Reflection

Sometimes, like right now, I want to use my blog as a place of self-reflection. I just want to think about things, but I’m not really sure what. So, whether happy or sad, this is what is on my mind at the moment.

1) Number one worst thing about college: I miss my sisters…and my mom…they are my best friends.

2) I can’t wait for it to be summer so that I can drink smoothies and eat ice cream without freezing myself. Also, I get to see my family lots more in the summer (see number 1)

3) It is 9:00pm, and I am exhausted from a days worth of class, work, and studying. I remember when my bed time was 9:00pm. It took a LOT of persuasion to convince my mom to change my bed time to 9:30pm. I wish my bed time was 9:00pm again. Funny how that works.

4) I managed to sneak in a half hour of reading The Maze Runner right smack dab in the middle of the day. It was glorious.

5) Also glorious is apple slices dipped in caramel pudding. That was consumed along side a chicken breast+mozzarella sandwich at lunch today. Uhh don’t mind that top slice of bread. The toaster got a little crazy today.

And with that, I’m going to read for a bit and sleep (like a brick hopefully).

XOXO,

Jamie

A Random Assortment of Eats and Life

This semester is out of control. It’s without a doubt the most academically challenging I’ve had so far in my undergraduate career, and on top of that, I am a TA and a research assistant. Sleep has been my best friend this semester.

Sleep and running. They will keep me sane.

Because of the major mental energy that has went into memorizing all the skull bones, vertebral columns, and pelvic girdle of every living vertebrate class, I have no brainpower left to form a cohesive blog post. Enjoy the random assortment of eats, life tid-bits, and whatever else comes to my mind.

These are carrot fries. You should welcome them into your life.  To make them, cut up carrots into thin french fry shapes (or be lazy like me and buy carrots already thinly sliced). I lightly coated the carrots with olive oil and salt. You can add other seasonings and get creative with it, but I just wanted to stick to the basics my first time. I baked on 425 for about 35 minutes. They turn out crispy on the outside like french fries. Trust me on this, these veggies are so good any kid will eat them.

This is my frozen hot chocolate which was consumed after a 7 mile ride on the stationary bike. It is the perfect post-workout food! Check out the recipe under my recipe tab.

Yes, I managed to do about 7 miles on the stationary bike. Which is amazing because I normally get bored on gym machines. How did I manage to keep myself glued to the bike so long? Well…I kept myself glued to a good book at the same time of course!

[source]

I bought this book on a whim yesterday (with my parents’ money….Thanks mom!) In my defense, there are much worse things I could spend $8 dollars on and much worse things I could do with my time than reading dystopian fictions written for teenagers. I’ve been thinking about reading this book ever since I heard it recommended to people who love The Hunger Games. I’m only 50 pages in and its great already. Can’t wait to squeeze in some reading time tomorrow.

Breakfast was for dinner tonight. I love breakfast. I also love eggs because they are so beyond quick and easy and satisfying. It took me about 5 minutes to make this dinner. Not too shabby. Haven’t done the dishes yet though…

I want this shirt in sapphire. You can check it out here. It’s from www.onemoremilerunning.com

And with that, I’m off to bed.

XOXO,

Jamie

 

A Change of Pace

When I started this blog it was a way for me to experiment with food, to learn to love myself, and to really just grapple with my eating disorder issues.

Thankfully, I no longer feel that this is the purpose of CollegeGirlCooking.

I’m writing this post to address the fact that I have changed and grown so much in the past year, and likewise, my blog has changed and grown as well. I will continue to write about my eating disorder experiences, advocate for the destigmatization of mental illness, and support those of you who are still on your journey to recovery.

However, I want to make it explicit that I now consider CollegeGirlCooking to be a healthy living blog.

I’ve recently been met with some disapproval by some of my more recent posts describing the foods I eat or my recent return to regular exercise. Some people believe that no one ever truly recovers from an eating disorder. Along with this belief comes the opinion that people with histories of eating disorders cannot actually embrace a healthy lifestyle because any approach towards “health” is necessarily fueled by restrictive/obsessive habits or is a manifestation of the eating disorder itself.

I can only speak from my own personal experience. When I was recovering and when I first considered myself recovered, I completely avoided exercise. I wasn’t in the mindset to approach it healthfully, meaning that I couldn’t exercise without using it as a tool to lose weight or burn calories. Furthermore, in the beginning, I had to completely disregard the nutritional content of my food and just eat.

Now though, I am able to approach “healthy living” with an open, positive, and flexible mindset. Yes I eat yogurt, oatmeal, cottage cheese, apples, grilled chicken, and other so called “healthy” foods, but that is because I like them! In addition to these “healthy” foods I eat my fair share of “unhealthy” foods<—-Most notably, ice cream and Biscoff Spread. Oh how I love you Biscoff Spread!

Furthermore, I am able to exercise purely because it makes me feel good. I love the endorphins and I love devoting a chunk of time completely to myself.

Healthy living to me is not about food or exercise. It’s about fully embracing your life and loving yourself fiercely. I believe I am doing just that.

(Darren and I after our first, and only, 5k!).

Also, I registered for a half-marathon in August. WHOA!

XOXO,

Jamie

My favorite snacks and some snackspiration

My sister recently came to me requesting healthy snack ideas. In fact, she said it would make a great blog post and I agree! I’ll be listing some of my favorite snacks, and some snacks from other websites/blogs that sound great.

Fruit

Whole fruit. Pretty much the simplest snack ever. I eat an apple nearly every afternoon. The caffeine in it keeps me going through long lab/study sessions.

Yogurt Messes

A yogurt mess is a bowl with yogurt and anything else your heart desires. In the above picture, My yogurt mess has yogurt, wheat puffs, and peanut butter dip. Right now my favorite yogurt mess combo includes raw oatmeal and blueberries. Ideas for add-ins include granola, cereal, fruit, nuts, and honey.

Smoothies

Above is my Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Smoothie. I have a ton of smoothie recipes under my recipe tab, so check them out if you want inspiration! If you aren’t into following recipes, just add some of your favorite fruits/veggies to a blender with enough liquid (milk or juice) to get it going. Then add sweetener to taste.

Carrots and Hummus

Pretty self explanatory. I love carrots and I love hummus. Put the two together and I am a happy camper. My mom told me that when I was a baby/toddler, I ate so many carrots my skin was orange.

Cottage Cheese and Whole Grain Crackers

Cottage cheese seems to be a love it or hate it kind of thing. I’m glad I love it because it is a cheap [broke college student over here] healthy protein. Both the protein in the cottage cheese and the complex carbs in the whole grain crackers will give you long lasting energy.

Now I’m going to post some snackspiration!

Creamy Fruit Dip via OhSheGlows

Cinnamon Peanut Butter Chickpeas via pbfingers

Guacamole with Bell Pepper Strips via Glamour

Do you tend to snack or eat bigger meals?

What works best for me is to eat about 5 times a day. I usually have a moderate sized breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I have a small snack between lunch and dinner and a mini-meal before bed.

What are your favorite snacks?

XOXO,

Jamie

Mock Chipotle+The Beginning of the Semester

I made it through the first week of the semester! My classes are definitely rigorous this semester. My schedule includes bioorganic chemistry, vertebrate structure and evolution, human origins, and running conditioning. My favorite class is (by far) running conditioning. In our mile pre-test on Wednesday I ran an 8:45 mile. That’s actually faster than I thought I could run a mile. Our goal for the 9 week course is to improve our time by 15%. That means my goal is about a 7:26 mile. Regardless of whether or not I meet my goal, I’m having a fabulous time in the class. It’s been great to work-out with a group of people. I feel like I’m on a sports team again like I was in high school

Anyways, Darren visited me last weekend to celebrate Valentine’s Day early and also to go snowboarding. Darren did an amazing job this V-day. He always calls me his princess, so for my present he got me colored pencils and a Disney Princess coloring book. How thoughtful! For dinner Saturday night I made mock Chipotle.

I made cilantro lime rice by making quick cook rice as per the package directions and stirring in Goya Cilantro Seasoning Base and lime juice. The rice tasted so similar to Chipotle’s! I topped the rice with black beans, shredded lettuce, cheese, and salsa. This was such an easy and delicious meal. It took about 10 minutes to throw together and Darren loved it. He ate two plates full, and he is going to buy ingredients to make his own mock Chipotle tomorrow.

After dinner, we took a walk downtown for coffee. On the way, we spotted these gorgeous ice sculptures.

Random displays of beauty: one of the many reasons I love Oberlin.

What’s the most fabulous thing you’ve eaten recently?

Mine is probably the bean burrito I made for lunch with my mock Chipotle leftovers.

How have you been de-stressing lately?

I’ve been running, reading blogs, and watching trashy television. There’s nothing a few episodes of Desperate Housewives can’t cure.

XOXO,

Jamie

Cribs

Please tell me you’ve all seen MTV’s Cribs. I can’t say I particularly enjoyed that show, but because of it, I have seen the inside of many famous people’s fridges. Also, I know where the magic happens.

Upon arriving in Oberlin one of the first things I did was go grocery shopping. So I thought I would share with you what’s in my fridge á la Cribs. Enjoy!

There’s just no way my fridge wouldn’t feature Diet Coke. I keep saying I’m going to kick the habit, but the habit keeps winning. On a healthier note, to the left of the Diet Coke is all natural salsa.

In this picture you see sliced turkey breast, yogurt, eggs, and shredded mozzarella cheese. As a [broke] college student I can definitely relate to the trouble of eating healthy on a budget. It can be done though! Since I have a meal plan, I usually only eat meat at the dining hall. This saves me money since meat is usually pricier than other food items. I also buy generic whenever possible. Normally I buy the big containers of yogurt rather than the single serve because they are a better deal, but the grocery store was all out of the kind I like! Eggs=inexpensive, healthy source of protein. Cottage cheese is another great inexpensive protein.

As for produce, organic and locally grown are ideal, but usually not feasible for me. Eating healthy is about doing what you can, not about being perfect. In this picture you see strawberries, apples, carrots, shredded lettuce, and blueberries. Carrots dipped in salsa is my new favorite healthy snack.

Honestly, the most expensive food item I bought at the grocery store was this 1/2 gallon of ice cream ringing in at $3.88. I love ice cream, and I totally recommend the slow churned Samoas flavor. It’s so good, but unfortunately, it is only available this time of year when girl scout cookies are being sold. Edy’s, if you are reading this, PLEASE start carrying this ice cream year round!!!   Healthy eating is about satisfying cravings when you want a treat, but fueling your body with the wholesome foods it needs the majority of the time. Once again, it’s not about being perfect. Also featured is some whole wheat bread. Complex carbohydrates are your friend!

Yes, these pitas get their very own photo because they are just that amazing. I am absolutely in love with these. And the fact that they contain flax and tons of whole grains is just an added bonus.

This is one shelf of my cupboard. Staples include oats, beans, pizza sauce, rice, and whole wheat pasta. Also featured is a cilantro sauce I am planning to use for my own mock Chipotle creation, cocoa powder, and whole wheat pancake mix.

What food product is an absolute staple at your house?

XOXO,

Jamie

 

Nothing is Better than Red Velvet on Valentine’s Day

My wonderful Aunt is hosting a Valentine’s Day party tonight for all the girls in the family. I was excited when she asked me to make my red velvet cupcakes. These are seriously my favorite cupcakes I’ve ever made. If you recall, I made them for my mom’s birthday about 8 months ago. I thought I would quickly post a few pictures of the cupcakes and then go get ready for the partayyyy!

Big shout out to sissy Taylor for making the cupcake toppers! PS- ignore the black band at the bottom of this photo. I’m clearly an expert at cropping!

Click here to see the recipe!

Happy Friday everyone!

XOXO,

Jamie

Personal Distance Record

Today I ran the farthest I ever have! It was 4.15 miles and I finished it in roughly 50 minutes. This was both the best run and the worst run of my short running career thus far. I’ll start off by telling you why it basically sucked. My legs felt like bricks! Running this distance probably wasn’t the smartest thing after running 5k yesterday. I know that conditioned runners have no problem running lots of miles every day. I, however, am not yet a conditioned runner. After mile 1 I kept thinking “I wanna turn back, I wanna turn back I wanna turn back.”

But I just stayed focused on how GREAT I knew I would feel after accomplishing my personal distance record. So, what made my run great was that I got through it, I felt amazing afterward, and the weather was beautiful today! 50 degrees is perfect running weather.

Around mile 3.5, my ipod (which was on shuffle) could clearly sense that I needed some super motivation to keep me going. It played me this:

This is my ultimate pump up song when running. Seriously, I bended and snapped that last .7 miles.

Then my ipod played this:

A classic. This was my jam circa 4th grade.

Anyways, I just wanted to leave you with a thought I’ve been reflecting on since writing yesterday’s post about running. I love that now my focus isn’t on what my body looks like, but rather, the amazing things my body can do. Have a wonderful Thursday everyone! I’ve got some cupcakes to bake!

XOXO,

Jamie

How I [accidentally] started loving running

First of all, I’d like to say thanks for all your honest comments on my last post. However, I still don’t know what I am going to write about for my personal statement. I have a draft that centers on how my eating disorder has helped me grow to be a stronger more capable person than I would have been otherwise and how it showed me what a “good” doctor really is. But, I’m still not sure if writing about my eating disorder is a risk I want to take. I’m just not sure…

Anyways, I wanted to talk about how I started loving running.

Yes I used to hate running. It was always such punishment for me to run. In high school, we would run a mile to warm-up before cheerleading. I would always feel like dying about 100 meters into the run. Well all that is changing…

I started running because I finally felt that I was in a place where I could workout in a “healthy” mindset. By “healthy” mindset, I mean that I work out to make my body and mind feel good (and as a bonus, it makes me sleep really good!), not to burn calories or lose weight. As I’ve spoken about before, when I was recovering from my eating disorder I avoided all formal exercise because it was such a trigger.

I chose running, because you don’t need to go to the gym. You just need to walk out the door and go! When I first started running, I was beyond terrible. I could run about half a mile before being too tired to go any further. Some of this was probably a result of my decreased muscle mass and overall fitness from my anorexia. Also though, I’ve just never been very good at running. I realized that the reason I’ve always hated running is that in the past I exerted myself to the point of near death<—okay, maybe exaggerating a little. At cheerleading practice in high school, I would try to keep up with girls who run track. Obviously I couldn’t keep that pace without having ever trained!

So from my half mile, I’ve worked up to being able to run a comfortable, albeit slow, 5k. My dream/goal is to run a half-marathon. I’m going to keep running because it makes me feel good, and I love working towards goals.

So moral of the story? Move your body in whatever way you find enjoyable, and go as slow as you need to. Also, workout to improve your bodily and mental health. Don’t focus on losing weight! That will come secondarily if you have extra weight to lose.

XOXO,

Jamie