The Obelisk

Sorry I've been MIA this week- school got in the way. :( Thankfully, I now know what classes I'm going to take next year! I'm really excited for my english classes; I'm taking first semester Creative Writing and second semester Eastern Humanities. To get into Writing, you need to submit a short essay to the teachers. Just to make sure you can, uh, write. The prompt is to write about an important place, so I wrote about "the obelisk". I know y'all want an explanation, so here it is:





First off, this is an obelisk...My obelisk isn't in Egypt, though. It's at a forest preserve. Yes, smack-dab in the middle of the forest. The preserve is very confusing, ya know, with different colored paths and stuff. I've gotten lost many times while running. But the obelisk always signifies that the run is almost over. It's worked for XC races, long runs, etc. Whenever I'm on this trail, the obelisk is my BFF. It's like it says "Yay! Go Courtney! You can do it! Just a little bit more!" And it's nice. :) So yes, the random obelisk in the forest is my "special place". Thankfully, the rest of my running buddies feel the same way about it, so I'm not totally crazy. =D

<33 cor

Banana chocolate cake? Yes please!

I woke up this morning at, get this, 11:15!!! A new record for me! I love early mornings, but I've been having trouble beating this bug, so the extra sleep probably helped me. =) My parents and I went on a lovely shopping trip, where I bought a dress for my, say it with me, "tea pah-ty" next weekend. It's for the presentation ball this upcoming December, which I'm really excited about! I love dressing up. Just FYI, buying a dress when you're short is super hard!! All you tall chicas- you're lucky!

Later, we went to California Pizza Kitchen, where I had a yummy slice of sourdough bread- CPK has the best bread! Then I ordered the field green salad. It had lettuce, slices pears, candied walnuts, and a dijon vinagrette. I ordered mine topped with grilled salmon. It was delicious!

This was much needed- banana royale cake. So. So. Good.

And then we went to see Avatar! No, not this one...

That's more like it. It definately lived up to all the hype- it was great! I can't really think of anyone who wouldn't like this movie, as it has something for everyone. I personally liked the jellyfish bugs. If you don't know what I'm talking about, go see the movie. Right now. =D

Overall, it was a very nice, relaxing day with the fam. Luv em. The new outfit didn't hurt, either. =D

Greek Week!

Hello everyone! I don't have very much to say, actually. :/ I havn't been feeling good today, must be some sort of bug. I've already had the flu (yes both types) this season, and I'm pretty sure it's not that. Anyway, the entire day I've been craving popcorn with chocolate chips. Does anyone else like this? I think the saltiness of the popcorn goes great with the sweet, slightly bitter chips. Yummy! I popped some Orville Redenbacher's Natural popcorn, liberally doused it in salt, then added some Ghirardelli 60% chocolate chips. The key is the mix in the chips while the popcorn is still hot, so the chocolate gets just a bit melty. It's incredible. If you've never tried it, please do!! Seriously- it's so good!

I've also enjoyed lots of yogurt. Which is a good catalyst for this "review-off". Oikos vs. Chobani. I tried the vanilla flavors of both brands, and here is my take on which one is better.

Let's start with Chobani:

Price: $1.69, pretty typical for Greek yogurt
Nutrition: 120 calories/6 ounces, 36% DV protein
Ingredients: Nonfat milk, evaporated cane juice, natural vanilla flavor, cultures
Taste: Very creamy, not as tangy as most yogurts. The vanilla flavor comes through, but is not too strong. A good balance.
Stirability: When it's separated (liquid on top, solid on the bottom), it can be difficult to re-stir it. However, this rarely happens, and normally it is smooth and creamy.

And Oikos:

Price: $2.09, but is often on sale

Nutrition: 110 calories/5.3 ounces, 30% DV of protein

Ingredients: Organic nonfat milk, organic sugar, organic vanilla flavor, cultures

Taste: Much tangier than Oikos, with not as strong of a vanilla flavor.

Stirability: Separates often, but stirring it will solve the problem. Not as creamy as Chobani

So the winner? It's obvious- with a better value, more protein, better flavor, and better consistency, CHOBANI! =D

Wordy Post =)

I figured out how to get on Blogger from school! Yay! I feel so dangerous right now... ;) Anyhoo, 2nd semester started today, and I still need to get some scheduling issues figured out. =( I guess they don't offer any art classes 1st period except for photography (I like taking pictures, but I don't want to take a class on taking pictures). So I have to take another study hall. Ugh.



I wrote an essay for school about why we eat meat. It's for English class, so it's more opinionated than informational, but maybe y'all would like to read it! I still need a title... opinions/critique are most definately welcome. Here goes...



My Essay

Why do we eat meat? It’s something we’ve all considered, or at least wondered, whether we’re high-raw vegans or frequent diners at Outback Steakhouse. I’m not going to try to convince you to stop eating meat; I eat it too. But why? If all the livestock suddenly disappeared from the earth, would we survive? Of course we would! This is the 21st century and in America, food is everywhere. In impoverished nations where meat is the food source, there is just cause to eat it. The entire reason we started eating meat in the first place was its accessibility. But now, all food has nutrition labels, everyone has their own preferences, and if you want something specific, chances are good you can easily find it at the grocery store.
If you were given the choice between a steak and a block of tofu, you would probably pick the steak. It’s been scientifically proven that our flavor preferences are more or less determined in childhood. If Mom used to give you a chocolate-chip cookie after you cleaned your room, then you probably like chocolate-chip cookies. If you always got a peanut butter sandwich on Wonder bread in your lunch bag, it’s no wonder you think wheat bread tastes like cardboard. Likewise, the foods you dislike are decided during childhood, too. I, for one, cannot drink fruit punch because I saw another child vomit it up at a birthday party when I was three years old. I know somebody who dislikes macaroni and cheese (the epitome of kid food) also because of a bad childhood experience. And I bet you’ve seen the baby food commercials which claim that babies who eat vegetables will continue to eat them as they grow up. The same is true with meat. We tend to make choices based on what we know, and what we know we will like. A child growing up in a vegetarian household will develop a taste for tofu just as one in a meat-eating family develops a taste for steak. The vegetarian child never craves steak, nor does the meat-eating child crave tofu.
But if we develop our flavor preferences during childhood, why is meat such a prominent part of our diets? Because it has a healthy reputation. We all need protein for our bodies to function properly. But how much do we really need? The USDA’s food pyramid states that we should eat approximately five ounces of meat per day, which is about the size and thickness of two decks of cards. Do we even need this much? Some theorize that the five-ounce recommendation was developed by meat processing companies to encourage sales. But even with this recommendation, have you ever seen a five ounce steak on a restaurant menu? Me neither. Portion sizes are out of control, and no matter what the food pyramid says, it is incredibly difficult to estimate exactly how much meat you’re eating. Even if you eat six ounces of protein per day instead of the recommended five, you’ll end up eating twenty-three pounds more per year than you (supposedly) need. Not only can too much protein be unhealthy, so can too much fat. Unsaturated fat is good for you, while saturated and trans fats are not. Saturated fat comes from animal flesh. When you eat it, it is digested to become fat on your body. Even if you purchase the leanest cut of meat, it still has some degree of saturated fat in it. However, foods like yogurt, nuts, and beans can all be purchased with no saturated fat. And these foods often contain healthy unsaturated fats, plus vitamins and minerals that meat lacks. Meat does, of course, have some nutrients in it, like iron, but so do beans, eggs, and leafy green vegetables. So, all things considered, why do we continue to eat meat if there are more nutritious alternatives available?





And that's it. =)

Treadmill = Ouch!

Hello! I've got a good story for y'all today. So last night, I was showing my sister how to use the treadmill. I got on it, then tripped and fell. Bad enough, but I decided that maybe I could pull myself back up, so I held onto the handrails while the treadmill was still moving under me! It scraped up both my legs pretty bad, and it really hurt! Note to self: Don't overestimate upper body strength. :/ Anyway, this is how I've been feeling all day.



Some yummy eats today include cucumber bits + hummus

Cedar's Garlic Lovers' Hummus:

I love garlic hummus. Hence, I'm probably a "garlic lover". This hummus was good, but the garlic flavor was light and a bit artificial-tasting. It was definately very creamy, with no chunks of anything in iy. I prefer Sabra's garlic hummus, which has herbs and spices at the top that you stir into the hummus before you eat it. The final rating? 2.5/5 stars

And some of this frozen yogurt... I'm hurt, so it's ok. ;)

Ellipticizing

Why hello sweet bloggies =) Happy Sunday! It's been a relaxing weekend in the RFTH household, including a refreshing workout in my new shoes. Which fit very very nicely! I didn't have any arch pain, which is incredible for a shoe as light as this one. Here's the link if you want to purchase a pair for yourself- I highly recommend them for cross-training and racing. Plus they come in lots of fun colors!

Here's my workout:

5 mins treadmill- mini ladder workout
1 min- 9 minute mile
1 min- 8 minute mile
1 min- 7 minute mile
1 min- 8 minute mile
1 min- 9 minute mile
30 mins elliptical
Crossramp level 10
Resistance level 6
Stretching


Want a recipe? Really, you do? Well, if you insist... =)

Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies:

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp whole-wheat flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1/2 cup chocolate chunks (I used 60% cacao)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degress. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. Cream butter, sugar, and egg in a large bowl. Add salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and flour. Stir, then add oats and chocolate.

3. Scoop the dough into 2-inch-wide balls on the cookie sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes and cool on a wire rack.

Car Faces?

Hi! Thanks to finals, we had a day off school today. My Mom and I took the oppurtunity to practice my driving by driving to the outlet mall. It was scary!

Am I the only one who notices happy car faces? The headlights are the eyes, and the front part is the mouth. Like, this is an angry car face:

And this is a happy car face:

At the mall, I bought some chocolate chips at the Ghirardelli outlet. Only $2.50 a bag!

We also stopped at the Nike store. I looked for some racing shoes, due to my dislike of track spikes. They have no arch support, so they make my feet hurt reeeeally bad. I know they're supposed to make you go faster, but if I'm dying of foot pain, the lightness of the shoes doesn't matter! Plus, they remind me of these. So here's that I found! They're super lightweight and have a nice, stable sole. I'm planning on wearing them for track meets and races, but hey, they're cute enough to wear every day! I absolutely love the color.