Rock Your Body

As one of my friends reminded me recently (Hi, Rosalie!), this week is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. Without being a Debbie Downer, I just wanted to take this opportunity to spread the word about the dangers of eating disorders. As someone who has experienced the detrimental physical and psychological effects of restrictive eating, this issue remains close to my heart, even several years into recovery. So, this week, I encourage you all to love your body, regardless of its shape or size. Nurture it, flaunt it, and yes, make like JT and "Rock Your Body."

For more information about National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, visit this website.

In full appreciation of my body, I have been fueling it well these past few days, despite my intensive study schedule. Ah, the joys of midterms. Anyway, here are the goods:

Friday
This was a "leftovers smoothie" in that I just plopped in the remainder of a few bags of frozen fruit: pineapple, peaches, and a few strawberries made quite the delectable frozen drink. I used Nutribody for the protein component.
Saturday
After a glorious 9 hours of sleep, I headed to the gym to calibrate my Nike+...which ended up being quite damaging to my runner's self-esteem. Anyone else have experience with their Nike+ overestimating mileage? Anyway, I felt much better when I prepared breakfast: blueberry mini waffles with TJ's Maple Agave Blend, walnuts, and blueberries, of course. I also had some Greek yogurt on the side.
I took a study break for lunch and made a quick ratatouille. It's been a while since I've prepared this dish, but it continues to be a favorite. Squash, tomato sauce, onions, and garlic combined with chickpeas made for a yummy dish of warmth. On the side, I had some greens with Woodstock dressing, Italian-herb flatbread, and an apple.
For dinner, I made good use of that POM juice again. I modified ED&BV's recipe for Orange Sesame Tofu by substituting POM for the OJ and omitting the sesame seeds. It turned out quite delicious, if I do say so myself. I had some couscous with toasted cashews on the side, along with steamed asparagus and 'shrooms and a few grapes.
The smoothie of the evening consisted of simply mango, soymilk, and Nutribody. Simple perfection.
Sunday
In completing my round-up of Girl Scout cookie themed oats, I made my oats with Do-Si-Dos in mind: oats with vanilla, rice milk, agave nectar, and chopped toasted peanuts topped with good ol' PB. Yum.
Because I just cannot go an entire week without it, for lunch I made scrambled tofu. This version incorporated asparagus. That's whole wheat toast, a salad with cukes and scallions, and an apple on the side.
At halftime of the ultimately victorious Duke basketball game, I prepared a quick dinner: veggie hot dog in one of those pillowy Arnold's buns, with organic ketchup and whole grain mustard, broccoli with melted cheddar, salad with Woodstock dressing and more grapes. Kind of a sodium-overload, but tasty and comforting, nonetheless.
The smoothie last night featured another fab combo: peaches and banana. Always creamy and delicious.
Monday
In order to squeeze in a little more study time this morning, I had a quick breakfast of convenience: Amy's breakfast burrito, cinnamon-spiked yogurt, and a nectarine. Sorry for the crap-tastic picture of the inside of the burrito--my camera just wouldn't cooperate. I think the owl plate enhanced my enjoyment of this breakfast immensely:)
Before I go, I'll ask you a final question. In keeping with the theme of the week, what do you love about your body?

Have a happy, healthy Monday!

Ready to Race

As I mentioned in Friday's post, my sister Lea and her husband Ryan came to visit this weekend. In one of our conversations we got to talking about running, since Ryan will be participating in his first marathon next weekend. As I approach the one year anniversary of my introduction to the world of running, I have been pondering the idea of completing my first race; I think doing so seems to be the logical next step as I develop my interest in the sport. I did a little research and found a 5k that will be taking place during my spring break next month, and I plan on signing up ASAP. I also found another one taking place in May in the Birmingham Zoo--how cool is that?! For you runners out there, have you ever participated in a race? What was your favorite part of the experience? Don't judge me for saying this, but in addition to the novelty of the racing experience, I am also looking forward to all the freebies available at the end of the race (I'm keeping my fingers crossed for mini Larabars!).

In addition to our running chit-chat, Lea, Ryan, and I had a fabulous time this weekend. It's always nice to have visitors, but I especially appreciated having a mini-vacation from schoolwork to break up the semester. Here's what we munched along the way:

Friday
Before heading to bed, I made a quick Pina Colada smoothie, with Spirutein, soymilk, pineapple, coconut, and granola.
Saturday
I prepared a quick breakfast to enjoy before Lea and Ryan arrived. I made a banana-blueberry smoothie with rice milk and served it with some toast spread with Sunbutter.
Since we couldn't manage to finagle any tickets for the basketball game, we headed to a sports bar (Champp's) to watch Duke beat Miami. The vegetarian pickins' were slim (OK, nonexistent), so I ordered a Greek salad, sans chicken and egg. We also ordered an ice cream sundae to share among the three of us...I can't say no to hot fudge:)
After a glorious trip to Trader Joe's, we headed to my favorite Greek restaurant for dinner. (I dined here last October with my parents as well). This time I ordered an order of the hummus and pita and a bowl of vegetable stew. You can't beat authentic hummus and warm pita! The stew was delicious as well; the eggplant and potatoes made for very hearty and filling dish.
Even after all that food, I was still hungry for my evening shake. I made a strawberry-banana-chocolate concoction, using Spirutein and soymilk. I tossed a few bunnies on top for good measure.
Sunday
I made my usual Sunday morning stovetop oats, inspired by another Girl Scout cookie: the lemon chalet cremes. I combined oats with rice milk, vanilla, and lemon zest, then crumbled a Lemon Bar Larabar on top. Heaven.
For lunch, we went to Elmo's. Yes, I am very consistent about the places I choose to dine in Durham. Anyway, this time I ordered the vegetarian taco salad with black beans and plenty of jalapenos. This salad would be perfect if it came with the option of guacamole...
After saying goodbye to my guests, a sudden illness came over me, so I didn't feel much like eating (or doing homework). I finally did regain my appetite around 9PM, so I just put together a simple meal: greens with tomatoes, walnuts, white beans, reduced-fat cheese, and Bragg's; crackers and a tie-dye blood orange.
I kept my smoothie simple last night: peaches, peach Spirutein, soymilk, and granola.
Monday
Inspired by a post by Kath a few months ago, I decided to make a banana dog for breakfast this morning. I simply placed a banana in a warmed whole wheat hot dog bun, spread with White Chocolate Wonderful PB. I also had a dish of TJ's Greek yogurt. Delish.
I am counting down the days until spring break now...anyone have exciting plans? I am going to DC for one weekend, where we'll be eating here and here. I am such a foodie--I plan my trips around the restaurants!

Enjoy the rest of your Monday!