The Inner Workings of a College Graduate

Ewww…. it’s Monday.

All Monday’s aren’t that bad, its just sad to think its the beginning of a full 5 day work week. I’ve been enjoying short weeks for too long, 5 whole days just seems too long. I know.. I’ve just been spoiled.

I may have grudgingly made my way to work, but I had no problem getting out of my bed to run. I felt good, so I took a longer morning route today and ran an easy 6 miles. A good run always give Mondays a brighter light.

It was back to week day basics for breakfast with a nice comforting bowl of cereal for breakfast.

• 1/2 cup Kashi Go Lean Crunch
• 1/2 cup Kashi Strawberry Fields
• 1/2 cup Trader Joe’s Strawberry Yogurt O’s
• Oikos Plain Yogurt
• Strawberries
• Blueberries

It was a very hearty bowl of cereal that will hopefully give me the energy I need to start this week off right.

We need Questions!

Do you have a question you have always wanted to ask Caitlin, Jenna, Kath, Tina, Heather or Me? Well here’s you chance!

As part of the jam packed agenda for the Healthy Living Summit next month in Boston, the 6 of us will be hosting a Q&A session with questions submitted by all the wonderful readers or bloggers out there.

If you have a question you have always wanted to ask the 6 of us then go to the Healthy Living Summit page here and leave a comment with  what you always wanted to know. The sky is the limit here! You can ask anything from what our favorite color is to how we feel whipping our cameras out at every meal.

And don’t forget even if you do not have a ticket we be streaming live from the day long events, so you will have a chance to hear your question answered.

I have to make this quick, I have a very important blogger lunch to get to.

My sister, Kelly, and I planned a 8:00am 20 mile bike ride for this morning. As 8:00am is a late start for me, I decided to take advantage of my extra time this morning and make a traditional weekend breakfast of French Toast.

I dipped three tiny piece of Publix Bakery Multigrain bread into a mix of Almond Milk, Egg White and Cinnamon then browned it up on the stove top. Once the toast was finished I slathered the piece with a little Almond Butter and topped them with a mix of Syrup, Strawberries & Blueberries I had heated up in the microwave for a minute.

Mmmm…. the french toast was good! And I believe the perfect fuel for the 20 mile bike ride.

For the bike ride I had the pleasure of wearing my new bike skirt I purchased a couple of weeks ago.

Basically the bike skirt is a pair of regularly padded bike shorts with a skirt underneath. I was worried how practical the skirt would be on the bike, but it worked quite well.

As cute as the skirt was, the padding wasn’t as much as I was hoping. After 20 miles my butt was thankful to be done.

It was the perfect morning for a bike ride and it’s always nice to play catch up with my sister.

When we returned to the apartment my tummy was growling so I had a good sized snack to hold me over until lunch.

My platter consisted of a Multi-Bran Vita Top with a slather of Almond Butter, a Kiwi and Cherries. Yes, you can eat the kiwi with the skin on!

Alright, I am definitely running late now! I’ll be back later with a blog filled lunch.

Check out my hot date from tonight.

I know what you mean, I’m jealous of her beauty too.

I felt guilty leaving Abbie home alone all day, that when I went to leave for dinner I just could not do it again. I made a split decision as I was walking out the door to change my plans and take Abbie for a night out on the town at a dog friendly restaurant I have been wanting to try.

310 Park South is one of many trendy restaurants that line beautiful Park Ave in Winter Park. I love this street and the yuppie atmosphere that goes with it.

Upon being seated Abbie was promptly served a bowl of water with ice.

I tried to get a picture of her bobbing for the ice, but the little booger stopped as soon as the camera came out. Not cool, Abbie.

It took me a while to decide on my meal. I was debating between the Tuna Fillet salad and the Portobello & Vegetable Sandwich. Upon quizzing my server on which of the two she would prefer I decided to take her advice and ordered the sandwich.

The Portobello & Vegetable Sandwich consisted of grilled marinated zucchini, yellow squash, portabello mushroom, roasted red pepper and melted Provolone cheese. Served on a wheat roll.

The vegetables were all marinated in a homemade balsamic vinaigrette that gave the sandwich a sweet taste. It was very tasty and a pleasure to eat. Abbie enjoyed the couple of bites I gave her as well and happily ate up an droppings.

On the side I requested a Garden Salad with the Soy Ginger dressing on the side.

The side salad was a little simple for my taste, but still a great compliment to the sandwich.

Unfortunately as soon as we finished dinner the dark clouds that had been hovering overhead decided to open up and pour. So much for the remainder of the plans for date night, which included a trip to the dog park.

Instead we came back home to cuddle on the couch while watching Tristan and Isolde and indulging in hot tea and dark chocolate.

Well, actually the dark chocolate is for me, but Abbie did get a nice dog treat.

I think Abbie enjoyed date night. You can tell by her current passed out state.

I guess Tristan and Isolde was a little too much for her.

Got a Question for the Healthy Living Summit Committee?

Head over the the Healthy Living Summit website now to submit questions that will be address during the Q&A during the summit next month. Don’t forget we will have live streaming available during the summit, so even if you did not score a ticket you will still have the opporunity to learn what the blogger committee has to say.

You know you’re a true runner when you look forward to your alarm clock going off at 5:45am on a Saturday morning. For me Saturday mornings equal longer runs and that makes me one happy girl!

I rose before the sun then headed to one of my favorite running spots, Baldwin Park, which I had not been to since my 20 miler before my marathon! It’s a beautiful running path that is always full of fellow early runners. I happily ran 7 miles in 1:05:36 and immediately basked in my running high glow.

When I returned home I had a lovely Breakfast Cookie waiting for me.

Last night I combined

• 1/2 cup Oats
• 1 spoonful Naturally Nutty’s Chocolate Toffee Butter Peanut Butter
• 2 spoonfuls of Unsweetened Applesauce
• Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
• Crushed Walnuts
• Craisins

I flattened the mix on a plate and this morning topped with the cookie with Plain Oikos, Strawberries, Blueberries and a Cherry.

It’s been a while since I had a breakfast cookie. I always forget how good they are.

After breakfast I met up with Kelly and Megan for a lesson in Bikini Confidence at Cocoa Beach.

Rock it Girls!

As it was the first sunny day we just had to take advantage of it!

I happily settled into my extra large towel and soaked up the rays with the Cullens.

To save a little $$ we all decided to pack our lunch for a little picnic on the beach.

I had packed a Almond Butter, Carrots, & Craisin Wrap.

Sounds odd, but amazingly delish! The craisins were my favorite part of the wrap!

I also enjoyed a refreshing bowl of Mango & Red Plum that was the perfect addition in the hot blazing sun.

For the next couple of hours we walked down the beach, played in the water and kept reapplying sunscreen. I <3 the beach!

I started feeling snacky so I pulled out the bag of Sour Cream & Onion Pop Chips I had received in the mail yesterday.

I am always fascinated by how the chips are not fried or baked, but ‘popped.’

They sort of remind me of Rice Chips.

Sour Cream & Onion has always been my favorite flavor of potato chips and I have to say they got it right with these chips. They are very light and crispy, but very flavorful. I say if you are craving a chip these are the way to go.

A trip to the beach always SCREAMS ice cream to me. Luckily Megan and Kelly were feeling the same vibes. When we had enough sun we headed to Tutti Fruitti Ice Cream Cafe for a cool treat.

I ordered a single scoop of Vanilla Non-Fat Frozen Yogurt in a fun sprinkle cone.

Blah. The FroYo was very icy and not that great. I should have just got a real ice cream flavor. Oh well, it was still cool and refreshing.

I was on an important Healthy Living Summit conference call during Ice Cream time.

Despite the two coats of sun screen, it looks like the bag of my legs got a little burnt. I see a cold shower in my future!

Happy Saturday!

Guess what movie finally made its way to the Orlando area?

With a very limited opening release, Food, Inc has slowly been making it’s way to theatres across the country. It just so happened this weekend was Orlando’s lucky time to shine, so a couple of bloggers and I jumped at a chance to see the movie that has been taking the blog world by storm.

I personally enjoyed the documentry that takes a peak into what goes on behind the scenes of the food we eat. For a full out review you will have to wait until the end of this post.

First I must let you know about the good eats I had today!

Starting with my mid-afternoon snack of Carrots and Naturally Nutty’s Toffee Butter Peanut Butter.

I’ve always been a big fan of Naturally Nutty’s nut butters, but for some reason today the Toffee Butter Peanut Butter was a bit to much on the sweet side for my taste. I finished the carrots but did not lick the little container as I normal would. So odd.

As I was seeing the 7:20 movie, I had an early dinner that was pulled together very quickly.

I must say these were the best nachos ever!

I simply piled Black Beans, Diced Tomatoes, Shredded Zucchini, Onions, Jalapenos, and Oikos Plain Yogurt hight a top a pile of Blue Bean Corn Tortilla Chips then served with a small pickle on the side.

The healthy nacho platter had all my favorite nacho elements, but in a healthy modified version. The best part is my version did not leave me feeling greasy and bloated afterwards.

For dessert I packed a bag of sweet cherries and a praline chocolate to sneak into the movie theater.

I happily munched on the cherries half way through the movie when my sweet tooth hit.

I met Caitlin, her Husband, Megan and her friend Danielle at the theater about 10 minutes before the movie started.

I believe we all made several comments on how fancy Caitlin and her Husband heading in to the theater.

I felt like we were intruding on their date night. They are just too cute together.

Now, on to my official review

After reading several reviews of Food, Inc and doing a bit of research on the movie before hand, I was honestly expecting to come out of this movie with my views radically changed. People had warned the movie would effect me and that I would not be able to look at a grocery store the same way again. They said I would leave feeling angry for being lied to and will want to rally for immediate changes.

Well…in all honestly I left with the same views going out as I came in.

Do not get me wrong, this was a powerful movie with a lot of information that needs to get out there. The movie moved me and reminded me to strive to keep the eating habits I already have. I just feel it is information I have already been faintly aware of and the reason I eat the way I do is because of it.

Food Inc’s main message is spread thickly throughout the film. Know where your food is coming from and fight for your right to have safe, healthy options. It encourages the audience to read labels, eat organically, buy locally and shop at your local farmer’s market, which I am a big advocate for.

I actually believe the best piece of the documentary occurs while interviewing the local, organic farmer. Everything on his farm was as nature intended it with nothing genetically mutated or chlorinated. The film may not have swayed my carnivore ways (which I do not think was the point of the film), but did encouraged me to purchase organic, free range and grass fed meat when ever possible.

I also enjoyed the interview with Stonyfield’s CEO, Gary Hirsberg. Gary began his career as a hippie enviromentalist trying to spread the message of change. He realized he was only speaking to the already convinced and decided to take it larger. Stonyfield started as a small operation and has now spread to a multi-billion dollar business. The company still adhears to all the same organic guidelines they began with. Gary sought to prove that a business can grow large while still being friendly to the enviroment.

After working closely with Stonyfield and their sponsorship with the Healthy Living Summit, I have to say Stonyfield really does strive to be as enviromentally friendly and organic as possible. Per Stonyfield’s request all shirts and swag bags be organic and products provided in the swag bags be healthy and natural. They truly are a wonderful company and I was happy to see them featured in such a positive light.

I could probably go on and on about different elements in the film and my opinion, but I will leave it at this. I really would suggest everyone seeing Food, Inc themselves and building their own opinion. It is a lot to process and gives you something to think about.

Have you seen Food Inc? What did you think?

Today I bit the bullet and did something I have been avoiding since I started blogging…. I opened a Twitter account!

I know, I know… please hold back the shock and surprise that I did not previously have one. But, with blogging and Facebook I felt there were enough ways out there for my dear friends and admirers to stalk me.

But, after at a few friend’s urging and the knowledge of my own sister’s twitter account I knew it was time to jump on the bandwagon. So, if you feel like you just don’t get enough GraduateMeghann time in your day then please follow me at http://www.twitter.com/graduatemeghann

Do you have a twitter account? What are your thoughts on tweeting?

Now, should I start tweeting my meals as I eat them of let you wait in suspense for me to blog them. I vote blog. A girl has to give you some reason to keep coming back.

Plus I think you would miss out on the drool worth photos of my great food, including this special trail mix I threw together this morning.

In the container

• Peanuts
• Craisins
• Dark Chocolate Covered Edamame
• Raw Cashews
• Awesome Almonds

I love my little nutty/ chocolately mixes!

Lunch included some spiffy left overs

Nothing is better then left over pizza, especially homemade pizza! The last of my Margherita Pizza was yummy!

I can not get over how crazy I am about the massaged Kale salad.

It’s so easy, just simply ‘massage’ the kale with olive oil, lemon juice and S&P then refrigerate. I think the acidity of the lemon and oil take away the bitter flavor of the kale, leaving a fresh crisp taste that is so good. I can not wait to restock up on kale and make it again.

Now kale is something I never knew of as a kid, but I’m sure if I did I would have turned my nose up at it just as I did to yogurt, cantaloupe and oatmeal cookies. Now I can’t get enough of them!

Head over to ZestyCook’s site now to let him know what foods you hated as a kid but love now!

It was a little depressing coming into work today knowing that just a week ago at this time I was gearing up to board a cruise ship to tropical paradise. I’m sure the gloomy gray skies and rain didn’t help much either. I should probably just be thankful its Friday and look forward to all the exciting adventures I have planned this weekend.

I know most runners thrive in the rain, but I am not a fan. With the rain I worry about my Ipod and Garmin burning out. I worry about getting blisters from my soggy wet shoes. I worry about how heavy the rain is going to make my clothes and where I am going to shed them once I’m back in my apartment. And I worry about all the extra sweat and raining going in my eyes as I try to concentrate on my run.

Basically I worry too much and the run does not become as much fun in the rain.

I prefer dry, clear mornings and when it’s raining I prefer nice, dry gym equipment.

To help stay dry I did a 25 minute hill interval work out on the elliptical and then 20 more minutes on the stationary bike. All while reading a chapter or two of Breaking Dawn. The ability to read on the equipment is just another perk of being inside on a rainy day.

When I was finished I did a 10 minute ab routine while throwing a toy for Abbie around the apartment. It’s funny how when ever I’m on the floor she sees it as instant play time.

My tropical breakfast added a touch of sunshine to the gloomy morning.

• 2/3 cup Cinnamon Puffins
• 2/3 cup Kashi Strawberry Fields
• 1/8 cup Pecan Praline Granola
• Mango
• Blueberries
• Strawberries
• Oikos Plain Greek Yogurt

With this breakfast, I officially used the last of my bag of Trader Joe’s Pecan Praline Granola that Heather had sent me way back in January. Talk about a long run! When something is good I like to stretch it out as long as possible and I think the fact I managed to stretch this bag of granola out for well over 6 months shows how good it is.

Alright, time to get back to work. Hopefully today goes quick because I am itching for the weekend!

This was my afternoon snack…

I’m really not a fan of fruit flavored bars, but this one had been in my bar basket for a while and needed to be eaten. Surprisingly, it was not as sweet or fruity as I was expecting and the macadamia nuts were actually the dominant flavor. I enjoyed the macadamia crunch as they are my favorite nut, but even with that I’m not sure I would purchase this flavor again.

This was my dinner…

A mix of Sweet Potato, Zucchini, Yellow Squash, Tomato, Shrimp, Craisins, Raw Cashews, Garlic, Onion & Red Pepper Flakes that I sauteed on the stove top with a little olive oil until soft then added to some Kale I massaged with Olive Oil, Lemon Juice, and S&P.

It was thrown together in less then 15 minutes and tasted wonderful. I especially loved the massaged kale salad! I can’t wait to have the left overs for lunch tomorrow.

Finally, This was my dessert…

Ice Cream was on my mind tonight. It’s a good thing I’m stocked for a while with Turtle Mountain Ice Cream Treats! I pulled out a Coconut Almond Ice Cream Bar and satisfied the craving in a very delicious way.

Has anyone caught the show Ruby on the style network?

As my DVR is currently thirsting for new shows, I decided to record a couple after reading the synopsis of the show.

Ruby is a documentary style reality television series on the Style Network that debuted in 2008 in the United States. It follows the life of Ruby Gettinger, a Savannah, Georgia, native who starts the show weighing more than 477 lbs, as she attempts to lose weight. Ruby works with nutritionists, doctors, and trainers to lose weight, all the while commenting honestly and often humorously about the experience. The show also deals with the every-day life issues a seriously overweight person can face, such as the difficulty in using airplane bathrooms. The show featured one one-hour episode and eight half-hour episodes.

It sounded like something that was right up my ally and after watching a couple of episodes I’m hooked.

Ruby is an inspiration as she documents her journey to weight loss. The first thing I noticed was how truly beautiful and joyful Ruby is. Her genuine smile simply radiates across the screen. I love how honest she is as she comments on society’s views of her and other obese women and take to heart as her struggles cause her to tear up.

I also enjoy her commitment to lose the weight the healthy way and not by going over the knife. In the span of the first season she was successfully able to shed well over 100 pounds. THought still considered morbidly obese you can see the accomplished confidence that runs through her with the beginning successes.

If you have not already seen an episode I would highly suggest catching one of the Style network next time you decide to play couch potato for the day/evening.

Remember that big work event that took me to Long Beach back in April? Well, guess what? It’s time to start planning next year’s event!

This is my favorite part of the job and I have to say I enjoy calling different hotels and collecting proposals for our event. My supervisor and I have it down to a science with what we’re after and as soon as I start stating what I want, the hotels no I’m not fooling around and start to bend over backwards. I love it!

Up until this morning our top pick was a hotel in Philadelphia, but a proposal came through this morning for New Orleans that may be too good to pass up. I’ve never been to either city so both sound fun to me!

Which would you choose if you were putting on a user group for an assortment of 100 clients who enjoy touristy destinations?

I had a couple of meetings this morning so before the first one began at 10:00am I snacked on a mini Peanut Butter Cookie Larabar.

This little baby has been my ‘emergency’ snack bar for a couple of weeks now and has gotten a bit smooshed while being transferred from bag to bag. Luckily Larabars are still yummy squished or not.:)

My lunch involved the other half of the butterflied grilled chicken I had on Tuesday night.

I made a lovely chicken sandwich with multigrain bread fresh from the Publix bakery, kale, tomato and a smear of low sugar apricot preserves.

I LOVE adding preserves to chicken sandwiches. The sweet touch always compliments the chicken in the best possible way.

With the chicken I had some apple slices.

And a handful of broccoli.

It was a very tasty lunch!

Speaking of fun travel destinations….

Derek and I are considering a trip to Key West for Labor Day weekend. Does anyone know of any deals on where to stay in the area?