Fun FAQ's Friday

Happy Friday everybody! I hope you all had as busy and great week as I did.

I've decided to do some ABC facts so you guys can get to know me a little better, and let's face it-I like to talk about myself. So here it goes:

Age- 18, but 19 in September
Breakfast- I made protein pancakes (a banana, an egg and a scoop of protein powder)
Dream Job- A physical therapist with an elite XC Ski team
Essential Items- Running shoes, spinach, my computer and hair ties
Food- fruit salad or eggplant parm (depending on the mood)
Gold or Silver- I prefer pearls, but I guess silver
Height- about 5'5" give or take
Ice Cream Flavor- piece of cake, peppermint or chocolate moose tracks!
Job- hospital dining, and physical therapy aide
Kids- baby-sit them- yes, have them- not for a very long time
Least favorite chore- stacking wood
Movie- well I really want to see Monsters University...
Nicknames- Liz, Lizzy, Lizzilu, Lizard, Chatterbox, Radio
Overnight Hospital Stay- nope!
Pop- I don't drink soda, but my dad is pretty cool!
Quote- "Reach for the moon, even if you miss you'll land among the stars"
Righty or Lefty- Lefty
Siblings- Older bro
Time you wake up- tomorrow...5:30 :/ Normally 7-7:30
Under your Bed- container of workout clothes
Veggie- Kale! Spinach! Sweet Potatoes! Broccoli! and the list goes on...
Where are you- VT, my bed
X-Rays- never
Yummy food I make- my carrot cake is to die for, and stir drys
Zoo Animal- sloth!

What are some fun facts about you guys? Questions for me-ask away

Smoothie Love

So I pretty much have a green smoothie every morning, but I need to share this new creation with you. It is probably the most delicious one I've ever made. That is because I used about a tablespoon of fresh mint from our garden. Combine that with the pineapple and raspberries and yum yum! I was a little worried because we ran out of spinach (sad face), but red leaf lettuce worked just fine. And of course I added protein powder and chia seeds to keep me running till my lunch break. So here it is, a revelation of flavor in my green smoothie experience.

Minty Pineapple Raspberry Power Smoothie

1/2 Cup Frozen Pineapple
1/2 Cup Frozen Rasberries
2 Cups of Greens (I used red leaf lettuce)
1 Tbs Fresh Peppermint Leaves
1 Tbs Chia Seeds
1 Scoop Protein Powder (I uses Terra's Whey Vanilla)

Blend, Sip, Enjoy

Mother/Daughter Time

As I'm home from college, I realize it's important to spend time with my family because while I'm away they really miss me, especially my parents. That's why yesterday I invited my mom to hike Mt Mansfield with me, the tallest mountain in Vermont. Why she didn't decide to tell me she's petrified of heights until we were halfway up the mountains I'm not sure. But nonetheless we made it to the summit, and not in bad time either.

We did face a few struggles along the way though. First of all my mom got pretty scared when we had to climb up steep, open rock with nothing to hold on to. I wasn't quite sure she would make it. Then, right about when we broke tree-line it started to rain. By the time we reached the summit we were soaked, despite our "rain coats" and the wind picked up, making it almost unbearable. We snapped a few photos and then started our way down, largely above tree-line and freezing cold needless to say. Four hours after we embarked we were back at our car, eager to get some dry clothes on and head home to a nice cup of tea. We found a place to get coffee and a snack (pistachios!) on the way home, so comforting!

Mommy made it!

Mother/Daughter love

I'm Back!

Wow, so it was one crazy year for me, and I pretty much forgot about ever posting. I have made a commitment though to start posting again, and using it as my motivation. Now that I'm home (and working in a kitchen, completely surrounded by food all day) it has been a little bit harder. Plus, it's much harder to work in time to exercise around work schedules than it is classes. These postings are mainly to keep me on track, but feel free to follow along.

The Commitment- This summer I have decided to make a commitment. That is to focus on clean eating, and make that the majority of my diet. Of course there will be treats involved sometimes, but often those can even be reworked into being clean. I have already started with a new obsession with green smoothies. These are my new favorite breakfasts, as it is an easy way to get vegetables in the morning, and not overload on carbs. They are also really yummy and filling. Here's the recipe for my favorite one:

Pineapple Blueberry Green Smoothie
1/2 cup frozen pineapple
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup fresh kale
2 Tbs PB2 (powdered peanut butter- I used the chocolate peanut butter)
3 ounces plain greek yogurt
3/4 cup water
1/2 serving protein powder (for me that's one scoop)

Blend it up, sip, and enjoy!

Well I'm headed outside to catch some rays of sunshine before it's off to work as a PT Aid, but here's a snapshot of what my day will be.

Eats and Runs:

• I already had about 1/3 cup plain greek yogurt with a spoonful of PB2 powder and a few spoonfuls of my homemade quinoia granola (yum!)
• On my way to work (11am) I'm going to sip on a green smoothie, but a simple one with just fruit, greens and water since I already ate today
• For a quick lunch at work I'm having leftover grilled eggplant with herbs and feta and a light homemade lemon vinegrette
• After work I'm going to run hills at Hard'ack hill (a popular, free ski hill)
• I'm not quite sure about dinner, but I'm considering a spinach salad or portabella stuffed mushroom pizzas.