Hey guys!

If you remember me mentioning some exciting news a few days ago then you may still be wondering what I have up my sleeve.

Well...

I'm now an official blog - domain and all - over at healthnutclaire.com!!!

Right now I'm in the process of switching everything from here on over to there so bare with me but from now on I'll be posting and updating on the .com domain instead of .blogspot - yay!

Agendas

Good morning everyone!

TGIF because I love me some weekend and I need me some relaxing time. For the weekend I have just a few things on my agenda…

1. Try out a new yoga studio downtown, Yoga Bliss, on Saturday morning.
2. Tailgating + Alabama vs. Ole Miss + first experience with the student section. 
3. Final training session with Project Health on Sunday.

So that’s what I’ll be looking forward to this weekend!

This morning I woke up not knowing that this amazing thing called breakfast was going to tastes so good. Let me elaborate…

Kashi GoLean Crunch + Kashi Cinnamon Crumble combo with all the fix-ins – 1/2 peach, raisins, PB2, sprinkle of cinnamon, and unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

I really really like the flavor combination of peaches and raisins. They’re just perfect for each other.

Since we already know what the weekend’s agenda looks like I’ll let you in on today’s. Nothing too crazy but here’s a brief outline…

1. Walk/run with Mom at the River Trail
2. Talk her into taking me to get a pedicure 
3. Find something red to wear with dress for tomorrow
4. Band party hop

That looks about right.

Before I go I’d like to share some news for this coming month. I’m apart of Natalie Harbin’s BeachBody Challenge, I’ll be doing the TurboFire workouts and trying out Shakeology. Very excited for the two! I’ll keep you posted on how everything goes!

Have a kick ass Friday and a great weekend at that!

Claire

Nut Butters and Unicycles

Hello hello.

I have some exciting news that I've already shared on Facebook but am waiting to share on here. Considering most of my readers are probably also Facebook friends, waiting to reveal my news is kind of pointless but nevertheless - I'll wait.

---

Today started out with yoga, yet again, and I've come to the conclusion that I can't get enough. Whoever says yoga isn't a workout doesn't know what they're talking about - my back muscles haven't been this sore in a while!

On with the good stuff and by that I mean breakfast...

This morning called for Kashi 7 Grain waffles, cinnamon raisin peanut butter (!), and strawberry slices with a sprinkle o' cinnamon.

Lately, I've been on some what of a nut butter kick. Whether it be a Justin's packet with an apple, PB2 in my cereal and yogurt, or topped on a waffle - I just keep grabbing for it. And that is not a complain.

;)

Skipping over lunch and heading straight for dinner...

Just polished off the above pictures which would be an Amy's Veggie Pot Pie and green beans + spinach + cherry tomatoes + Newman's Own Honey Mustard dressing. Yuuum!

Turned out that my Veggie Pot Pie was not microwaveable and so I had to truck on down to the second floor kitchen and heat it up in the oven while I messed around with the exciting news I mentioned earlier. 

*Note to anyone thinking about using the kitchen - it's like the 70's and reeks of bacon grease.

Let's end this post with this guy...

...because everyone rides to class on a unicycle. 

:)

Have a good night everyone.

Claire

Crack Cake

Good evening! Hope everyone is wrapping up from a wonderful weekend - I know I am.

Sundays are so bitter sweet. I'm sad to see the weekend go but always happy for a new week to begin!


This weekend I took a trip down to Auburn to watch the cousin play football but before I get to that I have got to show y'all what I made for tailgating...

Butterfinger cake! Don't worry, I'll be sharing the recipe at the end of the post. By the time this beauty made it to the tailgate the whole top had basically melted off or soaked into the cake so it wasn't lookin' too appetizing but boy was it! I'm not ashamed to say I had two servings! 

;)

Now for the game.

What a nail biter?! I'm glad LSU finally pulled through but if they play like that come the Alabama game I might just sport my crimson and tide.  

At least I got to sit with these two stud-muffins during the game. They might be wearing orange and blue but they're true Mettenberger fans and they know it!

After the game I caught up with the Quinlivan and Mettenberger crew to go see Zach before he loaded up on the bus. 

Can you guess who our favorite player is? ;)

Excuse the "mettenstache"...he seems to be going through a wannabe 70's stage.

I hit the road early this morning so I could make it back in time for my Health Ambassador training session with UA's Project Health (super excited for everything we'll be working on this year!) but first things first...

I had to hunt down a Starbuck's for this pumpkin spice latte (2 pumps syrup + non fat + no whip = heaven) before I could make the trek back to Tuscaloosa. Thanks, Courtney, for getting me hooked!  

Tonight, we'll end on dinner. 

Nothing fancy but it hit the spot. Sometimes the simple things are what's called for and tonight it was Wolfgang Puck's organic veggie soup and a turkey sandwich. Delicious.

My bed is really begging for me early tonight and I'm not trying to argue. This girl is whipped out!

Oh but before I go...

Butterfinger Cake aka Crack Cake

Ingredients

1 box German chocolate cake mix, baked accordingly

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 jar caramel ice cream topping (I used the squeezable bottle)

5-10 butterfinger bars, depending on how much you like butterfingers

1 large container cool whip

chocolate syrup for garnish

Directions

While cake is still hot use a fork to poke holes all over it then pour the sweetened condensed milk and caramel syrup on top so it can soak in the cake. Next, break up a few candy bars to sprinkle over cake. Let cake cool before spreading whipped topping over top of cake then sprinkle remaining candy bars on top and garnish with chocolate and caramel syrup. Viola! Don't go into a sugar coma!

*Freeze butterfinger bars before crushing - makes it easier! 

Catch some good Z's y'all!

Claire

Rhyme or Reason

Gooo-oood morning everybody! 

I can't tell you how happy I am that today is Friday. Yesterday could not have ended fast enough - I had my first two college tests, completely moved out of one room and into another, and then had Pledge Formal after being up since before 7 am. But that's okay because the night ended with Krispy Kreme (thanks for the idea JWill, love you ;)). 

So, I feel like I have a lot of pictures I'd like to share with you all that may or may not have a rhyme or reason but we're just going to go with it. 

Let's work in chronological order and start with lunch on Wednesday...

It was taco day at the AGD house which could have been a heavy or light meal, depending on your approach. I avoided the cheese dips and sided with light by making a turkey taco salad. This was actually waaay better than I was expecting so after a few bites I decided it was blog worthy and snapped a picture. My turkey taco salad included romaine, black bean and corn salsa, broccoli, shredded cheddar, a few crushed up tortilla chips, and shredded deli turkey.

Next up is yesterday's breakfast...

Gettin' a little creative with the blog in the background, check it. So I'm on a bit of a cereal kick if you've haven't noticed already. It's kind of like a challenge - making a cereal breakfast nutritious - to get enough protein, complex carbs, and keep the sugar and calorie count low. This bowl consisted of Newman's Own Flax Flakes, PB2, dried apples and cranberries, 1/2 a peach, and unsweetened vanilla almond milk. Sooo good. 

Since we're already talking about my latest obsession with cereal, let's check out what was on this morning's menu...

For indecisive people like myself, combos are always a good idea and this morning's combo proved just that. I woke up knowing I didn't have enough Newman's Own to make a breakfast so I slipped on my house shoes and headed down to Julia's Market to browse the overpriced cereals they had on hand. Initially, I had my eye out for Kashi GoLean Crunch but all they had was Crisp so I grabbed that along with a box of Leapin' Lemurs. Go right now and buy Kashi's Cinnamon Crumble just for the wonderful aroma you experience when you open the bag - holy cow my nose was tingling - and the 10 grams of protein you get per serving. Anyways, along with the cereal combo I added in 1/2 a sliced banana, PB2, and unsweetened vanilla almond milk. 

And because I'm loving the weather lately, we're going to end this post on a note of fall.  

Have a good weekend!

Claire

What I Ate Wednesday errr Tuesday!

Hello and good morning! 

It is officially fall weather in Tuscaloosa and I'm loving it. I always complain about summer being too hot and how I wish it was cold outside and then when it finally starts to get cold I complain again. Oh well, for now I'll take it! 

I started today off with yoga, just like on Monday, and it felt great. Really zoning in with my tai chi you guys. 

A blogger I love to follow, Chelsey, usually does a What I Ate Wednesday post every week and I thought it would be something fun to give a try. The only difference is my post is going to be more of a What I Ate Wednesday Tuesday posted on Wednesday. Yeah, that sounds about right so here we go...

7:15 am Pre Workout Snack

- a banana (not pictured) before a variation of this workout

8:45 am Breakfast

- plain Greek yogurt, Kashi GoLean Crunch, 1/2 peach, strawberries, PB2

11:45 am Lunch (couldn't resist)

- black bean soup, guacamole + pepper jack cheese + turkey panini

2:00 pm Snack

- apple, Justin's chocolate hazelnut butter

6:40 pm Dinner

- Simply Salad with grilled salmon from Newk's + their pickles chopped up, feta cheese, and Newman's Own Lite Honey Mustard 

After dinner I had a small handful of dark chocolate almonds for dessert because you know how I feel about dessert - it's a must.

Around 8:30 last night I went for a quick 3 mile run and when I got back to my dorm I had Special K protein bar.

That concludes everything I ate Wednesday Tuesday and to wash it all down I had around 3 cups of coffee and 2 L of water.

Kick today in the ass and namaste!

Claire

Namaste

Hey, hey everybody and happy Monday! I love Mondays because it feels like a fresh start to a new week so with that I hope everyone has a had a good one.

I kicked off this morning with a yoga class at the Rec with my friend Madeline (Madslou, love you!). We actually ran to the Rec, did the class, and then ran back so it was a good workout. 

At the end of the class the instructor explained what namaste meant in her opinion. She said namaste means to respect and love yourself and your body as well as others and that really put a smile on my face! Learning to respect and love yourself is such a huge accomplishment and I really admire those who are able to do so and are also able to respect others. 

So that was something cool about this morning. What was also cool was my breakfast... 

This morning I was feeling a cereal bowl that included the following:

- Newman's Own Flax Flakes

- Strawberries

- organic dried apples and cranberries

- PB2

- unsweetened vanilla almond milk

The combination of everything was just so good, especially the peanut butter powder! I found the PB2 at Earthfare while I was in Auburn this weekend and I'm very glad I did. It's only 45 calories with 4 grams of protein per serving. All you do is mix 2 Tbsp of the peanut butter powder with 1 Tbsp of water and you have peanut butter! I really like to mix it in with my cereal and yogurt.

As I mentioned above, I was in Auburn this weekend to surprise my boyfriend. I got to hang out with some good friends, go to the game, get pulled over on the way down, and get my car towed the morning I was leaving. Always a good time.

Here's a picture of us at the game. How cute?! 

I had to be up and at 'em early Sunday morning so I could get on the road and be back in Tuscaloosa in time for my meeting with Project Health. I recently applied to become a Health Ambassador on campus and was interviewed and ended up getting chosen to be apart of the organization. I've got to say, I am very excited about it because I get to educate my peers on the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle and I get the title of ambassador. How cool? 

And to wrap things up here is a picture of my dinner from tonight...

I religiously ate an almond butter and strawberry jam sandwich for lunch in high school and it had been so long since I had one so I thought it sounded good tonight and boy was I right. I even sprinkled some cinnamon on it to go the extra mile. It was just too tasty.

Oh, and one last thing. In case you didn't already know, I've been a vegetarian pecsetarian for nearly two years now. It started off as more of a challenge for myself and once it became easy I just kept to it however, I always allowed myself meat if the opportunity arose and I really wanted it (namely if I was the one cooking). Anyways, a few days ago I got a really weird craving for chicken and turkey so I've

decided that my pecsetarian days are over. Who knows, I might decide to pick it up again but for now I'll stick to going meatless a few days of the week. 

XOXO,

Claire