Fitness & Foodie Friday: Health or Treat? Nooky Quickie

While trick-or-treaters may be house-hopping and candy-popping this weekend, I’ll continue consuming my healthy supplements on the ☼daily!

Ginkgo Biloba: to promote mental focus

• This initially got me through my studying for and taking my comprehensive examinations to complete my Master’s degree
• I also took them as I prepared for my final semester exams, luminary comps (1st year) and candidacy (3rd year) to test for my Ph.D. coursework
• I’m continuing them as I progress through my dissertation process

Centrum VitaMints®: to aquire essential nutrients in a tasty way

• I’ve come a long way since my childhood Flinstones chewables ~ which I doubt are the best bet for my teeth with the acidity
• I’m still not a fan of swallowing tablets without having water and food in handy
• Therefore, I’m all about double-duty of fulfilling my ☼daily☼ needs while freshening my breath!

Of course, I don’t skimp on the actual food that I need to fuel my brain and body ~ which I’m actually including in an analogy between my marathon and my main statistical method (multiple regression) for my doc research!

Study Mode Trail Mix: Since almonds helped my bod during my 26.2-mi. course and my mind through my dissertation process, they were the main feature of this snack combo for the crunch + the Pumpkin Spice flavor along with the pumpkin cookies & candy, as well as more chocolate to cover these Brookside blueberries that also benefit the memory!

Study Mode Trail Mix: Since almonds helped my bod during my 26.2-mi. course and my mind through my dissertation process, they were the main feature of this snack combo for the crunch + the Pumpkin Spice flavor along with the pumpkin cookies & candy, as well as more chocolate to cover these Brookside blueberries that also benefit the memory!

Speaking of my race, although I haven’t run as many long distances in awhile, I’ve fit in mini drills to keep my energy levels high while I’ve been drained from my dissertation, a.k.a., my doc docs …

Cheers to Pumpkin ♥Love♥: Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte VIA® PSL at home & Olive Garden Pumpkin Cheesecake to soothe my soul, body and brain as I update and practice my dissertation!

During my dedicated eating time (yes, I must make a meal break away from my computer, according to my Bestie Evie‘s birthday advice), I actually HIIT before I sit!

Olive Garden Leftovers from Ladies’ Night with the Holy Spiri† (counter-clockwise from bottom right): Chicken Cacciatorie & Cheese Manicotti (2 of my fave entrées rolled into 1) • Pasta e Fagioli w/ breadstick • Minestrone • Bestie Evie‘s Better-Than-Sex Brownie • Pumpkin Cheesecake (which took me 4 days to finish!) • Andes Mints ~ gotta ♥love♥ these after-dinner chocolate mints to cap off a classic OG meal!

While I wait for my chow to cook ~ simmering in the crock pot, boiling on the stove, or nooking in the oven/microwave/toaster ~ I do the following quick set(s), to induce more calorie-burning even after I’m done exercising:

Standing ♥Cardio♥

• Jumping Jacks ~ chant your mantra
• Run laps or lines (depending on space)

Floor/Mat/Carpet Core

• Plank or Push-Ups (or mountain climbers)
• Crunches or Sit-Ups (I prefer v-ups)
• Dips (in reverse plank) ~ if time permits

More ♥Cardio♥

• Dance ’til your ♥heart’s ♪content♫ ~ or your grub is ready

Stretch

Relieve those muscles after sitting at the computer desk and before sitting down to eat

Happy Early Halloween, All †Saints’ Day y el Día de los Muertos! ✌

Foodie Friday: Small & Sweet Fortunes

Big things come in small packages.

Mini Frappuccino in the *Starbucks$ Coffee House! S’mores, please!

Life is like a box of chocolates … You never know what you’re gonna get.

~ Forrest Gump (played by Tom Hanks as the title character)

Celebrate everyday!

Live in the ☼moment☼

In any ♣season♣

Cherish yourself ~ YOU’re a treasure! 👑

Life’s sweeter with ♥loved ones♥ …

… ♪music♫ …

… & literature …

… + chocolate!

Keep the party going!

And most of all: spread those good vibes!

  

Sharing = Caring!

for my Bestie + yours truly & my family!

Foodie Friday: Banana Ice Cream

♪This sh** is bananas ~ B-A-N-A-N-A-S!♫

~ Gwen Stefani‘s ♫Hollaback♪ (2005)

Throwback from my first Myspace song …

… Which is the inspiration behind my most frequent ☼summer☼ dessert lately:

Banana Ice Cream!!!

Here are a few different from-fresh-to-frozen banana batches from this past week:

Banana Honey Walnut

Chunky Monkey: Banana + Jif Mocha Cappuccino Hazelnut Spread & Chocolate Cookies

Butter Pecan: Banana + Cocoa Cookie Butter & Butterscotch Morsels & Pecan Chips

More music inspiration from Jack Johnson …

• ♫Banana Pancakes♪
• ♫Better Together♪ 

Happy *4th of July* mañana!!!

Foodie Friday: C is for …

Chocolate🍫 * Cookies🍪 * Coffee☕️ * Cheesecake🍰

More specifically …

Thanks to 🌽Trader Joe’s🎯:

Cookies🍪 & Creme🍦 Cookie🍪 Butter 🍯

Happy 🍓Strawberry Month in May!
    ♪Gotta love ☕️Coffee♫ ~ especially with Cookies🍪 & Creme🍦 (112’s🎤 ♪Peaches🍑 & Cream♫ on the 💡brain)  Cookie🍪 Butter🍯 Cheesecake🍰  

🌠Starbucks💸‘ *NEW* Additions➕

🍨Frappuccino🍧 Sugar Cookie🍪  

Sippy Selfie: Frappuccino Sugar Cookie before NBA Playoffs (last *Dallas Mavericks* game)

   ⛺️S’Mores 🍩Tart🍮

Mmmm…. Melted Marshmallow ~ Melt My ♥Heart♥

More like Marshmallow Drizzle for this E-Dizzle!

Chocolate Dipped into this Graham Cracker Crust is like a slice of Heaven ^_^

   ⛺️S’Mores 🍨Frappuccino🍧 {to 👟kickoff🏈 Frap-Happy Hour (🕒3-5PM🕔 & ’til 6🕕 o’clock for us 🏆Rewards💳 members)}

Score: S’mores ‘specially for Yours Truly

Frap-Happy for this Summer Camp kinda sweet treat!

Graham Cracker topping …

… & Chocolatey Marshmallowy Goodness ’til the very last drop!!!

Foodie Friday: Classic Cold Remedies

Happy Friday the 13th!

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup is where it’s at!

We’re never too old to need our mothers ~ so if they’re still with us, then let’s be grateful!

Add freshly-squeezed OJ to the mix for Vitamin C to combat the cold, and I’ve got it made in the shade!

My own ♥Mommy Aya♥ came through for me during my cold that took its toil and my voice this ♣Spring Break♣.

These oranges came from my former post in the Rio Grande Valley!

As a retired Registered Nurse after over 4½ decades, my Nanay attended to me for the first time since I was a child!

Chocolate = the perfect cure to cheer me up, in the form of my mom’s Nutella brownies!

I think that my need to be put on bed rest (while my ♥A&A♥ held vigil by my bedside) was †GOD†‘s way of telling me to slow my roll …

Girl Scout Cookies also are. Always. On. Point.

Despite my week ☼off☼ from teaching and tutoring, I had still been on-the-go in the recent wintry weather with my traveling, researching, reporting and photographing!

This juicer doubles as a pitcher!

So much for tracking miles on a fun run or hitting the driving range … for now!

Foodie Friday: Peppermint Paradise

This DISPO still can’t seem to let CHRISTmas go.

The †CHRISTmas† ☼HOLYday☼ gift that keeps giving

Since Friday wraps up my weekend (before I return to work on Saturday), I prefer to cozy up at home with A&A at the end of the day …

Aah … So much better when RTC: Ready to Consume!

With my fave HOLYday flavor!

As I watch HGTV‘s Love It or List It Too about houses with pools, I watch this Milano swim in my Mocha ~ Peppermint-style!

*~* TGIF CHEERS *~*

Foodie Friday: TGIF Twists on Treats

Thank GOD It’s Friday for Food!

Today’s Foodie Friday is devoted to concoctions that combine different edibles into one, such as cake and cookies and fruit and more fruit. I’ll rate them on a scale from 1-5.

Tiramisu Cookie Sandwich = 4 points

A dozen SDJ Tiramisu Cookie Sandwiches, STAT!

Sweets du Jour, my favorite new bakery in Abilene ~ which is now offering a limited-time 15% discount off online orders from the SDJ app ~ has created an innovative addition to its menu: Cookie Sandwiches! I got a dozen of the Tiramisu flavor for my mom’s birthday.

Cookie Close-up!

• Pros: sweet mascarpone cheese filling (+5)
• Cons: cookies remind me of Snickerdoodles with espresso dusting, yet the softness makes up for that (-1)

Slam Dunk into Coffee or Cocoa!

Brunch of Champions = 5+ points / 100+%

I was just expecting “eggs and fruit,” but this is a whole different ball park here (clockwise): Buttered Toast + Spiced Sunny Side Eggs meets Steamed Banana complete w/Banana Leaf, Refried Black Beans, Steamed Sweet Potato + Pineapple & Mandarin Oranges

When I met with my Church friend after Adoration yesterday, he cooked up a storm! And I, as usual, got camera-carried away with this eye candy that tasted as picture-perfect as the presentation looks!

Brownies baked with Waffle Batter … I’m in Chocolate Heaven!

• Pros: the BEST brunch I’ve ever had, both home-cooked and at a restaurant, beats everything out by far, bar-none (+10)
• Cons: NONE whatsoever

Deer Droppings ~ Joe’s Homemade Candy, as he says: they’re better than the real thing!

Grāpples = 3 points

Grab a Grāpple!

Grape … I mean, Great News: I’m going to teach at the college level again!!! You know what that means: an apple a day scores yours truly an A! This is a batch of grape-flavored apples, enough said.

2 of my favorite wine vine fruits in 1!

• Pros: sweet fruit fix, hence delicious and delicious (+5)
• Cons: artificial grape flavor, so what’s the point? (-2)

TGIF Brunch

Avocado rounds out this meal in a Shake & as a Spread!

Today was my only day to sleep in, so I was grateful for a second day in-a-row to enjoy a savory meal and take my time without being in a rush!

Lean Mean Green Machine!

Happy ***Memorial Day*** weekend, including to y’all Kings & Queens of the Grill!

Foodie Friday: Battle of the Butters ~ What Does Your Favorite Spread Say About You?

Chocolate + Nuts = Buttered Bliss!

Don’t Mess with these Butters!

I’ve been a Nutella nut for several years (including since Kobe Bryant endorsed it before his infamous scandal that led Ferrero ~ yes, the same brand of the famous hazelnut truffle candy ~ to drop him), but do the other cocoa-based spreads out there also live up to the hype? I’ve taste-tested some of them to compare…

Stars of the Show

Ferrero Nutella Hazelnut Spread® with Skim Milk & Cocoa

Nutella: The Original Hazelnut Spread ®

Jif Mocha Cappuccino Flavored Hazelnut Spread

Jif Mocha Cappuccino Hazelnut Spread

Barefoot & Chocolate ♡ Almond Coconut

Barefoot & Chocolate™ Almond Coconut Chocolate Spread

Honorable Mentions

Trader Joe’s Speculoos Cookie Butter

As my trainer has said about food, “It’s like Christmas!”

Organic Almond Butter *featured on my Pretty Fit WIMK segment*

Uh-oh, the Original Hazelnut Spread® strikes again!

Any of these spreadable edibles work to top off toast, and the sky’s the limit on how to add them to main courses, desserts or snacks, such as Crepes, brownies and croissants.

Superlatives
Nutella: thickest consistency
Jif Mocha Cappuccino: sweetest flavor
B&C Almond Coconut: thinnest consistency

Other Butters
Cookie Butter: gritty nut alternative
Almond Butter: bland, crunchy

What do these super spreads say about your personality?

If your pick is…
Nutella: You’re conservative and conventional. You tend to stick with traditions and resist change.

Jif MC: You’re over-the-top and prefer to go all out, from the way you dress to how you plan.

B&C AC: You’re chill and mellow, meaning you go with the flow and play if by ear.

Cookie Butter: You’re unique and one-of-a-kind, as Jamie Foxx has sung “Unpredictable.”

Almond Butter: You’re nutty and quirky, but that’s all in the beauty and charm!

Food for thought, for your information:

Nutrition Facts

Spread (2tbs)	Total Calories	Total Fat (g)	Total Carbs (g)	Total Protein (g)	Pros or Cons
Nutella	200	12	21	2	Con: 15mg Sodium; Pros: 4% Calcium, Iron
Jif MC HS	230	14	21	2	Cons: <5g Cholesterol, 40g Sodium; Pro: 6% Calcium, Iron
B&C AC HS	200	13	16	3	Con: 10mg Sodium; Pros: 6% Calcium, 15% Iron
TJ’s Spec CB	180	12	16	<1	The recommended serving size is 1tbs, so I doubled the units, and they’re still less than the rest!
Almond Butter	180	16	7	5	Pros: 8% Calcium, 6% Iron, 4% Folate

I’ve concluded that I can’t compare apples to oranges. While each of these have similarities since they’re all spreads, tastes and textures vary.

Enjoy your weekend, and please comment with links to your photos or recipes of chocolicious or cookielicious or nutritious concoctions!

Happy Eating … But what’s better is adding more company to the mix!

Happy Eating + Meeting & Greeting!

🙂

Foodie Friday: Cuckoo for Cookies!

These cookies are coo-worthy for being both healthy and tasty! Let these nutritious and delicious photos speak to you, just as the cookies that appear in them called my name…

Macaroons in Caramel Sea Salt by Hail Merry
* Gluten-Free, vegan
{I tried the Chocolate-flavored in my Welcome to My Kitchen on Pretty Fit}

Grace’s Best Petite Sunflower Seed Cookies
* Bite-sized, light and crispy

Flourless Chocolate Cookie from La Boulange of Starbucks
* Melt-in-your-mouth meringue

What’s better than these cookies flying solo?

Savoring a little bit together!

Added Bonus: Top them on the Tiramisu Gelato that I featured last Foodie Friday!

Nothing beats Cookies & Milk! Try this Almond Breeze Blend of Almond & Coconut Milk for a new nutty twist!

CHEERS!!! Let’s clink our frosty mug of milk or fist cookie bump!