Back to Business and A Giveaway!

Tuesday

Even though I did not get much sleep last night (I literally lied in bed for 2 hours just trying to fall asleep, apparently I need total and utter silence in order to sleep and that’s impossible in college), I woke up ready to go to the gym! Ahh… Finally, after taking almost a week off from working out I finally set foot on the elliptical again! Glorious. I took full advantage of this surge in energy by kicking out 40 minutes on a random intervals workout, covering 4.09 miles, and followed by a little core work and a hot shower.

Breakfast was The Breakfast Of Champions, and I’m not talking about no big bowl of Wheaties cereal. The real Breakfast of Champions: Old-fashioned oats made in Vanilla Caramel tea, mixed with chia seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, flaxseed meal, and pureed pumpkin, and topped with Grape Nuts, maple syrup, and PB&Co. WCW peanut butter.

I spent some time reading about biostatistics and then was off to Biology for a quiz and lecture with a banana in hand. When I got back home and settled myself down finally, I heated up a bowl of broccoli slaw (carrots, broccoli, red cabbage) and a little artichoke hommus glopped on top. This was followed by catching up on my Hulu queue and finishing biostatistics and starting in on my regular Biology textbook readings.

I did learn something interesting in lecture today, though! Birds do not have sensors for capsaicin (hot peppers, anyone?). So, if you’re sick of those pesky squirrels gobbling up all your birdseed, you can spray capsaicin on your feed because mammals are the only ones who possess those capsaicin pain sensors.

Nestled in between studying for my exams and reading for Biology, I made up a plate of Kashi Pesto Pasta Primavera. It’s been quite some time since I’ve eaten something with pesto in it, but this was yet another attempt to try and rid my fridge of frozen meals (I am, however, keeping myself stocked up with frozen fruits and vegetables). Slowly, but surely. The dish was okay, but I wouldn’t get it again. The pesto was much too watery and I did not really enjoy the texture of the noodles.

Wednesday

In preparation for the next round of testing, I had to eat a large meal (my dinner) at 9:00pm last night and then not eat or drink anything until after the HIDA scan this morning. So when I woke up this morning I grabbed my gym bag and hit the gym for a stationary bike workout. I knocked out 30:00 which covered 6.57 miles and allowed me read a little about the life of Stephanie Plum.

The scan itself lasted about two and a half hours (I mostly slept) and I pretty much just had to lie still for that time. Yay for not having to ingest contrast! As soon as it was over I was, of course, starving! Old-fashioned oats made in Vanilla Caramel tea, mixed with chia seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, flaxseed meal, and pureed pumpkin, and topped with Grape Nuts, PB&Co. White Chocolate Wonderful peanut butter, and maple syrup.

I went to my Food Safety lecture, even though I really did not feel like going, because, unlike some classes where you can miss the lectures and still learn everything, this class has no textbook and the powerpoints are all “fill-in-the-blank” style. Couple that with uncooperative classmates and you’re all on your own. Once I got home, I downed a banana and a couple pieces of dark chocolate as I opened this glorious and exciting package from Larabar:

As some of you may know, Larabar recently retired their Cocoa Mole flavor and, as a part of that, they hosted several giveaways and guess who won one of them?! This girl right here! This surprise package in the mail definitely made my day. I won FOUR Cocoa Mole Larabars, a Cocoa Mole Larabar t-shirt, and a Larabar sticker. So, to commemorate this occasion and to spread the love around, I am going to host my first very own giveaway! You will win TWO Retired Cocoa Mole Larabars, as well as a few other secret, special items that I will throw in just for fun.

I spent a great deal of the afternoon and night trying to catch up on assignments that have, literally, popped up out of nowhere and they took me forever to get through. I did, however, find time to try out a new product (new in the sense that I’ve never tried it before): Honey BBQ Smart Wings by LightLife and some broccoli slaw. I had a coupon for a LightLife product and decided to get something I would not normally have gotten. I burnt them a little in the preparation, but otherwise it tasted okay. I’m not sure I’d get it again, though. I don’t think I’m much of a honey-BBQ fan, but it had been so long since I’d eaten anything with BBQ sauce on it, so I guess I forgot my taste preferences. They were also a little dry.

To enter the giveaway, simply post a comment below. That’s it! All entries must be received by 6:00pm EST on October 11, 2010.