A Whole Bunch of Randos

Randos=short for Randoms. Why? Because it sounds funny…and why not?

Alright so here’s the deal, midterms week is happening, and I am losing my mind. Literally, I think I’m going off the deep end. I find myself studying, then laughing hysterically for no reason at all. I think I’m just on emotional overload right now, and my body can’t deal with all the stress/happiness of finishing an exam/sadness of upcoming exams. My natural reaction is just to laugh about it. I get some weird looks in the library…

Anyways, this post is just going to be a bunch of random pictures that have went unblogged recently.

Remember how I said I hurt my foot? Well this is me icing my foot…for 10 minutes. The freezing cold excruciating pain of ice only hurts for the first 3 minutes though. Then you can’t feel a thing.

This is me clearly being happy about studying. If I wear my glasses I automatically gain 10 IQ points right? Right.

Studying…in my swimsuit…in March. This is not real life! Also…totally still not happy in this picture. Clearly.

FINALLY A SMILING FACE!  This is me after a super hot workout. My face is so red! I hope running (when I can fully get back to my half-marathon training) will put some muscles on my dinky calves. Also, I promise no more pictures of me from here on out.

This was dinner tonight. And last night. Microwaved potato with black beans and cottage cheese. Fastest/cheapest/most satisfying meal ever.

This is my healthy protein packed strawberry milkshake. Yum. Yum. Yum.

I know every single bone on this kitty! FYI this is not a real skeleton. However, I did have to dissect a real cat. I had a moment of silence for her.

French toast is a super-food. Perfect carb to protein to fat ratio. It’s a fact (maybe).

Oh, Ben & Jerry’s you know me so well.

I’m off to relax for a couple minutes before heading to bed. Another fun-filled day of studying awaits me tomorrow!

XOXO,

Jamie

The bestest healthy strawberry milkshake you will ever have the pleasure of drinking!

Alright ya’ll. I have a good one for you today. Yesterday I made the best smoothie ever. It tasted like a thick, creamy milkshake. It was so good, I made it again today. And I want another one right now…..but…..it’s past 8:00 pm.

I force myself to stop drinking liquids at 8:00 pm. If I don’t, I am up all night going to the bathroom. No lie. Even when I don’t drink anything past 8, I still get up once in the middle of the night. Sad times over here.

Was there ice cream in this aforementioned smoothie/milkshake/hybrid you ask? No… This smoothie is a super healthy snack and can easily be turned into a meal on the go with the addition of protein powder.

So I didn’t have a glass massive enough to fit all that smoothie in, and I hate doing dishes so I figured why not solve both problems by drinking it directly from the blender!? Roommate got a kick out of this one. I told her my blog is called CollegeGirlCooking for a reason.

Strawberry Milkshake Amazingness

1 cup frozen strawberries

1/2 cup cottage cheese (SERIOUSLY! You will love this I promise!)

3 tsp sugar or stevia or whatever sweetener your heart desires

enough milk of choice to reach desired consistency. I probably used about a cup of 2%. I never measure the liquid I add to smoothies. I just add a little, then keep adding more until is it justtttt rightttt.

Put everything in the blender. Blend. Voila. Super protein packed delicious milkshake-esque smoothie. The cottage cheese makes the smoothie super creamy and more like a milkshake rather than a smoothie. Like I said, you can add a scoop or two of protein powder and make this smoothie into a meal on the go.

Also, random thought, but some cocoa powder could also be a super great add in. Chocolate covered strawberry milkshake? I might just have to try that out tomorrow.

I’m going to relax the rest of this Wednesday evening. I totally need and deserve it after a day of super hard-core studying. I hope you all can have a restful evening as well.

XOXO,

Jamie

I Will Survive.

I Will Survive has pretty much been my theme song for the past week.

This past week has been mentally, physically, and emotionally draining. I had two exams last week that I spent every waking hour studying for. My inner ankle/heel has really been bothering me, so I had to skip my planned 6 mile run this weekend. I’m really worried about my foot. It’s pretty painful to run on. My half-marathon is still pretty far out, so if I have to stay off it for a while to let it heal, that’s what I’ll do. I’m not happy about it though. And on the emotional front, suffice it to say my personal life has been a little crazy lately.

So, I’ve been surviving. Thriving though? Probably not.

But that’s okay. You have a bad week, and you make the next one better.

Today I kind of had this realization that there is so much joy every day that we pass by and take for granted. I did my laundry today which is actually a pretty big deal because I hate doing laundry and only do it when absolutely necessary (like no clean underwear/been re-wearing the same sports bra to the gym for the past three days kind of bad). Anyways, I walk into my room with a GIANT basket of freshly cleaned sheets and clothes that I am not excited to fold. I dumped the basket on the floor, and just cuddled in the warmth of my clean laundry. I cuddled with my laundry for a good ten minutes. And it was probably the best thing I did all day.

XOXO,

Jamie

I am beautiful…and you are too.

So, as you may or may not know, this past week was eating disorders awareness week. I knew I wanted to say something to raise awareness, but I wasn’t really sure what….until I remembered a photograph my sister, Taylor, shot of me. Side note: My sister is a great photographer, and she writes a super inspiring blog! Check her work out here!

Taylor took this picture of me about 5 months ago. My hair was so short!

This picture represents my struggle with food. The colors are stark. The only things in the picture are me and an apple. The lack of other items portrays what an eating disorder really feels like. It is complete obsession with food or a lack thereof. However, eating disorders aren’t really about the food or the weight. The focus on food and weight is merely a symptom of a deeper internal struggle. In this photograph, I am curled up like a child in the fetal position. This pose is reflective of the lack of control I felt in my life and my desire to remain a child.

Besides the fact that I think this picture is representative of my eating disorder, it also shows my body. Unlike magazine cover girls, I have tan lines and fleshy bits. But that doesn’t make me any less beautiful. My body is not an object. It is much more than that in that it enables me to do the things I love every day. I can run, and jump, and sing, (and sit through boring lectures taking notes until my hand is numb), all thanks to my body. And for all those things, I am thankful.

Love yourself, love your body, and love the people around you.

XOXO,

Jamie

Nomination

I’ve been nominated for the “Best Inspirational Blog” in the 2012 Fiteratti Blogger Awards by Fitness Magazine! Please, please, pretty, pretty please vote for me!

Click this link to vote—-> Best Inspirational Blog

I will love you forever!! Okay, I will still love you forever even if you don’t vote. But…you should still vote!

I’m blowing you kisses to say thanks! So much love for all my readers and the entire blogging community!

XOXO,

Jamie