Traveling with Healthy Food

Good afternoon!  I'm blogging from a new piece of furniture in our living room.  It's an incredibly comfortable lounger that our neighbor was getting rid of!

She set it on the curb, and Joe and I each saw it separately as we got home on Tuesday afternoon.  We brought it up to each other at the same time and decided we did want it.  We asked our neighbor if we could take it, and she told us it was ours!  As you can see, Wewii is a little disappointed that he can't get up on it.

"But Momma...pleeeeease let me up on the lounger?"

He is trying so hard to get up on it, but we keep telling him no.  Look at those super sad eyes!  They make it so hard to say no to him.

While perusing some WIAW posts on Jen's link-up, I came across Brittany's post about traveling with her own food.  Y'all know that I'm not very good at keeping up healthy habits while out of town, but her post inspired me as I prepare for a trip this weekend.

Joe and I are heading to "the springs" for some sun and water fun.  His friend's family owns land on a spring, and every Memorial Day, a large group of their friends and family head out there to camp, boat, and hang out.

Joe and me on the boat

Tubing behind a boat

Two downsides to being out at the springs: healthy food and drinkable water are very hard to come by and it's tough to keep perishable foods good.  We went to the store yesterday, and here are the things I got to keep up the healthy eating:

• A large pack of bottled water-we'll have plenty to keep us hydrated
• A box of protein bars-my go-to bar could easily melt, so I opted for the Nature Valley Trail Mix bars to eat for breakfast/snacks.
• Oranges-they're tasty, hydrating, don't create any trash, and they'll keep even if they sit in the car.
• Baby Carrots-also something that will keep
• Chicken Sausage-grilling food is a necessity, and chicken sausage has to be better than regular brats, right?

I always have good intentions before traveling, so I'll be sure to keep you posted on how my attempt to still have some healthy foods actually goes.

A quick thought to ponder: I saw this quote posted today on Twitter:

It made me think, as well as reminded me of a Bible verse.

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says.  Anyone who listens ot the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.  But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it--not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it--they will be blessed in what they do."

James 1:22-25

It's all well and good to have strong beliefs, but we also need to act on them.  Keep that in mind as you go about your day/week/month/life.

Question for you: What are some things you do to make sure you eat healthy while traveling?

Have a fun and safe Memorial Day weekend!  See y'all back here on Sunday :)

WIAW #5: Back to Normal

With going out of town for a few days, missing school, and preparing my students for the end-of-year state tests and finals, I've been a bit off schedule for the last two weeks.  Everything is winding down now, so I've been able to get back on schedule this week. 

Today's What I Ate Wednesday post features my food from Tuesday!  I was able to take pictures of EVERYTHING I ate for the first time.  Check out Jen's blog for a description of WIAW if you haven't already.

Thanks to Jen for hosting the link-up!

Breakfast

I started the day with some Honey Bunches of Oats Greek Yogurt cereal with milk.  I can't really taste the Greek yogurt in it, but it is tasty and pretty filling.

Morning Snack

I snacked on some apple slices in between classes to tie me over until lunch.  I always have my snack between the same two classes, so my 3rd period is always commenting on my snack of the day.  It's usually the same thing (either an apple or almonds), but I find it funny that they take note of things like that.

Lunch

I'm back to my usual lunch of a salad!  This one had mixed leaf lettuce, tomatoes, onions, orange peppers, and cucumbers.  I put some canned tuna on top for a kick of protein.  I also had some pineapple and a mix of salt and vinegar chips and veggie straws.  Tasty lunch!

Afternoon Snacks

Between school and the gym, I had my usual Nature Valley Protein Bar snack.  This time, though, I tried the new Salted Caramel and Nut bar.  I picked these up on a whim for something different, and I'm so glad I did!  These bars are the perfect mix of sweet and salty and are incredibly satisfying at the end of the day.

After my run on the treadmill, I had 16 oz. of Fitmixer amino supplement!  This is a flavorful way to recover from the workout.  I'll talk more about this product a little later, but I really enjoy recovering from a workout with this drink.

Dinner

I made my Simple Savory Pot Roast for dinner last night.  I put everything together in the morning, Joe turned it on before he left for class, and it was ready when we got home!  I didn't need anything on the side because of the red potatoes and carrots cooked with the roast.  Yummy!

Evening Snack
Joe and I wanted something sweet, so I decided to whip up the brownie mix I had in the cupboard.

Part 1 of my snack was the leftover batter.  I can't make brownies/cake/cookies without liking the bowl or spoon!

Part 2 of my snack was a brownie!  I had orange creamsicle frosting and pink lemonade frosting in the fridge, and I decided to see how they taste on the brownie.  The winner: Pink Lemonade frosting!  The orange creamsicle had a bit of a strange taste with the chocolate.

There you have it!  The typical meals for me.

Question for you: What's a usual meal for you (either breakfast, lunch, or dinner)?
I'm such a creature of habit that my breakfast and lunch are usually the same every day.  I try to switch it up for dinner, though :)

5-minute Warm-up

Happy Tuesday, y'all!  There are only 9 days of school left, so each passing day is more and more exciting.  Yes, teachers love summer, too.  After looking at my planner today, though, I've got a busy summer full of workshops, summer school, and weddings that is sure to fly by.

Before I get started with my post, I wanted to let y'all know about a sweet deal that Danielle @ Truffles 'n Treadmills has going on!  She's making these super cute non-slip headbands and is selling them for $8.

Image Source--some of the headbands that Danielle makes

But, for the month of May, they're on sale for $6 using the promo code!  Check out her post here about the sale and her Facebook page for all of the headbands she makes!

Ok, now it's back to the usual format today, with some Fitness and Faith!

Yesterday, I decided to complete Workout A from BBB from home.  It was a bit stormy and humid outside, so a warm-up run was out of the question.  I knew I needed to do some cardio before starting the tabata workout, so I completed this 5-minute circuit as a warm-up:

It really got my heart going and blood flowing before starting the strength exercises!  It's so easy to do that you can use this any time you need five minutes of cardio to get you going.

 At my grandparent's house this weekend, my aunt was looking through an old Bible that belonged to her grandmother (my great-grandmother).  It had everyone in the family's names and birthdays listed.  My grandmother was telling her that the list was used as a prayer list and that my great-grandmother prayed for everyone on that list every day.  My aunt then said, "That's so special to know that she was praying for all of us all the time."

That comment stuck with me throughout the day.  It is really special to know that someone is always praying for you.  In my opinion, it lets you know that someone cares deeply about your well-being.  My aunt's comment was also a reminder for me of the importance of praying for those we love, both prayers of thanksgiving for what they are in our lives as well as intercessory prayers for their needs. 

The next day, the "positive thought" for the day on the Christian radio station I listen to was this:

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." --Philippians 4:6

I was reminded that God wants to hear from us.  He wants to hear about what we're thankful for, what we need, and what others need.  This verse also address my worry-wart tendencies, but that's another post altogether :)

Since this weekend, I've been making a point to say prayers for specific people each day.  I've got the "regulars" on my prayer list, but I've also been throwing in some different people each day.  It's been really fun to pray for these people, and I hope that they'll know that they are deeply cared for because of it!

Question for you: How do you usually warm up before a strength workout?  Or, do you have a prayer list for people that you pray for every day?

I posted long ago about making prayer cards for all the people in your life.  This is a great way to pray for different people each day, and I highly recommend it!

Eric's Graduation Weekend: Part 2

I did so much this weekend, that I needed to take TWO posts to tell y'all about it!  Check out Part 1 of my weekend recap, then continue reading for the rest of the weekend.

Friday afternoon was spent eating cake and watching Eric open his gifts.  My grandmother makes delicious from-scratch cakes.  She made her pumpkin cake for Eric with delicious cream cheese frosting.  She also made a Sock-It-To-Me Cake (cinnamon swirl cake), which is my favorite.  Great afternoon of sweets and gifts!

Image Source

After that, we grab a quick dinner and spent the evening relaxing around the house.

On Saturday, we ate breakfast with everyone before heading on home.  Once we got back to Richmond, Mom and I had to head to a baby shower!

Joe's cousin, Lucy, lives in Richmond, and she and her husband Knight are expecting a baby boy in June!  Lucy and Knight are attending the same church as my parents, and they go to lunch with Mom and Dad every week.  It's so nice to have our two families getting along so well!

We got to the shower a few minutes late, but everyone was just mingling.  It was great to catch up with Lucy, her sister Betsy, and her mom Pearl.  They are such sweet people, and it was so nice to be able to attend the shower!

I didn't get pictures of the set-up, but there were lots of adorable decorations and delicious food!  We ate, Lucy opened her gifts, and we talked with some of the other guests.  Before leaving, I got a picture of all of my family there.

Myself, Mom, Lucy, Aunt Pearl, Betsy

That was my first baby shower, and I'm glad I could share that experience with my mom.

Afterward, Mom and I went shopping for a new purse for me!  My old one was getting a little worn out, and it's taken a while to find a replacement.  I guess Mom is the good luck charm, because I found this one at the first store!

Simply Vera purse from Kohl's

Different than my usual style, but it fits all my stuff, is small enough to not get in the way, and is fashionable.  On our way home, we picked up dinner at one of my favorite places: Cookout!

Cookout is a chain of restaurants that started exclusively in North Carolina, but they've since expanded into Virginia and South Carolina.  It's a drive-thru/walk-up place with no seating, but their burgers and milkshakes are FANTASTIC!  This is a must-stop for me when in North Carolina or Virginia, so I thoroughly enjoyed my food.

Saturday night was a lazy night of watching TV/falling asleep on the couch.  My family and I have named one of our couches "the sofa of death" because whoever lays down on it will fall asleep.

I woke up early Sunday morning to catch my flight home.  My connection was through the ATL airport again, but this time I had to run to get to my flight in time.  Word to travelers: have at least an hour layover in Atlanta.  That'll give you time to get to another terminal if needed without have to run like a crazy person.

It was nice to get home and see Joe!  We spent the afternoon hanging out and working on our respective school things.  That evening, we headed to Winghouse for another WWE pay-per-view.  It's always fun to eat some wings and people watch during those shows (especially Joe when he gets all in to the fights).

Whew!  As you can see, I had one packed weekend!  It was great to see everyone and get to do all the things I love doing in Virginia.

Question for you: Does your grandmother/mom make anything from scratch that you absolutely love?
My grandmother's cakes are awesome, as well as the creamed potatoes she makes.  My other grandmother makes great creamed corn!