listened intensely but I didn’t really believe that I would have a bad season if that makes sense. Kind of like-I’m invincible that wouldn’t happen to me, teens who don’t think they’ll catch the pregs, drunk drivers who get caught…ya know that whole mentality of it happens to others but never to me….

But he also said another thing that will probably leave a lasting impression in my life, not many people get the choice to choose between two things that they love and I should be grateful for it. Well dad (if you are reading this), I certainly am grateful for this season, for my cross country season, and for my family and life in general.

While some people may complain about a rough season, I take it as an opportunity to strive for better results next year. But for now, I’ll focus on tapering for my final championship meet and beginning some light running.

In case you wondered, I’m probably going to swim the mile, 500 and 200 butterfly. I don’t like the 200 freestyle at all and wouldn’t place well. Last year I placed top 6 in the mile but this year I’ll be lucky to honestly place top 50.

Because for me swimming is always a party...

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Day 11-A picture of you looking overly excited. I find this one to be the most excited I have ever been to swim the 200 butterfly. The sad part is-I wasn’t posing.

Question for you:
Have you ever had to choose between two things you absolutely loved?

Factual Friday: Blogging and Controversial Food Blogging

By Posted in Reads, Running, Weight Tagged , , , , 17 Comments

This is one of those times I’m going to stand on a soap box so bear with me.  I won’t judge you if you choose to skip this one.

I actually had a way different post scheduled for Factual Friday but after reading THIS blog, I was completely inspired.   I was actually going to post a blog about my top ten favorite foods, but I feel this is worth being said as well. (Not that I know you probably would love hearing about my love for ketchup and Greek yogurt…)

In the blogging world, a food blog means you claim you are a  healthy eater.  And do you know what, 90% of food blogs post pictures of healthy foods.  But I can guarantee you, I don’t post to you everything I eat.  Why?  Some things are boring-how exciting can a power bar be?  They don’t even look good to begin with, no camera magically look delicious.  Some-others will look down upon…Oh you actually ate an entire piece of cake and ice cream not just a single piece of chocolate?  When I want chocolate, 1 piece of Ghirardelli will not cut it in my mind.

As you guys know, I am a two sport athlete-I run and swim.  (And yes I do get a lot of criticism that I don’t enough calories, if you want to email that to me lolzthatswim@gmail.com) but, I don’t post every single thing I eat.  It is highly unreasonable to post everything and anything that goes into my body for a single day.  Plus who cares.

I actually have two reasons.

1. My camera is not small.  I have a big Nikon D70.  I can’t even fit the lense in my pocket let alone the body of my camera.  I’m not bringing a tiny suitcase around with me to carry my camera in.

2.  Why would I bore you, if I eat the same thing every day?  I always have a snack before swim practice. I always have the same sort of snack between classes. Normally my snacks include and range from an apple, grapes, power bar, fruits, nuts, leftovers, yogurt or even more pancakes…it’s not something exotic and just takes up space in my blog.  Space I don’t need to bore you with.

I’m not going to guarantee to you that from now on I’m going to post everything that I eat.  In fact really, what do I need to guarantee?  I am going to guarantee you when I am exercising I get the adequate nutrition I need to do well.  I wouldn’t ever put my body through that much pain to not succeed.  Nutrition is something you can control and one of the easiest aspect to hence or hinder your performance.

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On to my next topic.

It was made a very good point in her blog about not comparing yourself to others.  What I eat, isn’t what you eats or she eats. (Or he eats)  I doubt we all have the same exercise plan, the same circumstances, we aren’t the same height or weight.  Um hello, that is why you have a different identity.  You are a different person, with a different genetic makeup.  Unless you are my secret clone (which god knows the real world or the blogging world is not ready for at all) then please, don’t follow my eating habits.  Don’t do what I do.

It is true, I want the entire world to love pancakes and waffles so eat them!  But don’t criticize my breakfast eating.  I eat what fuels me properly and what I like.   I like to share my ideas of recipes because quite frankly, I don’t find many people who think like I do (for the better).  My odd combinations of food, may interest you.

But really-if you have anything you would like to say on a more personal level, please feel free to email me.  lolzthatswim@gmail.com.  I love and read each email that you give me.  J

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But on a lighter note-Do you know what I did today?  Besides running because that obviously makes me happy.  I ran.  With someone!  Aren’t you proud?  I just posted a blog about having no friends (ha) and now I do.

Anywho-to say the least our friendship blossomed because I’m extremely creepy.  Cait has a blog as well and she actually goes to my school!  So since you will be seeing a lot of her on my blog I feel, you should go check hers out. So now that I have real friends, or she has an extremely creepy stalker.  But we went to the gym and ran-I ran 6.7, and I think she ran 7 miles, I never asked but she is an awesome runner and has too many similar interests to mine.

After we made some delicious waffles (blueberry!) and I would have taken pictures but after gym pictures are always too beautiful…  So go check out her blog.

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Day 11: A picture of you with a ton of jewelry.  Well sadly the most jewelry I wear is on Halloween.  The only jewelry I normally wear are pearl earrings and my Pandora.  With swimming, it’s hard to really wear jewelry.  But here is the most I have worn all year…two necklaces, a headband and earrings.  Would you believe I didn’t have my ears pierced until a year ago?

 

Question for you:

1.       Do you feel the blogging world hides what they eat?  Do you post everything you eat?

This is why I have no friends…

By Posted in Food, Personal, Swimming Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , 20 Comments

Dearest Jaime,

You have literally made my life, when you openly said that blogs are a form of stalking.  YES, so to my blogging subscriptions (this is probably you), I am stalking your blog.

Just so  ya know, I had to preface this with I’m kinda like everyone in the blogging world’s stalker.  But um really…I’m not dangerous I swear.  I can’t believe some of you even said you enjoyed my rambles.  I figure one day I’m going to have slashed tires or something.

But for those who enjoy them…Can you come live near me so I can have real friends?  Or any friends?

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But anyways on to my day of joy and eats.

Because I’m oh creative.  Remember yesterday when I had a blueberry waffle with cranberry topping?  Well today I had a cranberry waffle with blueberry topping!  I know you wish you had a creative mind like mine.

Then I learned that I may have to drive over an hour and a half for my prestudent teaching on Thursdays.  I have to be there at 7:30, which actually means being there at 7:15 which means leaving the first day at 5:15….good heavens.  I hope I don’t get that placement.  Either way it starts in early March which is when my first half marathon is-so that week I won’t be too upset anyways and just excited for Spring Break.

For lunch today I had one of my favorite on campus foods.  Baja Fajita Wraps.  In case you ever wanted to duplicate my school it consists of the following:

1 wrap (I always chose garlic…so it’s no wonder my only friends are online.)  Stuffed with sautéed peppers and mushrooms, along with ground beef and then guacamole and a little touch of sour cream.  To get my fruit on-I paired it with two red delicious apples.  They were quite large and looked the same so I only took a picture of one.  Om nom nom.  While I was eating, my computer decided not to work.  Um gee thanks internet. How will I get my midday fix of blog reading.

After some class and more coffee drinking, I went to practice.  Today my coach gave me the best compliment ever…”Hollie, this is the first time all season you have actually gone at a decent pace, instead of that slow pace you normally go.”  Awe…Ken, you shouldn’t have…no but really.

Can you tell me overjoyment for swimming right now?

700 freestyle

3X(100 breastroke-50 kick-50 fly-100 backstroke)

10X100IM

10X100 Freestyle

4X200 Pull

500 kick

6X25 sprints off the blocks

200 backstroke

4X50 sprints off the blocks

200 backstroke

Then I came home and made a piece of steak, a stuffed flounder, squash and topped with mushrooms.   Would you believe my speed Ken in the kitchen?  Because I had all of that done in 15 minutes.  The power of hunger.

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Someone asked the other day how I balance school and the blog.  Well here is my general week schedule.  I’m in class plus or minus 2-3 hours every weekday.  I swim for two hours every day and run for an hour every other day.

I get  ALL of my homework done on the weekends (minus the random spur of the moment homework in math).  That means maybe an hour of work or so every weekday on top of classes.  Did I mention people hate that I’m so scheduled?  Well it gets me through the week.

Running makes me happy, which is why I find time to do it.  Reading blogs makes me happy.  Okay yes I do confess I’m not the biggest fictional novel reader.  Not many fiction books excite me.  I mean because I don’t read novels, I don’t believe that makes me an unintelligent person.  I do enjoy a good biography now and again though.  But reading blogs, reading things that I can ask questions to the author-now that excites me.  Judge me if you want but I make time for blogging reading and running.  I wish I had no time for swimming right now but that is another story.

Oh yes and I also have to do lists that I complete before I blog.  That’s why often times my blog comes out around 6 or 8.

I was kidding myself when I said a few days ago I would have no time for blogging.  Ha-what a joker I am.

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Day 9: A picture of you on your bed.  This isn’t my bed but I slept here on the cruise and I like the towel animal the cleaning man made.  Um room attendant bahaha.  On a side note-would you believe I refused to shower because I didn’t want to ruin him and requested another towel every day?

Question for you:

1.       Are you good at time management?  What do you make time for in your day that others don’t approve of or question?

2.      Oh look, I used to love multiple choice tests in school.  No one could judge me for my response.  And no one knows what you say either.  :)