You Won’t Believe It’s Not a Milkshake

Posted on April 24, 2012 by myhealthfulpursuits

Okay, I have to get to a chem review session in 20 minutes, so this post is going to be super quick.

I present to you The White Chocolate “Milkshake” that is SO DAMN GOOD You Won’t Believe It’s Actually NOT a Milkshake and is Actually Super Healthy.

Whew…that’s quite a mouthful, but no other name would do this creamy, frozen beverage justice. When I brainstormed this gem, I had super high hopes for it. I LOVE white chocolate. The outcome completely exceeded even my wildest expectations.

It all started a couple weeks ago when I was browsing the internet for new smoothie ideas. I kept reading about how a pinch of xanthan gum makes smoothies super thick and creamy…so I made a super major impulse buy and spent $10 for xanthan gum on Amazon. TOTALLY WORTH IT!

Today I got my xanthan gum in the mail, and I made this. I must warn you, the ingredient list is a little scary. Trust me on this one though!

White Chocolate “Milkshake”

1/2 cup cottage cheese

6-8 ice cubes

3 tsp stevia (or other sweetener of choice)

2 tsp Jello Brand Sugar Free White Chocolate Pudding Mix

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

enough soy milk (or milk of choice) to blend everything together (probably about a cup)

Put it all in a blender and blend. Enjoy bliss.

XOXO,

Jamie

Little Rascals and Mulan

Posted on April 22, 2012 by myhealthfulpursuits

Right now, I want more than anything to snuggle up with friends or my sisters (whom just so happen to be my BEST friends) and watch Little Rascals or Mulan. After the past few crazy days, I totally need to relax with my favorite kid movies.

So here’s what I’ve been up to lately:

Today I ran the Oberlin Earth Day 5k! Two of my friends ran it with me, and we all had a super amazing great time.

(sorry for the blurriness in this picture and all the rest of them. My phone has a lovely 2 megapixel camera. I really need to get a real camera…)

Anyways, that is clearly the face of a girl high on running endorphins! This picture was taken just after I walked home from the race. My hands were FROZEN! Also, I’m awkwardly holding up my shirt, so you can see my super cool official number.

I ran the 5k in 30:29. I know that’s still not fast, but I’m improving! I’m super happy with that time!! (Especially taking into consideration that I decided to run this race on a whim, I was going on a 5 hours of sleep, and I was probably a little dehydrated from Friday night’s festivities).

So today, after the race I forced my super tired self to study lots of chemistry and anthropology. I really hate when I’m not particularly interested in the classes I’m taking because I literally have to force myself to study for them. Studying for my biology classes isn’t always easy either, but it is much more enjoyable to me!

Onto some recent eats:

This could quite possibly be the most un-photogenic meal ever, but I promise it tasted amazing.

It’s taco salad containing shredded lettuce, refried beans, corn, salsa, and cottage cheese. And then of course there is a flat bread on the side for making tacos. I absolutely love food that involves dipping or wrapping as you eat it…playing with your food never quite grows old.

Speaking of which! Totally awesome date idea is to make a spaghetti dinner and eat it with your hands. Darren and I did that once, and it was super fun.

This is just toast with homemade white bean dip along with carrots and broccoli slaw salad on the side. My roommate, Emma, introduced me to this amazing white bean dip “recipe.” Just put a can of white beans into a food processor or blender with about 1-3 teaspoons of Penzy’s Greek Seasoning (depending on your taste preference). I’m super in love with this Greek seasoning blend. I also love homemade bean dips/hummus because it’s SO much cheaper than buying store bought. A container of hummus= more than $3. A can of beans= about 66 cents. Winning.

Well that was a whole lot of random, but it felt good to write Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

XOXO,

Jamie

I’m moving in with my one true love <3

Posted on April 19, 2012 by myhealthfulpursuits

And no…it’s not a boy…

I’m moving into the library to live forever amongst my beloved books…or at least that’s what this week has felt like so far. Unfortunately, textbooks are not the most thrilling reads.

However, I do love reading books.

Books have helped me through so much in life. Harry Potter was my best friend during my angsty, emotional teenage years. I quoted Harry Potter in my Valedictorian speech, and my admissions essay to Oberlin was themed around Harry Potter. Needless to say, the books really impacted me. Aside from my friendship with Harry Potter, I might not have recovered from a terrible illness if I hadn’t read the library’s entire collection on eating disorders (Dewey decimal number 616.8526…seriously).

Books are the perfect escape after a long day. Sometimes you just need to turn your brain off and get away from the world for a while. Fiction provides the perfect opportunity for that.

Also good for turning off your brain?

Trashy television. Can’t wait to watch Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23 tonight!!

Show is hilarious!

Enjoy the rest of your week loves.

XOXO,

Jamie

What I’ve Learned [from running]

Posted on April 10, 2012 by myhealthfulpursuits

Good evening lovelies! I’m starting a new series on the blog entitled “What I’ve Learned.” I plan to do a few posts about running, college life, and anything else I think of that I feel qualified to write about!!

Before I get into the meat of this post, I want to talk about something that’s been on my mind lately. As you’ve all noticed, I haven’t been posting very frequently…at all. I’ve said it numerous times before, but second semester of my junior year has been insane. Usually, when I find (or make) time for myself, I just want to veg out and watch one of my favorite television shows. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE to blog. I love to really reflect on my experiences and share them, and blogging allows me to do that! However, I’ve been feeling a bit guilty about my lack of posting…

I thought about quitting the blog altogether because it didn’t seem fair for me to only post once a week or once every two weeks. However, I’ve come to the conclusion that I WILL keep blogging. Sometimes I just feel the urge to write. Just like with food, I need to listen to my body. I will blog when inspiration strikes or when I need an outlet. I am not going to force myself to blog though because I CANNOT handle anymore obligations at the moment.

Anyways, I just wanted to inform you all of that. I’m still here Just not as frequently as I have been!

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Now, onto the good stuff!

Yesterday was my long run day, and I totally beasted 5 miles! Let me rephrase that, I physically beasted 5 miles. Mentally, I was struggling.

Backtrack to Sunday morning. I wake up and begin getting around for my 5 mile run. All the while I’m rationalizing in my head why I should run 4 miles instead of the 5 I had planned. For an entire 20 minutes the only thought going through my head was “I should do a 4 mile run. 4 miles will be great.” Over, and over, and over again…

Until I finally said to myself, “SHUTUP!”

Then my head was quiet.

And I asked myself, “Why shouldn’t I run 5 miles? I’ve successfully ran 4 miles on numerous occasions. This 5 mile run is part of my half-marathon training. I need to keep increasing mileage (albeit, slowly). SO WHY ARE YOU SO ADAMANT ON RUNNING 4 MILES INSTEAD OF 5?”

Then the realization hit me: I didn’t want to plan on 5 miles because I was scared of failure. I was scared I might not complete my planned workout.

So, I made a mental list of all the reasons I should plan for a 5 mile workout:

1. If I feel too tired before 5 miles is over, I can always stop.

2. I can take walking breaks whenever I am tired.

3. Even if I quit at 2 miles, I DID NOT FAIL. I (and you!) should be proud of ANY workout whether it is walking a block or running a marathon! We are challenging and bettering ourselves!

And with my new mindset, I set out to complete 5 miles. And I conquered it! Sure it was a slow 5 miles (12:00 mile pace), but I felt great at the end!

Take note: Do not be afraid to set goals out of fear of failure! At worst you can learn from your experience, pick yourself up, and try again.

Have a fantastic week my dears.

XOXO,

Jamie