What I Ate {FINALS} Wednesday

When it comes I wanna wail “WHATIATEWEDNESDAYTUESDAY!”

Hey y’all! It’s finals week here at the university. The end is in sight! For another few weeks at least, then it’s right back in to the dark abyss that is endless studying and prepping for college courses.

Meal #1 (6:30am):

Just because I don’t have classes (or exams) today, doesn’t mean that I’m not up bright and early. Okay, dark and early, because I am definitely up long before the sun decides to show his perky little face.

Oats with ON Chocolate PB Casein, flaxseed, and SF maple syrup.

Insert watching The Daily Show and The Colbert Report as I look over every Biochem note I’ve taken this semester.

Workout (7:30am-9:00am):

Ran 6.85 miles in 1:03 while alternating between The Count of Monte Cristo and The Violets of March (<– such good chick lit!)

Meal #2 (9:30am):

I got this recipe from Natalie Hodson on Facebook. She’s another fan of the LiveFit way of life and eating and I think she just recently won a bicep photo contest. She’s a mom, marathoner, and all-around cool chica, so go check her out!

Mint Chocolate protein bars.

Here’s the recipe I followed (with a few modifications based on what I had):

Mint Chocolate Protein Bars

1 1/2 c oat flour
3 scoops vanilla whey protein powder
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/3 cup Ideal or Stevia in the Raw
4 T unsweetened cocoa powder
2 egg whites (1/3 c liquid egg whites)
1 c unsweetened almond milk
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce or 1-3.5oz container fruit-flavored baby food (has less sugars and preservatives)
1/4 c Greek yogurt (I used 0% Chobani, of course)
1/4 t peppermint extract

Preheat oven to 350deg F. Spray an 8×8 inch baking pan with non-stick spray.
In a large bowl combine dry ingredients. In a medium bowl combine wet ingredients. Add wet to dry ingredients mix well. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until knife comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes. Makes 8 bars.

Nutritional Information: 1 bar = 112kcal, 10.8g pro, 14.4g CHO, 2.4g fat

The mint flavor and scent is intense. I microwave these before eating them and it makes the kitchen smell like Christmas (i.e. mint chocolate). Mine are a little dry since I overcompensated for a different sized pan and overcooked them. Oops! But now I know better for next time, right? And there will be a next time with these babies.

Meal #3 (12:00pm):

Stir fry: Asian veggie mix, TJ rice medley, eggs

Around this time I also baked cookies for this weekend. I’m going home with my boyfriend for their family Christmas. Yes, it is a week ahead of the actual day, but they go down to Florida and so this is the only time they can all get together and celebrate. I’m okay with that!

I decided on one of my favorite holiday cookie recipes that I used to make/eat all the time when I was younger and living with my mom.

Russian Tea Cakes
(recipe from allrecipes.com)

1 c butter (2 sticks)
1 t vanilla extract
6 T confectioners’ sugar
2 c flour
1 c chopped walnuts
Confectioners’ sugar for decoration

Preheat oven to 350deg F.
In a bowl, cream butter and vanilla until smooth. Combine the 6 tablespoons sugar and flour; stir into butter mixture until just blended. Mix in walnuts. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on ungreaed cookie sheet.
Bake 12 minutes. When cool, roll in confectioners’ sugar.

After baking, it was time to get back to studying. Some people study while listing to music, but I like to have a TV show or movie on in the background. Today it was old episodes of MTV’s True Life. Some of them were just ridiculous. I mean, True Life: I’m a Freshman in High School? Really? Doesn’t almost every person go through that? That doesn’t make you special.

I also sipped on some of my favorite tea as I was pouring over notes.

Meal #4 (3:30pm):

Greek yogurt, SF maple syrup, strawberry preserves.

Plus a (unpictured) handful of raw almonds and a cup of my favorite tea in the world:

Yogi ❤

Meal #5 (6:30pm):

Broccoli, brown rice, chicken breast, Italian dressing, nooch

Yep, I’ve finally taken the plunge that I’ve been to wary to take and I tried eating chicken again for the first time in years. I’ve been scared to. The last time I tried eating chicken, my body didn’t react well. I don’t know if it was from my IBS not being under any kind of control or it was a bad batch or what, but something did not make me feel good afterwards.

But, with my recent successes with eggs, dairy, and seafood, I decided to give it another go. So far so good!

Meal #6 (9:30pm):

Egg whites + ketchup

With a copious amount of Biochem note studying, Anatomy muscle memorizing, and M&M’s munching.

Final exam #2 is at 7:45am and Exam #3 at 5:45pm. Wish me luck!

Are you a fan of mint chocolate?

What does Christmas smell/taste like to you?