healthy eats.

the other day, a close friend of mine came into town from traverse city. we had lunch and walked around grand rapids for artprize – it was great :] while catching up, she confided in me about her crazy work schedule and her recent weight gain – saying that she never has the energy to make anything healthy, or the funds to buy it either. i gave her a couple suggestions of things i eat, and have had a couple days to think of some more. so if you have the same worries or questions, hopefully this helps.

normally when i go shopping, i get the exact same snackies like: rice cakes, fruit/veggies, hummus, special k and whole grain bread. rice cakes are great for when you have the munchies – i normally get the cheddar flavored ones, but all of the other kinds are great too! fyi: the apple cinnamon ones are delish with peanut butter. fruit and veggies are essential – but only get ones that are in season, because they are the most flavorful. for example, right now you can get apples [great with nutella or caramel], blueberries [terrific in almost any kind of cereal] and asparagus [which is one of the easiest and yummiest veggies to cook – stovetop, butter & salt]. also, get some special k. i don’t care if you don’t like it – get it anyway! because the whole grains are great for you and it’s filling at the same time. the vanilla almond kind is my fave – i put berries in it and honey on top. yummmmmm :]

get some protein too – aka beef, chicken, tilapia, turkey, roast beef, etc. ham is fattier, so skip that. if you like fish, salmon is really good for you, too. eat the deli meat on spinach or tomato wraps, with veggies and italian dressing. skip the mayo if you can. grill the chicken and fish in lemon juice and pepper – which makes it so yummy and light. red meat [for burgers, steak and tacos] can be healthy too, but in moderation.

try to cut pop out of your diet. if you can’t, try drinking pepsi zero, root beer or diet coke. drink more water – it will make a huge impact. if you have a sweet tooth [like me!], buy some 100 calorie puddings and desserts. i can’t live without ice cream, so i get the lactaid kind [no dairy] – and normally make root beer floats or small sundaes :] don’t forget kettle corn, too! a mini bag can definitely satisfy a craving.

so hopefully this little blurb gives you a some guidance. remember not to starve yourself, or even deprive yourself of the foods you love. just eat them in moderation. healthy eating!

have you ever

applied for SO many jobs, that when one emails or calls you, you have NO idea who they are or what you applied for?

umm yeah. just happened to me.

oops :]

four-day weekend.

for me, labor day used to be about tailgating, unpacking, back to school shopping, & sunbathing. not this year. this labor day was filled with relaxation: reading, sleeping, cooking, painting, & shopping [holiday shopping is a must] – no sunbathing here in michigan though… it was only 60 degrees. brrrr!

friday was all about girl time.

my girlfran katie & i just had to see ‘going the distance’. justin long and drew barrymore – plus christina applegate and jim gaffigan. how wouldn’t go see this movie? no – it wasn’t a chick flick. any guy would have been entertained… there were a ton of sexual innuendos, a couple sex scenes & a whole lotta laughs. plus, it’s very relatable. drew is an aspiring journalist [just like katie], who took an internship in new york for the summer [i have an internship], & falls in love with the charming, laid-back justin long who works at a record label [neither of us… but we can wish hahah]. she goes back to san francisco. he visits her. she visits him. he visits her. she gets a job offer from a newspaper in SF, and……. watch the rest to find out what happens ;] needless to say, it was cute. after the movie, katie & i hit a ton o’stores. and a kilwins. mmm. then i went to b&n to scour over fashion magazines for hours. successful friday, if i do say so myself.

saturday was all about sleep, beer & football. ’nuff said.

sunday was all about creativity.

i never paint anymore. ever. so i thought – why not pick it back up? i got some acrylic paint & some heavyweight paper, turned on my quick mix of favorite artists on my pandora, and went to town. i’m definitely not as talented as i used to be, but practice makes perfect. i painted five pictures, & the one was the best. i just love black and white – and the brush strokes seem so emotional. after that, i decided to finish the most recent book i was reading – “live the life you love” by the blanchards. the authors have followed their dreams and their guts all of their lives… and have reaped magnificent benefits. they are the epitome of the word entrepreneur – starting a number of businesses, including an extremely successful restaurant in anguilla. so inspiring.

monday was all about quality time & quality cooking.

adam had the day off, so we lounged around our casa watching movies, playing games and making food. the mornin’ was all about coffee and blueberry muffins [yum!]. & dinner was all about summer food: bbq chicken, corn on the cob & taco salad. nom nom nom. normally i just use regular bbq sauce, but i found something a lil’ more summery on the food network website: marinade the chicken for three hours in 1/4 cup of bbq sauce and mayo, plus 3/4 tablespoon of honey [could have been marinaded longer or even over night, but i didn’t wanna wait that long!] – then baked it at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. so good. the taco salad was adam’s concoction – lettuce, doritos, taco meat, black olives, tomatoes & catalina dressing. mmm.

so… yeah. that was my labor day weekend in a nutshell. how was yours? :]

dun dun dun

so i have news. big news.

i am moving.

where to?

chicago!

actually, north chicago. the evanston/glenview/northbrook area. but its only a thirty-forty minute train ride to downtown. and a thirty-forty minute drive to adam’s work. he got a lateral supervisor job in mettawa, and since it’s a new warehouse he’ll be able to move up in management more quickly. very exciting. as for me… i really have nothing here, anymore. i have nothing holding me back. so why not move? chicago has a ton of opportunities, i have a lot of contacts and if we live in evanston we are right next to northwestern university [aka i could go back to school!]. the kicker? we move october 1st. one month. one month to find a job or two for me & an adequate apartment for us. plus, finish my internship & the papers – AND to downsize and pack all my crap. hah. overwhelming.

so… yeah. yippeeeeee for a new chapter! :]