Granola Bar Trial

The combination of being a poor grad student, foodie, runner and a health conscious individual (usually), I often struggle to find the right snacks and dinner options. To complicate it even more, I live alone and dislike leftovers for more than a few meals, so cooking for one is an additional challenge.

I am NOT a picky eater and will try anything so my grocery list is usually determined by price, nutrition and my latest meal trends. Lately I have been eating a lot of veggie quiche, bean burgers (so easy to make and tasty) and most recently, salmon patties (made with canned salmon, bread crumbs, onion, spices, milk and eggs). 


For snacks, I almost always carry a Tupperware of trailmix with me to class and to work. Usually it includes almonds, dried fruit, oats, cereal and dark chocolate chips (except lately because they melt!). Almonds are expensive and store bought granola bars are filled with preservatives and sugars so tonight I tried to make my own granola bars. I read a bunch of recipes and then created my own based on my tastes.


It was something like this:

2 cups oats

1 cup chopped mixed nuts

1/4 cup unsweetened coconut

1/4 flax seed

1 cup dried fruit 

dash of salt

touch of cinnamon

1/4 cup honey (or agave)

1/4 cup raw brown sugar

1 Tbs. butter

1/2 cup peanut butter (natural/no sugar added)

1/2 cup apple sauce (unsweetened)

I toasted the first 3 dry ingredients and then mixed them with the remaining dry ingredients. Separately I melted the butter on the stove top and mixed in the sugar and honey. Simmer. After I added the peanut butter and apple sauce to the sugar mixture. Then, I mixed it all together and pressed it into a pan to cook for 15 minutes at 300 degrees.

Toasted

Dried fruit and flax added

I personally think they turned out great! They are a little crumbly- so more like granola than granola bars. I will work on that next batch :) Sorry I can't let you sample! I will bring some to the running group at work tomorrow since they are always encouraging me to bring my cooking experiments to sample.

Dried cherries, papaya, and fruit leather from Trade Joe's

The result!!

Medieval Estonia and the 3 "C"s

Tallin, Estonia was one of my favorite visits. I didn't know what to expect but it is a clean, curvy, cobblestone town with a medieval back-splash. Tallin has an 800 year old history and has been occupied by Danish rule, Russian Tsars, Nazi Germany, the USSR and finally, in 1991, it became independent. 

Dan and I toured Estonia on our own (plus Lonely Planet) and our first stop was a little cafe to use the internet. I needed to register for my summer class which were causing me a little stress. Right as we sat down it began to downpour but soon cleared up allowing us to wander the streets and explore the city. 

I liked this cafe's decor incorporating astrology

My astrology sign

Dan's astrology sign

(neither of us follow our horoscope habitually but I thought it was cute!)

We only had a few hours so we tried to cover as much ground as possible but we did manage to pop into a few stores where some of the most intricate and beautiful hand knit sweaters were sold. Dan was also on a mission to find a soft pretzel but all of the cafes tricked us by having pictures but no pretzels.

Tallin was full of the 3 Cs- Churches, castles and cafes! I would have loved to spend more time there exploring and learning about the history. We stayed in the old town but apparently Tallin is the Information Technology capital of the Baltic and therefore, has a growing urban block as well.

St. Nicolas Church that doubled as a fortress 

Holy Spirit Church

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

Toward the end we picked up the pace even more because neither one of us had a watch (dumb we know!) and the cruise captain made it very clear that they would not wait for stragglers. Plus, we wanted to make it back for the appetizers and cocktails on the ship!!

Maiden tower where they ironically imprisoned prostitutes

Ok, blogging was my way of avoiding Finance homework but I guess I should fit in a little. Goodnight!

*All photos are mine but the Maiden tower picture came from the Tallin visitors website since mine didn't turn out.*

http://www.tourism.tallinn.ee/eng

Skype Date

I am back to my fellowship work and school (online class only) starts this week! So, less time to blog  but still managed to get some skype time in with Noah. Oh, and Dan too! I am still annoyed with him for eating his 7 layer rainbow cake (made by his mom every year!) in front of me. 

Noah!

Mind clutter

Today I took a day off from cardio and just did yoga at LA Fitness. Their yoga classes are usually mediocre but today's class triggered something new for me. During the last few minutes of class as we moved into our relaxation poses, the instructor reminded us to stay present, turn off the mind noise and let go of whatever tension or distractions we were still feeling. She told us to leave the anxiety on the mat but to continue to work throughout the week on de-cluttering our minds.

The phrase "de-cluttering our minds" stuck with me the rest of the class and is still with me tonight.Often I find that I am distracted with thoughts, feelings or situations I have little control over, yet they continue to drain my energy and positivity. I narrowed down my mind clutter to 3 main worries and decided to address them one at a time, one step at a time. Unfortunately, these are not things that can be fixed over night but rather take some healing time.

So, instead of continuing this blog entry, I am going to transition into writing a letter that I may or may not send to someone that has caused lots of pain and sadness for both me and my family. I hope this is a step in the right direction toward de-cluttering my mind. There are just so many wonderful blessings in my life and amazing people that are more deserving of my attention.

Then after my letter I am going to dive into that amazing bowl of cherries I just bought and call someone I love- talk to you in a bit Dan xox.

Oh, and I encourage you to think of your mind clutter over the next few days. Write a letter, call a friend, do yoga or whatever it is that allows you to release stress. Ok...now I am procrastinating!

and a Georgia peach on the side!

Through the eyes of Russians

Back to blogging on our Baltic trip! 

For our second day in Russia we signed up for the metro ride, market and vodka tasting tour. Neither one of us really care for vodka but it was a walking tour that allowed for sight seeing on foot rather than bus. We started off by riding the decorative metro which was designed by Stalin as a tribute to the people. He called them the "peoples palaces" and had artist incorporate marble, granite and limestone into artistic mosaics. 

Metro ride

We hopped off the metro at the square where I tried to snap some photos of the women selling flowers and produce on the streets. All of the women looked so grumpy and did NOT appreciate me taking their picture. I would have asked if I knew how to speak Russian and felt bad! We also explored the market where local cottage cheese and honey are among the most popular items. I love markets and have toured many around the world and this one, despite the fresh produce and flowers, was a bit grim. It was indoors and clean but a tad dark and the people didn't appear to appreciate our visit. I guess they are there to make a living and only a few of us purchased items but it just had a different vibe to it then most other markets. 

Next we went to some shops where we found the famous nesting dolls! They reminded me of visits to my grandmas because I used to play with hers- taking them apart and putting them back together over and over again. Every time it surprised me that the doll could get any smaller! We bought one to keep the memories and tradition going. 

Vodka tasting 

The communist remains of Russia we wish we could have seen more of. 

After a full day of wandering, we headed back to get ready for the formal dinning night. I love dressing up and every night felt like date night! We had cocktail hour on the deck and then an AMAZING spread of every seafood, meat, and vegetable  imaginable. It was overwhelming to see such a buffet of food (and not have it be fried Chinese!). I sampled oysters, sushi, paella, Dan's turkey and prime rib and it all was delicious. The whole thing was fancy fancy and over the top. So fancy that at the end of the buffet there was a line of waiters there to carry your plates back to your table for you! It felt a bit silly and I tried not to think of the quantity of food and waste.

We sat with some other financial planners and insurance agents and because I have no problem chatting with strangers, it was fun but on a few occasions, I did think (to myself) that I would rather be siting with just Dan or even with some of the crew members since I found their lives fascinating. Most all of the crew members were from other countries like Sri Lanka or unique islands like Mauritious (thats where our butler was from). 

After the dinner I wanted to take a nap or recline to let the food digest but we couldn't miss the nights entertainment! Craig Ferguson from the Late Late Show was our guest comedian. It was perfect since Dan and I LOVE comedians. Craig sure has a unique sense of humor (maybe its Scottish humor!?!) Anyway, it was funny and by the end my stomach hurt from the laughter and still from dinner! 

*The food, hat and nesting doll pictures were taken by the JH photographer. The rest are mine.  

Minnesotan vs Georgia Heat

Today after working for 10 hours talking about running, I was anxious to go out for my own run. At 8pm it was still 90 and humid so I had some G2 to hydrate about an hour before my run and ate an Organic Honey Stinger Waffle about 30 minutes beforehand. The waffles are delicious and a great pre-run or mid-workout snack. They taste good and are lighter than eating an energy bar. I highly recommend them for people who like organic snacks and have a sensitive stomach while running.


So, with the help of some Big Peach energy...I am getting more adjusted to the hot hot Atlanta. 

Back to intentions

Over the last few weeks I have been refocusing in on fitness. My long vacations are over and school doesn't start for another week, so this has been a perfect time to revamp my workouts. I don't always do well with transitions and I get impatient with myself for not adjusting as well as I want. Post school I was feeling homesick and anxious to move forward with school and a career. Working out tends to be a cure-all for me and since this was another holiday weekend away from Dan and family- I felt like I needed a good run.

I joined LA Fitness awhile ago and its been a great outlet getting back into spinning, yoga, body works and treadmill running. I joined primarily because I have not been adjusting well to the Atlanta heat. I drink water but still feel so weak and light headed after a few miles.

However, as much as I like my gym workouts, I have been feeling a bit like a wimpy northerner not being able to handle the heat. There are tons of people that run at Big Peach and I want to be able to join them. So today I hydrated, ate some cherry Sports Beans (not my favorite flavor) and ventured out for a 6 mile run at 4pm. It was about 90 degrees and humid but I had water and was prepared to stop if needed. 

Asics DS Trainer Free from our vendor (and special ordered in pink!)

I made it without stopping and felt surprisingly ok. Maybe the heat was just psyching me out! Plus, my new Asics DS Trainers and visor pumped me up for my run. I have always wanted to run with a trainer shoe but because I pronate and have had other injuries, I assumed it would be a bad idea. I put my inserts in the shoes and was surprised how light I felt (I have felt many things running but light has never been one of them!). Anyway, I think they are good for short runs but I will stick to my Brooks for longer runs. 

Post run cool down

My water bottle is also a good addition and it was just the right amount for a 6 miler. I don't like the belts because I don't need extra weights on my hips while running! And lastly, the visor! It was great having a sweat band to keep the sunscreen, sun and sweat from getting in my eyes. 

Overall, it was a good run and I think I will try and venture beyond the gym a bit more often now.

St. Petersburg Russia

Russia was the country I was most looking forward to visiting because it has the mystery and history appeal. Dan and I were hoping to get away without scheduling a tour group trip and instead wander on our own but apparently, you are not allowed off the ship without a visa. We didn't know this until it was too late and in the end, it was probably better because the guides did provide a good overview of the city in a short amount of time.

So, for our first tour in Russia we signed up for the Splendid St. Petersburg River Cruise. The trip required minimal physical activity (15-20 steps at a time according to the brochure). After being on a ship and eating my daily calories by 9am, we would have preferred a running tour throughout the city but the lazy cruise tour roped us in. 

St. Petersburg has more than 100 islands and is crisscrossed by more than 60 rivers and canals. Our tour took us along the Moika and Neva River lined with block-wide palaces, high reaching intricate cathedrals and other historical landmarks. 

Splendid River Tour Group

 

St. Isaac Cathedral

Peter and Paul Fortress/Cathedral 
(photo by JH photographer)

Spilled Blood Church of Resurrection 
(photo by JH photographer)

Winter Palace

Next up- more on Russia and the famous comedian who visited our ship