Today, I realized what I can do if I really push myself:

Before my run, I enjoyed my second OIAJ of the week.

This jar contained ½ c oats, 1 c almond milk, a sliced banana, frozen strawberries and about 2T of peanut butter.

I feel like I’m an OIAJ failure because I always scrape the sides of the jar as I eat it, leaving nut butter only at the very bottom!

After breakfast, I set out for five miles, hoping for a negative split. And doggone it, my plan went off without a hitch!

When I looked at my watch after mile 1, I was worried I’d started too fast. I tried not to look at my watch for the second mile and ended up going…faster? Though I wasn’t sure I could keep up the pattern, I kept pushing and somehow, it happened. The last mile was a KILLER! I just ran as hard as I could and reminded myself that I was only ONE MILE away from a negative split. It made me run faster than I even thought I could- the power of positive thinking!

* * *

I came home, chugged water, laid on the floor for a bit and stretched out my legs before starting on lunch!

Angela’s Basil Scalloped Tomatoes with Croutons:

To start, I toasted two slices of Ezekiel bread in a skillet with olive oil.

While the bread browned, I combined a huge tomato, garlic, 1T maple syrup (which I subbed for brown sugar, since all I have is white!), salt & pepper and chopped basil.

It smelled delicious! I transferred it all into a casserole dish, sprinkled it with nutritional yeast and baked the whole mess at 350* for about 25 minutes.

There are no words.

I must admit, I’ve developed a slight blog-crush on Oh She Glows recently. Angela’s recipes are always so creative and flavorful. This dish was no exception! I served it atop a bed a of fresh spinach for extra veg.

Afterwards, I enjoyed a little crunch with a honeycrisp apple. The perfect ending to a perfect meal J

This evening, I met up with my friend Amanda for an early dinner. Gracie introduced the two of us when she visited a few weeks ago, so it was fun to chat with someone new!

We went to Don Giovanni, an Italian restaurant in Chelsea.

The interior was cozy and fun- lots of old-school pictures on the walls!

I was excited for some thin-crust brick oven pizza, but out waitress informed us that they weren’t serving pizza until later in the evening. Fail.

Shouldn’t a restaurant known for its pizza serve it all day?

Though I was disappointed by the lack of pie, my meal was still pretty darn good. I started with the house salad, which was surprisingly big and full of fresh veggies!

For my entrée, I chose the vegetable primavera: a combination of mushrooms, broccoli, green beans, zucchini, carrots and peppers in red sauce.

I was a bit apprehensive about ordering just veggies at first, but this was delicious and filling. By the time my plate was clean, I was perfectly satisfied but not at all stuffed.

Oh, and I’m incredibly proud of myself for eating all the mushrooms. Granted, they were smothered in flavorful homemade sauce, but they didn’t gross me out one bit!

Amanda and I stayed at the restaurant for an hour and a half chatting. We have a lot in common- she actually went to college near where I grew up!

In lieu of a sugar-bomb restaurant dessert, I had a few squares of dark chocolate and an unpictured spoonful of peanut butter when I got home. Perfection.

Homework time! Have a great night J

Did I not promise I’d be rocking sweatshirts in no time?

Some days, I really enjoy putting extra thought into my outfit- it puts a little spring in my step to wear something nice. On rainy days, however, all desire for cuteness goes out the window, and I resort to the comfortable classics J

This morning began bright an early with a four-mile jaunt on the elliptical. I had two pre-workout dates to tide me over, and enjoyed a cereal breakfast afterwards.

Fiber One, frozen strawberries and almond milk. Simple and delicious.

Rainy days are wonderful when you can just curl up inside with a mug of tea and some trash TV. Trudging through puddles in flip-flops? Not so much. Alas, I made it through a morning of classes and returned to my apartment for a simple and delicious lunch:

My fridge is very bare at the moment (I’m going grocery shopping this afternoon), so I settled on two slices of lightly toasted Arnold whole-wheat bread with peanut butter alongside frozen veggies tossed in nutritional yeast and hot sauce.

An orange for some vitamin C…

More dates! Love these little guys.

Time for a grocery run- one of my favorite parts of the week?

What’s your least favorite kind of weather? I could do without being outside in the rain, but I absolutely shudder at the thought of freezing-cold temps.