I'm Back!

Hiii! It has been about three months since my last blog post (!!), and I have truly missed writing everyday. I had a fantastic summer, but was super busy and could never find the time to dedicate to well-written posts. I didn't want to blog if I wasn't giving it my all and writing the best posts possible. However, now that I'm back at school in NYC and have my routine down for the most part, I am ready to blog again! I'm excited to share my life again and get back into the blogging groove.

One last thing, I can't guarantee how many times I will post a day due to homework amount and other various events that seem to pop up randomly, but I will definitely post once a day and most often at night.

***

Today after class, I hit the gym for a long cardio day. I completed an hour on the elliptical and did the following workout:

I usually only do fifty minutes on my long cardio days, but today I was really feeling it for some reason so I decided to just roll with it. 

After two loads of laundry and some dinner prep, I made baked tofu with vegetable stir-fry, which included onions, broccoli, and red bell pepper. I added ~1 tsp. olive oil, a glove of garlic, fresh ground pepper, and a few dashes of onion powder.

I sprayed the tofu with olive oil infused Pam and dusted it with onion powder, garlic powder, and ground pepper.

Extra firm!

The tofu came out really well, but I made it taste even better by dousing it with this stuff...

Franks RedHot Buffalo sauce! My roommate Kelly brought this to school and we use it every single night. I mean we've been at school for two weeks and the liter bottle is halfway empty, think what you want, but we are seriously addicted to this stuff.

The best part about this meal = only two dishes to wash! Win. Well I'm off to bury my head in books and then hit the hay. I have an early morning tomorrow and must be well rested for my first day of interning!

Be back in early September!

Be back in early September! Sorry for the major lack of updates but I have been super busy and have not had time to dedicate to the blog. I'll be back for the start of school when my routine becomes a routine again!

The Lamptons

This morning I have a ton of things to knock off my to-do list, so this is gonna be a quick post. Yesterday I went to Fordham and had an important meeting about study abroad. After two hours of going through my options and reading reviews about all the different places, I'm pretty sure I am going here...

If I get it approved by my advisor and can get credit for all my classes I should be going to London in the Spring of 2012!! I cannot wait.

***

Breakfast this morning was a bowl of oats.

In the mix:

1/2 cup of oats

1 cup of water

a few dashes of cinnamon

half a scoop of Sun Warrior protein powder

bananas for garnish

This bowl was so good for some reason! Loved the combo of all the flavors, especially the banana.

I've got to go now! I have a ton of things to do before we head to the Hamptons this afternoon. It should be a really fun trip! xx

Miamiamiami

Today after work I went to the gym and completed 55 minutes of cardio. I was contemplating taking a spin class, but then realized that i hadn't done my own workout and ages and figured it was high time since I won't have classes when I return to school in three weeks. I need to get back to working out with myself, instead of being taught and motivated by an instructor.

I spend thirty minutes on the treadmill and completed three miles. It was tough and I can definitely tell that I've lost endurance this summer. I then finished my workout with ten minutes on the stair-master (killer) and fifteen minutes on the elliptical.

I came home, showered, and dug into this...

Artic sole with an olive oil, parsley, garlic, and lemon juice. I also sauteed some zucchini and red bell pepper with garlic powder and onion powder. I doused it with cracked pepper of course and also poured some Franks Hot Buffalo Sauce. This stuff is where it's at.

I really enjoyed this fish and the vegetables paired well with it. The best part of the meal: the hot sauce, for sure.

***

Since I didn't blog while I was in Miami, I thought I'd share some pictures from the trip. I had such an amazing time with my family and every time I go I fall in love with the city even more.

One of the best restaurants in Miami in my opinion, Michael's Genuine Food & Drink

so sunny

twinssss

Paradise 

I'm off to read and hit the hay. I have a busy day tomorrow, which I'm actually really excited about. Deets on that tomorrow, good night.

Things I'm Loving

1. My recent trip to Miami (more pictures to come)



2. Wearing white from head to toe



There's nothing more to me that screams summer. Oh boy, I do not want Labor Day to come.

3. The fact that in a week I get to go home to this...

Reppin' the Nati

Hyde Park

and this...

4. Thomas 100% whole wheat cinnamon raisin breakfast thins

I found these yesterday at Target, which by the way, has seriously the best food selection ever. These will now be making an appearance in my daily lunch special : peanut butter and banana sandwich. Fine dining I tell ya.

Have I Told You I Love Peanut Butter?

Today after work Bridget and I did the same routine we did yesterday. She picked me up at the train station, I ran to her car, we drove to the gym, then attended two classes.

The first class was Kickboxing, which included all of your basic kickboxing moves plus others that were a bit more challenging. Overall, I thought the class was pretty good, although it was not as challenging as I would have liked.

Following Kickboxing, I took my favorite Group Power class, which kicked my behind. Holy soreness tomorrow! Gotta love the burn.

When we got home we were both starving, so we cooked up some salmon and I stirfryed some veggies.

My creation...

Asparagus, zucchini (so good right now), carrots, and red bell pepper. I seasoned the veggies with some onion powder, garlic powder, and lots of peppa'.

I decided to put barbecue on my salmon and oh my gosh it was awesome! I love barbecue sauce and I live for fish so that's a double win.

The salmon was baked perfectly. Lots of flakiness going on, and it also had a really buttery texture. Perfection.

***

Enough of dinner, lets get on to the good stuff.  Remember today when I promised to make something for you all? Well, I never let go of promises, so make something I did!

Any guesses?

Nope, you guessed wrong. I decided on homemade cinnamon raisin swirl peanut butter. I am obsessed with PB and Co.'s Cinnamon Raisin Swirl. If you haven't tried it, then your not truly living. You must get your hands on a jar now, I mean like tomorrow.

Anyway, I came up with the following recipe and it turned out very yummy!

Homemade Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Peanut Butter

Ingredients:
1 cup peanuts (I used salted, whatever you prefer)
2/3 cup Raisins
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Agave (honey, cane sugar, and maple syrup would also be yummy options)
1 1/2 tbsp. Olive oil (any oil will work here)

Directions:
Add peanuts to food processor and blend until creamy (about 3-4 minutes). Stream in the olive oil, cinnamon and agave. If you like your peanut butter more or less creamy, add more oil as needed. Transfer peanut butter to container and fold in the raisins. Eat spoonfuls and spoonfuls!


Confession: I did not fold in the raisins, I put them in the food processor where they became chopped liver. If you want plump, whole raisins in your peanut butter you must fold them in.

Voila!

Cinnamony, raisony, creamy peanut butter. Yes, those are made up words.  I may even call this recipe killer. Maybe, like I said, killer is a strong word. I suggest you go make this now, so you can live a happier life! Seriously, though.