Good morning from campus!

How was everyone's weekend? Mine was low-key...studied for a finance exam I have this week (eww), went to church, went shopping...that kind of thing.

Oh, and I finally found this delicious stuff at my local grocery store:

http://www.stonyfield.com/oikos/greek_yogurt/4_oz/chocolate/index.jsp

CHOCOLATE OIKOS!!

It's SO delicious. You have to try it, if you haven't already!! The grocery store also had a big sale on Kashi products, so I have been enjoying my chocolate Oikos on top of Honey Sunshine and Kashi Go Lean Berry Crunch. Ah-mazing. Has anyone tried the caramel flavor yet? I will be picking that up next time!

I support healthy living bloggers.

Well, obviously, I kind of *am* one. Haha.

[gets on soapbox]

This article, if you haven't seen it yet (which I'm sure you have if you read Meghann's blog), definitely criticizes healthy living bloggers, 6 in particular! I don't read all of them, but I do read "The Inner Workings of a College Graduate" (now known as Meals and Miles) regularly, and I have to say that the article is completely ridiculous. Reading the healthy living blogs, such as Meals and Miles, Fitnessista , among others, has been motivating me to keep trying to live a healthy lifestyle (with a few indulgences) while in college. Marie Claire's article on the subject is completely wrong.

[/jumps off soapbox]

Now then. Haha.

Foods of the week...
- Apples make great in between class snacks.
- Nutella + peanut butter + whole wheat bread = best sandwich ever. Don't believe me? TRY IT. You will love it. ;)
- I've been putting cinnamon on sliced apples, peaches, and my nutella/pb sandwiches for 3 weeks. Yes, it's good. No, I'm not wierd at all. :p


Healthy living tip...
The feeling when you let go of something that's been weighing you down is amazing!! If you're holding onto something or someone that's dragging you down, LET GO. Give it to God and let Him handle it. To quote one of my favorite songs: It's a new day/Oh, it's a new time/And there's a new way/I'm gonna live my life/All the old has passed away/And the new has come/Thank God it's a brand new day!




Artist: Avalon
Song: New Day
Album: Testify to Love (2003)

Umm, delicious. The end. :)

Bloggin' from campus...

Hey y'all!
Well, I'm officially back in school!!
I'm currently chilling on campus, waiting for my last class of the day to start in about 30 minutes, munching on a Nature Valley granola bar. (I forgot how good these things were. Must buy more and rotate them with my Kashi bars.)
I'm still looking for good, healthy, portable (read: no silverware) snack ideas that I can slip in my purse and eat in between classes. So far, I have granola bars and little boxes of raisins. Obviously, this is not gonna work for the whole semester. Help, bloggies!! :)

Fall 2010, let's go!!

Dear Fall 2010:
I have never been happier for a new semester to get here. Please go better than Summer 2010 did.
Love, breakingsilence

That's not to say that parts of my summer weren't amazing. I got to hang out with every single one of my best girl friends this summer. That has NEVER happened before. There's always someone I can't get together with, but somehow I managed to pull it off this year. Lots of laughter + lots of Starbucks consumed = AWESOME. Oh, and I kicked macroeconomics' butt. Haha. That part of Summer 2010 = A+

The rest of summer 2010 = Ehh. I don't really care to go into the whole story. Let's just say that anything that inspires a blogger to write a series on Dealing With Drama can't be good.

The new semester starts next week, and I CANNOT WAIT. It's gonna be fabulous, I can tell. :)

Oh, and I want this shirt. --> click

Question: I'm going to be running around campus a LOT next semester. I need some suggestions on healthy and portable snacks I can slip in my purse and munch on in between classes. Anything?

the healthy student's guide to eating out :)

We've all been there. You're trying to live a healthy lifestyle by exercising and eating right. But then there comes the challenge of going out to eat with friends or family and ordering something off the menu. What's in this? How much fat/salt does it have in it?? Am I allergic to any of the ingredients? Is there ANYTHING healthy on this menu?? I present to you...the healthy student's guide to eating out!

1. Find out what restaurant you're going to ahead of time and Google it. Most restaurants now post their menus and nutrition info online, so you can browse and know what you're getting into. I like to pick 2 options off the online menu and then pick whichever one I have a taste for when I get to the restaurant.
2. Modify your dish!! If you see a dish you like, but don't like the side/dressing/toppings/whatever, ask for it to be left out or replaced with something else. If a restaurant you like tends to add too much dressing to a salad, ask for it on the side.
3. Lay off the cocktails. Alcohol has calories - empty calories. You're not gonna get any nutritional value from it. If you must drink, make it a once in a while treat, and limit yourself to ONE drink.
4. Don't be afraid of your sweet tooth. If you're with a group and you want dessert, split something. All you have to do is ask for multiple spoons/forks to be brought with the dessert. You satisfy your sweet tooth without blowing your quest to be healthy!
5. If you're overly stuffed, take a SLOW walk around the local mall/park after your meal. You'll feel better.

Summer is officially here!

Hey!! How's everyone's summer so far?? Mine has been busy with summer classes, part-time job, and of course, hanging with friends! Oh, did I mention it's HOT?? I've been doing a LOT of DVD workouts, because who wants to workout outside when it's blazing hot? (Anyone who's lived in the South will understand!!)

I find that I've been doing this one most frequently:

It's a little on the short side (33 min.), so I'll normally tack on 5-10 minutes of extra power walking. I like this DVD because it's not just power walking (which can be boring)...it has some easy kickboxing moves in it...yay variety! Haha. I've found that I get even more of a workout when I mute the DVD and put my iPod on instead!

Some eats this week:

Mmm...peach and pomegranate. Need I say more?


Lots of those...sensing the fruit theme yet??



Whoops, how did THAT get in here? ;)

Ok, it wasn't vanilla ice cream, it was chocolate frozen yogurt, and it was delicious. ;)

Thanks Target!

We all love Target, right? Especially their prices! Well, when I spotted this in their weekly ad, I had to take advantage of it...

Free $5 giftcard if you buy 5 Kashi products (cereal, frozen meals, snacks)!

click to see the ad, go to page 26-27

And, of course I took advantage of it, since I love the Kashi TLC bars.

Thanks Target!

(Sorry about the supershort post...will post something longer later this week!)

Warmup with an attitude and PIE!

Artist: Carrie Underwood
Song: Cowboy Casanova
Album: Play On (2009)

I'm not normally a fan of country music, but I love Carrie's music, and I've been loving this song for my warmup and cooldown.

And now, the PIE! Well, sort of. Oh, did you think I was gonna write about real pie? Haha. Nope, pumpkin pie flavored Kashi bars! They're healthy, delicious, and you should try them.

Ew.

When I first saw this product on a commercial, the only thought that went through my head was "Ew". Please tell me I'm not the only one.

Isn't that gross? I think I'll stick to the occasional Chick-Fil-A indulgence. LOVE their nuggets. I'll usually pair an 8 or 12 pack of nuggets with either a side salad or a fruit cup.

Yummy.

Veggies, music, and an insane "diet"

Veggies. Ok, not the word some of you wanted to hear. I'm the odd one: I LOVE most veggies and I always have. When I was little, my parents thought I was gonna turn out to be a vegetarian... Not that there's anything wrong with that, haha. I just didn't like meat until I got a little older. But I still love my veggies. I prefer them raw, but if they have to be cooked, I'll steam them. You keep the nutrients in the veggies that way.

I like the boxed Green Giant stuff with no sauce. You take it out of the box, put the bag in the microwave for 4ish minutes and there you go! Instant veggies. (Sugar snap peas are my fave.)

And now, another good workout song:

Artist: Melissa Greene
Song: Next Step
Album: Next Step (2009)

And finally, I was browsing the 'net the other day when I came across a news article about a new "diet" that is supposedly going to help you live to 120 ( click ) . Seriously? That's ridiculous. Where do they come up with this stuff? How is cutting wheat, sugar, dairy, meat, and tap water out of your diet gonna help you live to 120? The sad thing is, some people will buy it...

More snacky goodness!

Once again, I'm late to the party on this one. I can't believe I just discovered this yummy snack a couple weeks ago...

I've tried the Dark Mocha Almond, Dark Chocolate Coconut, and Cherry Dark Chocolate. (Seeing a trend yet?? I love dark chocolate. It's good for you AND delicious!) I have a box of Peanut Peanut Butter ones waiting for me as soon as I finish the box of Dark Mocha Almond ones I bought on Wednesday. Or maybe I'll open them tomorrow. ;) If you need a nice little boost either before or after class, grab one of these and eat it on the run!

Stick to fruit...

I always like trying healthy new snacks...or at least snacks that *appear* healthy. Sometimes they're good, sometimes they're bad. This one definitely struck out with me...

It looked like a mini version of a cobbler, and I like cobbler, so I decided to try it! The package says you can heat it up for about 20 seconds before adding the crumble, so I did. Cobbler this isn't. The pineapple and mango have very little flavor, and the fruit sauce it comes in is too sweet. My advice? If you want a healthier mini cobbler that bad, make your own! All you need is a sliced apple (or other fruit of your choice), granola, cinnamon, and a microwave. Or better yet, just snack on a regular piece of fruit.

Hi, I'm breakingsilence, and I am a late bandwagon jumper!

Haha. Now, what is this bandwagon that I've jumped on later than everyone else?

The Greek yogurt bandwagon, of course!

I had several people tell me I should give it a try. I tried the Oikos Blueberry Fruit on the Bottom flavor, and it was really good! I normally go for the YoCrunch 100 calorie cups if I want yogurt (there will probably be a separate post on those, still love them), but these are just as good, and have more protein than regular yogurt! So, if you're studying for an exam and need a little pick-me-up, or if you have a part-time job and need a little something to tie you over until you get off work, I'd definitely recommend grabbing one of these. Well, not necessarily this brand, but any Greek yogurt. Note: If it's your first time eating it, stick to the Fruit on the Bottom varieties, no matter what brand you choose. I mistakenly picked up a Vanilla one and it was a bit...sour. Oops. ;) Next time, I'll be adding fruit or granola!

The name of the blog is kind of misleading...

...because I'm not a college freshman anymore! But I am in college, and I thought it fit.

Anyway.

Once upon a time (back during high school) I blogged. A LOT.

Over the past couple years, however, blogging has definitely fallen by the wayside. I'd like to start again, but this time with more of a focus: living a healthy lifestyle as a college student! It's hard - as most of us discovered our first year or so of college in the form of "the freshman 15". But it is entirely possible to eat right and stay in shape while studying for exams and having a social life, and I'm proof of that!!

My goal is to update once a week with workout tips/ideas and yummy, good-for-you snacks that you can find in any grocery store...because, let's face it, college students are poor! Haha. :p We can't always afford the really good organic stuff...or have the time to find it, for that matter. That's why, when I do food posts, it'll be concentrating on healthy (or at least healthier than what you're eating right now!) snacks that a busy student can just grab and go!

That's pretty much it for now. Here we go...