Tuesday's Eats #2

I am taking advantage of all of the good food at my house before going back to school next week. This means eating all of the fresh produce and other things (like mom's canned peaches) that I won't be able to eat once I am back at school. I didn't get as many different kinds of fruits and veggies due to the repetition of avocado and tomato, but I still managed to have delicious full day of food. 

Breakfast: Avocado Toast + Peaches + Sausage + Grapefruit

There are few breakfasts I like more than avocado toast that uses my homemade flax bread. This bread is the gluten free version of my mom's cracked wheat bread. I could eat it all day and not get tired of it. I don't love all sausage, but this kind from my local butcher is so good and flavorful that I can never turn down a piece (or two). Finally, look at how perfect that grapefruit looks. This was a great way to start my day. 

Lunch: Black Bean Tacos with Avocado, Tomato and Salsa

For some reason I was craving tacos, and since we had so many avocados in the house, I decided to make black bean tacos. All I did was add taco seasoning to canned black beans, and then heated them through. This is the easiest meal to make, but it seems much more complicated. I won't lie, the black bean part is really just an excuse to eat more avocado and tomato.

Dinner: Chicken Cacciatore + Kale Salad + Polenta + Roasted Mushrooms and Tomatoes

I can't take claim for making this dinner (that goes to my mom) but I definitely polished off this plate. Serve me a meal of chicken, kale and tomato, and I will be a happy camper. My mom does a great job of making gluten free meals when I am home (hence polenta not pasta) and it makes all of the dinners so enjoyable.

Dessert: Banana Nice Cream with Health Magic Shell

I saw somewhere on instagram how to make "Magic Shell" with just coconut oil and cocoa powder, and since I used to love Magic Shell as a kid, I made it for my banana nice cream. The bitterness of the cocoa tasted so good in contrast to the sweetness of the banana nice cream, which is just blended banana. To make the "Magic Shell", melt 1 Tablespoon of coconut oil and stir in 1 Tablespoon of cocoa powder. This will harden once it is poured over something cold.

Let me know if you try the healthier magic shell! 

xoxo,

Maddie

Thursday Three

This week was my ideal week for winter break. I got to go out for coffee a couple times with friends, bake/cook a lot and relax in general. Next week I know I will start to need to prepare for going back to school, so I am just enjoying my time now. Here is what I have been up to.

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One of my favorite parts of winter break is being able to catch up on all the reading I have lined up. It is especially nice to be able to curl up next to the fire with a good book as a way to end each day. I have been reading a wide variety of books, but my favorite so far this break has been the Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.  I had heard so many good things about this book recently, and it did not disappoint. 

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I have gotten back into bullet journaling again to help organize my life. I primarily use it for my monthly budget, a habit tracker, reading lists and cooking journals. During the school year, I just didn't have the time to do anything more than a basic page for my budget and everything fell aside, but now that I have more time, I am loving getting back into being creative. 

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The thing I am not loving about this break is the reminders of all I need to do to organize this summer. The To-Do list seems to never end. I have been working a lot this week on writing cover letters, organizing my resume and sending applications for internships and jobs. I really want a new experience this summer that will help me advance my interest in either dietetics or political science so we'll see how this goes. 

Until next week

xoxo, 

Maddie 

Tuesday's Eats #1

I have posted a couple "what I eat in a day" blogposts before (here, here and here), but recently my mom and I were talking about how much we love reading these so we are both going to try to post what we eat weekly (check out her blog). I am going to try to post what I eat every Tuesday for every week this year. It will be interesting to see how what I eat changes with the season and based on where I am living at the time. I love counting my fruits and veggies, so this day we got 12 different kinds! With that being said, here is Monday's food while being at home.

Breakfast: Greek Yogurt w/ blueberries, raspberries, kiwi and blackberries topped with flaxseeds + granola

Every day I wake up looking forward to breakfast, it is by far and away my favorite meal of the day. I can never decide on what to eat because there are too many options. (oh the struggle) My dad had recently went to Costco and bought so many out of season fruits and veggies, something my mom rarely does. I knew I had to take advantage of the berries in a way that I would fully taste them. I made a big bowl of fruit, added yogurt for protein, and flaxseeds with granola for texture. 

Lunch: Mexican Inspired Kale Salad (kale topped with corn, carrots, tomato, cauliflower/sweet potato rice, spiced black beans, tortilla chips and cilantro) 

I always try to make some sort of interesting lunch when I am home over break to make up for all of my boring meals at school. Today I just decided to make a kale salad as kale is one of my favorite foods. I threw in almost all of the veggies I could find, and made a big, colorful lunch. Lunch like this can keep me happy for hours, especially with addition of beans. 

Lunch Dessert: Dried Mango

I have such a sweet tooth, but recently I have found that cookies and chocolates make me feel sick if I eat them in the afternoon, but for some reason they don't later at night. For that reason, I have found new sweets to enjoy. Unsweetened dried fruit has got to be one of my favorite ways to satisfy this craving.  

Dinner: Hummus Encrusted Chicken + Buffalo Cauliflower + Simple Salad

I was in charge of making dinner so I decided to try some new recipes. The hummus chicken turned our really well, at least to me. The non-chickpea lovers didn't care for it, but I loved the creamy hummus on the chicken. I wasn't as big of a fan of the cauliflower, but only because it was so spicy. That being said, I am really happy with how the dinner turned out and will definitely be keep that chicken recipe. 

Dessert: GF Gingerbread Cake + brown sugar syrup

I am so excited about this gingerbread cake. My mom has always made the best gingerbread cake in the winter, but I was worried I wouldn't be able to eat anything like it anymore. I found this recipe from Boulder Locavore (here) that was almost the exact same as my mom's. It turned out so well that no one knows it is gluten free! 

Finished with the first day of eats! 

xoxo, 

Maddie 

Thursday Three

Two days are now in the books for 2019, but I can safely say I enjoyed the ending of 2018. This week was pretty much focused on friends and family. I loved spending time with my family while they were on Christmas break, and it was so nice to see friends that I haven't seen in a long time. This week was pleasantly busy ie I had thing to do, but I was never too busy or really bored. Here is what I was up to:

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I have been having a lot of fun over break experimenting with different types of foods. I have made soups, fun tacos, new pancakes and even green juice. Now, I love my greens, but separating and eaten as a food not a juice. I have always avoided juices because I know eating all the parts individually would be more entertaining. That being said, this juice was really good. It had a grapefruit, half an avocado, spinach and cucumber. My favorite part about this juice was that it was made in a blender not a juicer, so while it was still liquidy, all of the fiber was retained making it more filling with a better texture.








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It has been disheartening not being able to run at all for over a month now. I really love to run and it stinks knowing that I ran a marathon and won't be able to run a mile. That being said, I have starting lifting weights and am finding that more fun than I remembered. I like to find different circuits online, and combine them to make an interesting workout. I hope I can gain muscle through this which I know will help me when I can finally run again too. 

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No New Year's is complete without a trip to Door County. It has become our family tradition to spend the weekend there while the only goal being to relax and spend time as a family. Most of the days were spent curled up near the fire while reading books or watching football. I also enjoyed walks along the golf course my grandparents live near. One night there was a big snow storm which made the entire area so pretty. For me, there is nothing quite like fresh fallen snow on pine trees to make the perfect winter picture.

Now on to 2019, 

xoxo,

Maddie

2018 Favorites

I can't believe that 2018 is pretty much over. So much has happened that has made this year fly by. I figured out I need to be gluten free (kind of a big change). I got more involved with my sorority, and have gotten so much closer with the other girls. I completely changed one of my majors, and now my life plan is looking a little different. All of these changes have had a big impact on my life, but mainly for the better. 2018 was a hard year for me, but it taught me a lot and I am pleased with the results. 

| Cottage Cheese | I mentioned this on the blog earlier, but I have been loving cottage cheese. I randomly decided to try it one day, and ever since I eat it almost daily. Daisy is my favorite brand. The texture is perfect and there are no gums or thickeners added. My favorite ways to eat cottage cheese is either plain with pepper, or topped with chia, flax and hemp seeds. 

| Kale | I have no idea where my love for kale came from. One day I hated it, and then suddenly all I want to eat is a kale salad. Kale was a staple for me this summer, and continues to be the first thing I ask for when I come home for breaks. I love the versatility of a simple kale salad, so that it can be eaten for any meal of the day. 

| Booties | I got these shoes for Amazon Prime Day over the summer for a great deal. I wasn't 100% sure I wanted them, but now I wear them quite often at school that I know I made a good purchase. They make any outfit look a little nicer. It is also nice that these shoes are comfortable enough that I ca walk in them all day and my feet don't hurt. 

| Agenda | I have always loved my agendas and this year is no different. My agenda is used everyday and I can't imagine what a mess I would be without it. I love how it has hour by hour lines so I can plan out my time, and the to-do list is long enough to actually fit everything I need to accomplish. It helps that this agenda is absolutely gorgeous and the sight of it sitting on my desk is so pretty. 

| Adidas Shoes |  I have never really had a pair of sneakers that I have liked before, but seeing everyone walking around campus wearing them has made me intrigued. I found this pair for $30 on sale, so I decided it would be a perfect way to try out the trend. I have ended up liking these shoes way more than I thought I would. They are so comfortable with such a good color.

| Perfect Bars |  I tried Perfect Bars when I was training for my marathon as a way to get enough calories during the day without having to put too much thought into it. I have never found a protein bar that I actually liked, but turns out these are so good. My favorite flavor is the coconut peanut butter or the pumpkin pie, but they all taste good, somewhat like cookie dough. Even though I am done with my marathon, I still like to enjoy one every once in a while. 

| Madewell Sweater | My dad and I got a red version of this sweater for my mom earlier this fall, and since then I have been eyeing the sweater so you know it was a great surprise to get it for Christmas. It is so warm and soft I never want to take it off. The color is also so nice and different from anything else I own that it is a great addition to my closet. I know I will be wearing this a ton this winter. 

| Gold Earrings | I have had these gold earring for a couple years but only recently have I started wearing them again. I used to consider myself more of a silver person. I typically wear a silver colored necklace, pearl earrings and a watch with silver lining, but recently gold has starting being appealing to me. I would really like a small gold necklace, but in the meantime I loved wearing these earrings. 

| Books | I haven't read a lot during the school year, but during every break I have loved being able to snuggle up and read some good books. Plenty was one of my favorites. It is about a couple that decides to live on a 100 mile diet. It is every interesting, especially someone who loves local eating. Make sure to check back later on as I will make a post about what I have read recently. 

What are your favorite things of 2018?

xoxo,

Maddie 

What I Ate on Wednesday

 Today might not actually be Wednesday, but this is what I ate on Wednesday so I guess the title works. You know what yesterday also was? My first full day of winter break. This semester was crazy, so this break is definitely needed.  

     I love being home because it means I can cook. I spend most of my days in the kitchen either looking into recipes, reading cookbooks or making something to eat. Right now I am loving to make Christmas treats. Last year I came home so late that I didn't really have time to bake for Christmas, so I am making up for it this year. With that being said, here is what I have been up to in the kitchen. 

 I had been craving good eggs for a while, so this was exactly what I wanted. My family buys their eggs from a local producer, so ours are always really fresh. I also had an orange and toast with homemade raspberry jam. Our oranges are also bought from a special producer from the south, so these are extra juicy. They make all of the clementines I have been eating at school seem awful. 

I wanted to make something special for lunch, so I decided on baked falafel. For some reason it was sounding really good to me, so I just went with it. I used a recipe from MegUnprocessed, and they turned out pretty well. I also added cauliflower rice, lettuce, yellow carrot, canned tomato and avocado to my bowl. I then finished it off with lemon juice. This was a tasty and filling lunch that I will be making again. After this yummy bowl, I had a piece or two of homemade fudge. 

The best part about being at home is my mom's dinners. Last night, we had chicken puttanesca, polenta and roasted Brussel sprouts. It wasn't a crazy fancy meal or anything like that, but it really hit the spot. I love the variety of food that I get when I am at home, so I plan to take full advantage of it this break. 

Lastly, and most importantly, dessert. I made the gluten free sugar cookies that my mom had made earlier this month, so that was my dessert. My favorite cookies are soft and fluffy, so I always look around the batch to find the perfect ones. 

I am so happy to be eating like this again. I joked with my family that my new "diet" for the season will be desserts and vegetables because that is all it seems like I eat. When its not Christmas I don't normally eat as much dessert (ie not 3x a day) but right now, I am loving finally eating and making my favorite treats. 

xoxo,

Maddie 

Thursday Three

And we are back with the Thursday Threes! I always try to be good about writing a post at least every once in a while, but really that never happens. A lot of times, if I have to have a couple spare minutes, I am so tired of looking at computer screens that writing isn't appealing. That being said I am at a weird break in classes where I don't have tons of work so I'm going to try to make the most of it. 

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Ask me what my favorite season of the year is and my answer is always the Christmas season. Everyone who has known me for a while knows this, and more than anyone else, my mom knew it would be hard this year not being able to eat my favorite cookies. For St. Nick's Day she surprised me by making gluten free sugar cookies which involved her even making her own flour blend. They taste so good and this is definitely the highlight of my week. 

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Cottage cheese is officially my newest favorite snack. I remembered liking it when I was a kid, and after reading about it a lot on Bon Appetite recently, I knew I wanted to try it again. I found some for sale at a market on campus and gave it a try. Needless to say I love it. It is a great way to add protein to any meal. I typically just add pepper on top and enjoy.

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This semester has really just consisted a lot of studying and homework. Taking science classes for the first time in years is definitely different then all of my poli sci classes. A lot more math, a lot less reading.  For the most part its been going well, other than the day I had to dissect a rat and then everything with chemistry in general. I have no idea how people choose to be chem majors. With finals starting next week I know I'll just keep studying a lot, but the end is in sight. 

xoxo,

Maddie