Niki's Neverending Adventure

Hey friends!! Hope you have had a GREAT weekend! I had a really good day today!! It started off with a really good church service this morning!! We had a guest pastor since our pastor is in Indonesia, and he spoke all about daily quiet times with God. He called them “Priority Times” because God is not quiet during your time with him! Loved that!!

Let’s back up to breakfast! I had the same Raspberry Oatmeal I made from yesterday:

Love this combo!! Isn’t it pretty with those bright red raspberries?!?

And some coffee in a fish mug :) Guess who’s mug that is?! Dad’s!

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After church it was running time! I was so NOT into running today. Ugh. I think Sundays need to become a rest day because I never accomplish the mileage I am supposed to. I never feel like running after church on Sundays. Not really sure why… I didn’t really have a set mileage for today but wanted to do a longer run since the weather was pretty nice. Well, I thought it was!! The wind was pretty strong and chilly. Boo wind!! So I only managed to do 3 miles. I didn’t even want to finish 3, but I forced myself to! At least my pace was awesome! 8:57 min/mile!! That’s probably why I felt so tired during this run!! I also did 25 minutes of strength training after my run. I did arms, legs, and abs and did minimal rest in between sets so I was pretty sweaty and out of breath by the end!!

I want to talk a little bit about my racing plans for this Spring… I had originally planned on running the Germantown Half Marathon and the Nashville Country Music Half Marathon, but I’m not sure that’s gonna be happening. As sad as I am to say this, I just haven’t and won’t have enough time to train to run these races like I want to :(  I haven’t decided I’m NOT doing them for sure yet, but it’s looking more and more like that is going to happen. Long runs have just not been happening like they should have been, mainly due to weather and school time constraints. Right now, school is taking up so much time and needs to be my priority before running long mileages. But, never fear, I still will be running and working out the majority of days! I just can’t commit to long mileages to be ready for a half marathon in a few weeks. I feel disappointed in myself. I don’t like straying from my plans but sometimes that’s just what happens! I am looking forward to concentrating more on increasing my pace and doing a lot more strength training! Gotta get those muscles looking GREAT before my wedding!!

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Ok, on to the rest of my eats for the day! Lunch was totally random!!

2 leftover mini pizza slices from last night, 2 mini pickles, some cheddar popcorn, and some cottage cheese with strawberries.

This combo of strawberries and cottage cheese is AMAZING! Where have I been and why have I not created this before?? I made sure and picked up both of these things at the store today, so you will definitely be seeing this recreated throughout the week!

This random jumble of food was just what I wanted!!

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After lunch, I headed back to my house to see the damage that the plumbers did to my floors yesterday and to clean up the mess. I thought it would be a ton dirtier than it was!! I had to vacuum and mop the floors twice to get all the dust up, but other than that it wasn’t bad!!

I actually thought the hole was going to be so much bigger and look so much worse!!

I can definitely live with that for a few weeks until the floor guys can come and lay all new hardwood in my house! Not bad at all!! I am really happy with the job the plumbers did! Well, that is, as long as my toilets don’t back up again! EVER! Haha!

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Ok, I have a confession. I have almost eaten the whole pan of brownies by myself that I made last week! The fiancé hasn’t had one (not sure why not) and they are almost gone! So that means, I have been going a little BROWNIE CRAZY!! They are so good! But seriously, these brownies have got to go! Luckily they are almost gone! I’m sure I will be the one to finish them off tomorrow! Haha. I am not making these again unless I have someone else to eat them! They are just too good! So I bet you can’t guess what I had for snack today…

Um yes, that would be a brownie and tea!

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Check out what I got yesterday from the Foodbuzz Tastemakers Program!!

2 different kinds of pasta sauce from Bertolli!! Can’t wait to use these! I’m sure they will be used sometime this week so keep your eyes out for some good pasta pictures!!

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Dinner tonight was just as random as lunch was!

A huge salad, more mini pickles, and some chips and salsa! Everything I was craving! Sometimes, you just gotta have random food days!

I love chips and salsa! Especially the SALSA part!! I could eat salsa with a spoon! I love it THAT MUCH!

And a salad full of a bunch of veggies with Annie’s Goddess dressing.

And I bet you can’t figure out what I had for dessert….

Some more brownies! Someone take them away!!

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On the wedding front, I got my wedding shoes today!! I made sure to take some pics so I could share them with y’all!!

Cute right?!?

 

Do y’all like them?? I think they are PERFECT!! And they weren’t expensive either!! That’s a good thing since I won’t be wearing them for the ceremony or pictures at all (since we are having a beach wedding). I will only be wearing them for the reception!

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I bought some fun new things at the grocery store today that I am so excited to try out! My most anticipated thing that I bought is Kefir!! I have been seeing it on Allie’s blog like everyday, so I knew I had to try it! I am planning on testing it out in the morning so be sure to check back!!

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So sad the Olympics are over! Now I have time to catch up on all my other shows though!! Hope y’all have a GREAT night!!

Posted in: on Sunday, February 28, 2010 at at 9:05 PM 3 comments    

Evenin’ friends! Hope you had a good Saturday!! Mine was pretty successful.

My day started off early, at 5:45am, since my mom and I had to go to Arkansas to deal with my dress situation. I knew exactly what I wanted for breakfast. Can you guess?? Oatmeal, of course!!

Banana Oatmeal base topped with some of the mashed banana, raspberries, Simply Fruit Raspberry preserves, and a spoonful of PB. Loved the raspberry addition!! Especially the Simply Fruit Raspberry! Delish!!

After breakfast we made the hour and 45 minute drive to Low’s Bridal to deal with  my wedding dress that was too tight. Well, I tried it on and they basically said that they thought it fit and looked fine. Ha! Well, if I can’t sit and can barely breathe, it’s a bit too tight and something needs to be done!! So, the alterations lady said that the dress would be able to be let out some if I wanted, and I definitely want that!! I still think the dress was sized or made wrong because they had me try on the size larger that they had in the store and it was huge!! Like literally falling off!! But there’s nothing I can do about it now.

I was mad that we came all the way down there and they thought it looked fine. Ugh. They aren’t the ones who have to wear it and feel uncomfortable! I hate tight clothes and I definitely wanted my wedding dress to be comfortable! But when we got home, I tried it on again and we really looked at all the seams and there is a good amount of fabric to be let out so I think it will be fine and will all work out! Whew! Just wish we didn’t have to drive so far to be told that! But, needless to say, I am much happier with the dress situation than I was!

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After we got back in town, my mom and I decided to go wedding shoe shopping! I found some really cute ones I like! My mom is going to purchase them tomorrow and I can’t find any pics online, so I will post pics tomorrow :)

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After shoe shopping, it was lunch time!! And Panera just happened to be right in the same shopping center!!

As always, I got the “You Pick 2” deal and had Veggie Soup and a Side Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette. Oh, and I definitely ate it all! Including the whole grain baguette!! Yum!

 

After lunch, we did a little more shopping and then went home(back to my parents). My mom and I were tired from getting up so early, so it was time to relax!!

Meanwhile, my awesome dad was at my house dealing with the plumbers!! Today was also the day that the plumbers were scheduled to come bust up my floors and fix my pipes! He volunteered to take care of that so my mom and I could deal with the dress situation! I love my dad :)  He was at my house all day! And I am so happy to say that the plumbing is fixed!! Wohoo!! Now, just gotta finish getting the floor guys in order so I don’t have to live with broken hardwood floors for too long! Haha :)

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My snack this afternoon:

Apple Cinnamon Rice Cakes and Cheddar Cheese Popcorn.

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I had one thing in mind for dinner tonight: PIZZA!!

I got an individual Boboli pizza crust and topped it with

• Pizza Sauce
• Chopped onion, bell pepper, and broccoli
• Shredded cheddar and mozzarella
• BBQ sauce

This creation turned out great! But then again, I think any pizza would be great!!

I also had some stir fried veggies my mom made. I had this serving plus one more small pizza slice and more veggies. Yum!!

 

I also had a small glass of Sauv Blanc

Oyster Bay is definitely one of my faves!!

And I had to have some more Cookie Dough Ice Cream for dessert!! I love ice cream!!

Now I am stuffed! I really need to lay off the sweets! It’s just so hard!

Are you a sweets lover?? How do you lay off the sweets?

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Sadie was being very un-photogenic but Georgia wanted some blog loving!!

Georgia says hi!!

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Did you have a SUCCESSFUL SATURDAY today??

Posted in: on Saturday, February 27, 2010 at at 8:31 PM 4 comments    

Happy Friday!! I am so happy it’s the weekend! I definitely need a brain break from class! We always have to think WAY too hard on Fridays!!

Let’s back up to this morning… I woke up at 5am to get in a 4 miler before class. I did my usual 5-4-3-2-1 Fartleck run but it felt extra hard today and I was sweating bullets!! I think I was pretty dehydrated from not drinking nearly enough yesterday! Amazing how much that makes a difference in my running!! But, I made it through my 4 miler (while watching this weeks 24)!!

After getting showering and getting ready, it was time for breakfast and my tummy was growling!! I mixed it up a bit this morning and had a big bowl of cereal.

In the mix:

• The rest of my Oh’s (~3/4 cup)
• Kashi H2H 1/2 cup
• 1 banana, sliced
• 3/4 cup nonfat milk

Yum! I forgot how much I love cold cereal! It tastes so good, just doesn’t hold me over very long :(

I also had more Hazelnut coffee in my VERY favorite mug!

 

For snack during class, I brought a Grapefruit!!

 

I peeled it like an orange! Love the pretty pinkness of it!

It was kinda sour, but very good!

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I didn’t get home from school until about 1:30pm and I was beyond STARVING. To the point that I thought I was going to pass out from hunger!! I immediately grabbed a few chips and salsa while I decided what to make for lunch!

After staring into the fridge for a few minutes, I knew exactly what I wanted. A VEGGIE SCRAMBLE!

For my veggie scramble., I mixed:

• 2 eggs
• Spinach
• Chopped Onion
• Chopped Sweet Pepper
• Chopped Tomato
• Black Beans

Scramble everything up and top with some shredded cheddar and a lot of Texas Pete Hot Sauce! I am usually a ketchup and eggs kinda girl but I have recently fallen in love with Texas Pete Hot Sauce!!

I also had the rest of my leftover Roasted Acorn Squash with ketchup. Perfect lunch combo!!

And a brownie for dessert :)

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I spent the rest of the afternoon working on a take home test for school and cleaning up my house so the plumbers can come bust up my floors tomorrow and fix my pipes. Glad it will be finished tomorrow. I am also going to Low’s In Arkansas to figure out my wedding dress situation. Wish me luck!

I headed over to my parents house this evening. I am spending the night there since we have to leave for Arkansas super early.

My lunch kept me pretty full all afternoon, but I did have a few pretzels while making dinner.

My mom was cooking Chicken and Dumplings for dinner (my fave) but I couldn’t have any since I’m not eating meat right now. So sad :(  So, I made myself some pasta!!

Barilla WW Penne with some Creamy Tomato Sauce!! I added a different variety of veggies in my sauce tonight!! It contained:

• Onion
• Garlic
• Chopped Onion
• Chopped Bell pepper
• Chopped Broccoli

Loved the Broccoli addition! I will have to remember that one!!

One the side I had a fruit cup.

Now all together

And for dessert, some Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream! Yum!!

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I am currently watching The Olympics and waiting for Apolo Ohno to win the Gold in short track!! Go Apolo!!

I don’t know what I’m gonna do when The Olympics are over! My nights will be so open! Haha!!

What are your plans for the weekend?? I already told y’all about my day tomorrow so hopefully Sunday will be more relaxing!!

Have a GREAT night!!

Posted in: on Friday, February 26, 2010 at at 8:55 PM 2 comments    

Hey guys! How goes it?? I have had a SUPER LONG DAY today and I am so ready to go relax in bed! So this is gonna be short and sweet, I hope :) I spent the majority of my day working on online classes, which suck so bad. Please someone, shoot me now! Totally kidding, but I absolutely hate online classes! Ugh… I digress…..

Onto more fun things!! I had a SPECIAL breakfast this morning!! OIAJ!! My Cinnamon Raisin Swirl PB was just about gone and so ready to be used for OIAJ.

 

I made my Banana Oatmeal base and added 2 TBSP Nonfat Plain Greek Yogurt and some home made peach jelly. It was super good! I love how gooey the leftover PB in the jar gets from the warm oatmeal! OIAJ is definitely one of my favorite breakfasts!

This morning I decided to cook half of my mashed banana with my oats and put half on top! I like the variety! Sometimes you just need to mix it up a bit, you know?!

I packed my lunch and snack for on the go because I knew I would be gone today.

I made a veggie sammie using a Sandwich Thin, some Guac, spinach, onion, and cucs.

It was a good one! Loved the guac on this!!

Isn’t my sandwich container cute?! Love this!!

I also brought some Nonfat Vanilla Yogurt with NM PB (BTW, did you know they make NM Almond Butter?!? I must find this! Saw it on Allie’s blog today!!

All mixed up!!

With the rest of my Pumpkin Granola to mix in

I also had an orange on the side!

And my favorite Clif Bar for my afternoon snack!! I think this tastes just like cookie dough!! Yum!

I was starving by the time dinner rolled around so I just threw some random stuff together!

I had the rest of my pasta and Creamy Tomato Sauce from the other night

With some leftover Roasted Acorn Squash with ketchup and some tortilla chips and the rest of my Guac. Seriously, I think I could eat Guac everyday! Love the stuff, it’s so versatile!!

And of course a brownie (or 2) for dessert!! At least my 2nd one was pretty small!! It’s hard to stop eating these! They are so good!!

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Whew!! That took longer than expected!! I am so exhausted from today and know I will crash once I hit my pillow!! I have a ton of blogs to catch up on, so hopefully I can do some of that before I crash!! I feel like I am always in bed early! But I get up at the crack of dawn so I am always ready for bed between 9:00-10:00. I am such a morning person!!

What about you? Morning or night person? What time do you get up and go to bed??

Well, gotta jet! Have a great night!!

Posted in: on Thursday, February 25, 2010 at at 8:58 PM 5 comments