WIAW: Busy Busy

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Hi friends! Today’s WIAW is going to be short and sweet since it’s been a long day and my bed is looking pretty tempting at the moment.

Breakfast:

Made in a hurry since I was trying to catch up on as many blogs as possible before my 8 am. Life has been pretty busy lately and I miss being able to sit down in the morning and see what everyone has been up to! Breakfast included scrambled eggs with a piece of whole wheat toast with peanut butter.

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Coffee Break:

I was pretty much dead by the time I got out of my first class, so Kyle and I headed over to a small cafe that’s located within the engineering part of campus to grab a double latte and coffee cake (lurrrrveee).

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Lunch:

A few classes later, I picked up a small chicken cous cous soup with a whole wheat bread stick from one of the eateries on campus!

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Dinner:

FAJITASSSS made by the boy. So good! 

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After we ate, Kyle and I headed over to the tennis courts and played for an hour or so with me before he went to practice with the club tennis team. I came back home to finish an essay (yuck), but was equipped with some chocolate and coffee (yum), so things were a bit more bearable 😉 . I have a few more sentences of my concluding paragraph left before I’m all done. Woo! 

So that’s basically my day of eats! Hope yours were faaabb!

Thinking Out Loud

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Wowweee, this week has been busy. I meant to do a weekend recap in photos, but couldn’t find the time to put it together. My molecular genetics midterm was this Monday, so I amped up my studying for the few days before the exam with hours and hours of flashcards, textbook reading, practice questions, and drinking coffee. Emphasis on the coffee 😯 . At this point, I think my veins are running on black coffee. Luckily, I think my midterm went pretty well!

COFFEEEE

Anyways, since I had focalized my attention on genetics, I need to catch up with my other classes, general blog maintenance, creating/photographing/blogging about recipes for both AOME and for my contributing work at Savory Style, working out, and socializing. Ack. I need more hours in a day.

So anyways, let’s get on to some Thursday randomeness, made possible by the lovely Amanda from Running with Spoons.

1. Farmer’s Markets are theeee best.

I’ve been going to the local Farmer’s Market every Sunday with Kyle or some of my girlfriends and just plain adore it. There’s a certain happiness in the atmosphere that comes from pleasant people spending a lazy morning promenading up and down the stalls with smiles on their faces. And don’t forget the free samples <3. 

Farmer's Market

2. Taylor’s dog… OMG. 

Okay. HOW CUTE IS THIS DOG?! He belongs to Taylor (Kyle’s little brother’s girlfriend –> I love her) and I get lots of adorable snapchats of him. If anyone else has a snapchat, let me know!

Pup

3. Cookies from Sophia

One of my housemates works at a local coffee shop and is constantly bringing us unsold cookies from her shifts. Imagine me stumbling downstairs in an irritable sleepy stupor and coming across two big bags filled with mountains of cookies. And I’m not talking your everyday run-of-the-mill cookies, I’m talking about Reese’s PB with big chunks of chocolate, sugar cookies made with cream cheese so that they’re incredibly fluffy and delicious, mint chip, and oodles of other flavors. Needless to say, my morning coffee has never tasted better. 

4. I’ve come across a new food obsession…

…popping my own popcorn on the stove top and smothering it in garlic salt and parmesan. It’s SO much better than the microwavable bags of the stuff and fabulously entertaining. It’s not unusual to walk into the kitchen and see 3 or 4 of us girls just standing around the stove laughing and clapping our hands in excitement while we watch the popcorn explode. It’s the little things, my friends.

5. Internet shopping is great in a million different ways, but in the end it just makes me want to buy all the things 😯 .

Here are some of my latest OMGINEEDTHIS finds:

Things I Want Things I Want 2

6. I don’t think I’ll ever get over where I live.

Santa Barbara is BEAUTIFUL. (Photo taken on my street)

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7. In need of some delicious Chunky Monkey Banana Bread?

Of course you are 😉 . Check out my newest recipe on Savory Style!

Chunky Monkey Banana BreadAnd that’s all for now, folks! Hope your week is going smoothly!

 

Sponsored Post: Living a Healthy (and Hectic!) Lifestyle

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Disclosure:  This post is written in collaboration with Tesco and I received compensation for it. 

Let’s face it — working out can be tough. You can’t beat the adrenaline rush post-exercise but often just getting yourself to the gym takes a bit of a pep talk. In order to boost your workout, either before, during and after you lift, run, swim or cycle, you may have considered taking a sports supplement.

Sports supplements are products that are designed to enhance your exercise abilities, in terms of weight you can lift or how many reps you can do, for example. However, health professionals have debated for years whether or not sports supplements really work. Let’s take a look at what the research says about some of the most common kinds of supplements:

Protein

Protein shakes, protein bars and protein powders are supposed to improve specific parts of your workout. Whey protein, for example, is supposed to be consumed after you work out, to aid your recovery. Many health experts agree you should get all the protein you need from a balanced diet, with lean protein sources like chicken, fish and dairy, however protein supplements could help if you’re suddenly increasing your exercise regime, going through a growth spurt or recovering from injury.

Vitamins

A deficiency in certain vitamins, such as B, C and E vitamins, can make you feel unwell and, as a result, less energetic. As for whether supplementing your diet with these vitamins in excess of the recommended dietary allowance will drastically improve athletic performance, that remains up for debate. However, as is true of many supplements, we know that too much vitamin D may be harmful so it’s best to consult your doctor before taking anything.

Amino Acids

Branched-chain amino acids supplements, including leucine, isoleucine, and valine, are designed to help prevent muscle from breaking down. Amino acid products are also meant to boost your energy both during and after exercise, however most people get enough of them from eating a balanced diet. If you do decide to take additional branched-chain amino acids (after asking your doctor), you must pay close attention to how much you take and for how long.

Creatine

Creatine supplements are frequently used by bodybuilders and those looking to increase strength and gain serious muscle mass. Whether it works (it does) is less of a topic these days and now researchers are trying to determine when the best time to take it is. Current thoughts point to after a workout but stay tuned for more definitive studies.

So, in general, if you have a healthy diet and exercise regime, you shouldn’t need sports supplements. However, depending on the type of workout you’re planning and whether or not you’re deficient in certain vitamins, you may benefit from trying a supplement. Be sure to consult a doctor to find out what’s best for you.

 

Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie Oatmeal

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Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie Oatmeal! This is my favorite breakfast! Honestly tastes like a cookie for less than 250 calories per HUGE slice!

There aren’t many breakfasts that can make me swoon. Not many healthy ones in any case. Oatmeal? Good, but where is the cake. Eggs? Decent, but plz bring me some pie. Greek yogurt? Meh. The only thing going through my head… is my pie here yet?

Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie Oatmeal! This is my favorite breakfast! Honestly tastes like a cookie for less than 250 calories per HUGE slice!

But this. This is something special. This is the sort of healthy breakfast that makes you feel like you’re biting into a giant chocolate chip oat cookie. I busted out this recipe on a whim as an adaptation to my Baked Honey Berry Oat recipe (which has rave reviews) early Monday morning, and it was gone within an hour. I didn’t even get a chance to photograph it the firs time around since  the girls and I stood around the just-out-of-the-oven pan fighting over bites. The combination of the warm and comforting spiced oats coupled with melty-chocolate chips covering the top is absolutely divine and doesn’t leave my sweet-tooth wanting. Add in a freshly brewed cup of coffee to sip on and you are in h-e-a-v-e-n!

Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie Oatmeal! This is my favorite breakfast! Honestly tastes like a cookie for less than 250 calories per HUGE slice!

One thing I love about this recipe is how customizable it is. You are in total control and can’t really go wrong with the base recipe. Feel free to add in special touches like nuts (walnuts in here would be fantastic), coconut flakes, dried fruit, etc. The world is your oyster!

This recipe clocks in at just under 250 calorie per 1/6th of the pan (aka a huge slice).

New favorite breakfast? I think yeeeesss.

Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie Oatmeal! This is my favorite breakfast! Honestly tastes like a cookie for less than 250 calories per HUGE slice!

 

Weekend Recap: Carnival Festivities & Exciting News!

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It’s currently 10:11 on Sunday night and I’ve just finished watching the season premier of The Walking Dead with Kyle and a big bowl of pasta made from fresh ingredients from the local Farmer’s Market. Apart from it being the perfect way to relax after a fun weekend (I love ending my night with some zombies…), hoooooly smokes. SO GOOD!! I’m stoked for the next episode.

So here’s what I’ve been up to this last weekend! It was a busy one, but in the best possible way.

Ocean View

Friday night was spent out with the girls and, needless to say, come Saturday morning I was exhausted. Kyle and I still rallied to get a quick workout in, though, since we had been lazy about getting our sweat on and hadn’t gone to the gym for a few days. I did a quick cardio workout while Kyle lifted some weights, but after 45 minutes or so we threw in the towel (pun intended) and walked back home to grab something to eat and shower up before heading out to the carnival UCSB was putting on. I have some exciting news that I was going to wait till my Thinking Out Loud post on Thursday to share, but I GOT A JOB! More specifically, I got a job as a photographer for our school’s independent newspaper, which is super awesome and great and wonderful since I sorta kinda love photography anddddd WOOOOO!! I’m thrilled :). The carnival was my first “job” and Kyle walked with me as I tried to get as many shots as I could, which included some aerial views from the top of the ferris wheel! 

Ferris Wheel Color

Halfway through our time there we decided that it was time to grab some of our favorite fried rice to share as a 2nd lunch before taking on the busy crowd again. Nothing better than deliciously greasy comfort food and my favorite guy to share it with! 

Fried Rice Kyle Spoon

More photos ensued before going home and taking a much needed nap. Kyle was on dinner duty and cooked up a quick chicken bake with balsamic brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes to eat while we refreshed ourselves with the last episode of The Walking Dead so we would be all caught up. I was so exhausted that I passed out as soon as I got home and my head hit the pillow.

I slept in till about 8 on Sunday morning and did a little reading for my English class before heading downstairs to a lovely birthday brunch with all my housemates! It’s my friend Taylor’s birthday tomorrow and we decided to celebrate early since Monday’s tend to suck the joy out of everything. We had homemade ambrosia salad, cinnamon rolls, cupcakes, pancakes, and scrambled eggs with mushrooms and spinach. The sugar rush was very real.

DSC_0558 Making Pancakes Birthday Dinner

Right after eating I sprinted upstairs to put on some real-girl clothes and headed out to the Farmer’s Market with Kyle to grab some produce for our weekly Sunday night dinner. We’ve started making this mouthwatering pasta dish which includes cooking down fresh cherry tomatoes into a sauce and adding asparagus, onions, shrimp, and plenty of garlic. That combined with the herbed foccacia we also picked up from the market made for a fantastic meal and even though I’m stuffed, I cannnnnooottt wait for leftovers tomorrow!

Kyle Farmer's Market Focaccia

After I got back home, I read a bit more before going to my next photo assignment- capturing a LARP. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the terminology, LARP stands for Live Action Role Play and is “a type of game where a group of people wear costumes representing a character they create to participate in an agreed fantasy world. Uses foam sticks as swords, foam balls as magic and other props to create the games world.” While I have to admit I was a bit skeptical at first, it was a BLAST and half wished I was out there wielding a foam sword instead of on the sidelines trying to capture how much fun everyone else was having.

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Kyle picked me up from the festivities and we grabbed some coffee before heading to the library to get some work done. After a few hours, we drove back to my place to cook up our dinner and prepare ourselves for our season premier. And that brings us to now! I’m exhausted, but want to finish up a few more pages of my book before turning in for the night.

Hope you guys had a fabulous weekend!