Halloween Happenings

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves

Happy Halloween!

I’ve named this week’s Thursday Things “Halloween Happenings,” because it seemed appropriate for the occasion and I really like alliterations. Also, I’m still considering a more unique name for all my Thursday Things posts. A couple weeks ago, I thought about “Loggin’ the Noggin,” but I shut that down in consideration of what my future college self would think about that Dr. Seuss-ish title. It’ll come to me sooner or later. But anyway, here’s what’s happening this Halloween!

1. I’ve always loved Winnie the Pooh. I’m talking the classic cartoon that looks like a moving storybook, not those weird modern 3D-type shows. Just to be clear, I don’t actually still watch Winnie the Pooh, but I do have a special place in my heart for the characters. And today, my costume is an ode to Roo! (Shout out to my friend Ana for lending this to me!)

It looks huge, and it kind of is because Ana is much taller than me, but this costume wasn’t meant to flatter anyway. But it is SO comfy! I was tempted to sleep in this last night.

2. Ben and I carved our first pumpkin in a longgg time last night! The face was supposed to look slightly evil, but the eyebrows make it look like a cat… Whatever works.

3. I also roasted pepitas using the seeds gutted from our carving pumpkin. It took a longer time washing and drying the seeds than it did sorting them from the pumpkin guts. Those little seeds are SO SLIPPERY! I boiled them first (I read from a recipe that this makes them crispier) roasted them with a little olive oil and maple syrup, and they sort of have a sweet flavor, but they definitely didn’t absorb as much flavor as nuts would. They’re nice and crispy though!

4. I won’t be going trick-or-treating tonight for a few reasons. First of all, I’m going to help my mom give out candy to the trick-or-treaters. Secondly, it’s cold outside. Thirdly, I’m not a huge candy person anymore (I have all the Reese’s I need anyway ;)). Finally, I’m 17. I know a lot of my friends will still be going, but I was personally kinda over it three years ago.

5. I’m going to have to end the happenings here because I gotta head to school!

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

So tell me: Are you dressing up as anything? Did you carve pumpkins this year?

WIAW: Weekend Eats

Posted on October 30, 2013 by Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves

Happy Wednesday! Which also means happy What I Ate Wednesday 🙂 This week, I’ll just let the food do most of the talking since I talked a lot about the events that happened this past weekend in my last post–> Girls’ Nights {MIMM #9}. Here are some of the yummy things I’ve been this past week in no particular order or fashion!

Thanks, Jenn for hosting!

Breakfasts

Corn muffin/bread galore from our AP Calc breakfast party

A slice of Kath’s baked banana oatmeal with a dollop of peanut butter and an unpictured glass o’ milk on the side.

A fabulous company brunch compliments of Thea’s mom! She made us amazing, fluffy challah bread French toast, feta and spinach egg soufflé, coffee, and tea. Plus a bounty of fruit. That’s a way to start the day!

Lunches

More sandwiches with an apple on the side. Except this week mom made us ground turkey and cheese subs. Mmm.

Snacks

My mom bought mangoes…in the fall. But they are surprisingly very sweet and juicy! This is a yogurt bowl with some chopped mango and sliced bananas.

Return of the caprese!

Dinners

Greek chicken salad from the Greek restaurant I went to with my friends on Friday night. This “small” size was GIGANTIC, but it was delicious.

Asian grilled chicken from the company sleepover dinner. The sauce was a Thai lemongrass basil sauce. Tasty!

I brought the leftover chicken home from both restaurants for this dinner another night! Avocado toast + a kale/spinach salad with the chicken on top.

A rather boring-looking, yet satisfying one. Salmon (with the skin!), rice, and carrots.

Desserts

Macarons: Pistachio on left, Fig on right (eaten on different days). I also tried a caramel one. So scrumptious.

Sleepover treats: Hot mulled apple cider thanks to Thea’s mom and s’mores (minus the chocolate…don’t shoot me!) roasted in an outdoor bonfire!

$1.00 McDonald’s soft serve. It’s just my fave.

So tell me: What are some yummy desserts you’ve had recently? Do you sometimes eat summer produce in the fall/winter?

Girls’ Nights {MIMM #9}

Posted on October 27, 2013 by Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves

These past few days have been filled with so many awesome moments with some of my best girl friends! It was such a fabulous privilege to spend time with friends from both school and dance, even amidst a pretty hectic time of year. Many fun things went down this weekend, so let’s get straight into the deeeets:

Check out Katie’s blog for more marvelous posts!

Marvelous is…

Hot water bottles. Does anyone else use these?? They are so amazing for when I’m freezing in my house…or in my car as seen in the picture. My mom says it’s like cradling a warm baby. I don’t know about that comparison, but it’s definitely super cozy hugging one of these! (Holding one right now.)

Marvelous is…

A breakfast party in AP Calc. There’s ten of us in the class and our teacher is awesome–she even made us corn bread! I actually just ate a jumbo corn muffin + corn bread. Obsessed.

I was literally sitting in the back of the class manning the waffle maker while answering questions about derivatives.

Marvelous is…

Going to a local bakery 20 minutes away with mom just to pick up spur-of-the-moment pastry cravings. She got herself her favorite “Speculaas Bar”–some kind of almond paste pastry that’s only a seasonal product. She let me pick out some macarons for myself and my brother and dad. We also spotted a cute green dome cake, and when we found out it was pistachio and strawberry, we had to get it! Like I said, spur of the moment.

Fig macaron!

Marvelous is…

Going to a(n) gyro restaurant on Friday night with some of my friends from school. Apparently the cross country team has some joke or memory with the place. They always say, “YO GYROOO” or something, so I was excited to visit this place. We also kept going back and forth saying JAI-RO and YEAR-O. The latter is the correct way, right? I usually say year-o, but I decided to say it jai-ro the whole night, and I probably looked like such a novice. Guatever.

Kristi with her chicken gyro

Also, $1.00 soft serve from McD’s.

Jeah.

Marvelous is…

Reese’s. After picking them all out from the candy we’re giving out for Halloween, we decided to make a treat using a couple of them. On Thursday night, I made Ben banana soft serve onto which he sprinkled a couple Reese’s and raspberries. I had a couple bites, and it was GOOD STUFF.

Marvelous is…

A new PR for 100 burpees! I think this over a minute faster than my the last time I tried it three months ago! Tip: closing your eyes helps you grit through. Ha.

Marvelous is…

Company sleepover!! Our first sleepover of the year was so much fun! I seriously love hanging out with these girls. We went to dinner at an Asian fusion restaurant, made s’mores, did some company traditions, talked, and LAUGHED a lot.

Olivia and Hilary

Charli

Olivia aka “Swagmaster” or Beyonce

Lilly, Susie, Thea (the host of the fabulous sleepover!), Jane, Alisia, Madi, and Charli!

Love that charred marshmallow action

(Top): Susie, Allison, Maureen, Hilary, me, (Bottom): Lilly, Madi, Pam

So dysfunctional. Jane, Charli, Alisia, Rachel, and Swagmaster

Before heading to our Sunday rehearsal the next morning (we were zombies upon waking up), Thea’s super sweet mom made us a fantastic brunch of French toast, egg and cheese souffle, fruit, cider, coffee, and tea. DELICIOUS. Beats our usual bagels and cream cheese. Thank you so much, Thea and Co.! 🙂

Quite a marvelous weekend, I must say. Hope you are all doing well too! Have a great week 🙂

So tell me: What did you do this weekend? When was your last girls/guys night out? How do you say “gyro?”

Fascinating Friday Links #9

Posted on October 25, 2013 by Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves

Alright so I was mistaken in blaming my dad for setting the thermostat too low, because apparently our heater wasn’t working. Sorry, pa. Now the heater is crankin’ and I no longer have icicle fingers!

I also really wanted to do a Thursday Thoughts post yesterday, but Wednesday involved a long nap and other happenings, so I couldn’t get around to it. At any rate, Friday always means fascinating links! Here is my ninth link love featuring interesting, funny, and awesome articles and posts that I’ve found this week. Enjoy!

Health and Fitness

[Work those push-ups!] Crazy Push-Up Workout via Purely Twins

[How do you thrive?] 5 To Thrive via The Lean Green Bean and Dietitian Duo

[Every BODY is different] Positive Body Image via Fit Possible

[Another thought on the CrossFit controversy] The Controversy Behind CrossFit via Livestrong.com

[Coffee lovers out there, rejoice!] How Drinking Coffee Could Improve Your Health via Livestrong.com

[Love foam rolling] How I {foam} roll via Fitnessista

Food for Thought

[Nothing worth having comes easily] 7 Shortcuts You Will Regret Taking in Life via Marc and Angel

[Absolutely amazing and epic story. Woman of steel.] Graham’s Birth Story via The Daily Garnish

[Listening is so important] Why Listening Must Come Before Writing via Goins Writer

[A response to Maria Kang’s photo directed toward young women] I’m Not Airbrushed via Perfection Isn’t Happy

[You can make it] To Endure via Enjoy Your Healthy Life

Yum Yum

[I like muffins. I like smoothies. Best of both worlds.] Blueberry Muffin Smoothie via Yeah…Imma Eat That

[I ❤ CHEESE] Cabot Cheese Recipes

[I’d like to curl up by the fire with a cup o’ this] Apple Cinnamon Tea Latte via Running to the Kitchen

[Work of art! And it’s sushi, so it’s awesome.] Homemade Sushi: Naruto Cucumber Rolls via Peas and Crayons

[Probbbbably making these soon] Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls via Chocolate Covered Katie

[Fall by da bonfire] Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookie S’mores Three Ways via Edible Perspective

Miscellaneous

[Since I’m a wannabe foodie] Tips For Taking Better Instagram Food Photos via Nutritionella

[The CUTENESS] Chow puppy stuck in a bowl via Imgur

[Is this true, runner friends?] 23 Things Non-Runners Don’t Get About Runners via Rather Be Runnin’

Happy Friday!

So tell me: Which links fascinated you?

WIAW: Strange But Good

Posted on October 23, 2013 by Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves

My fingers and toes are little icicles in this house! My dad tries to set the thermostat really lowwww (like 63 degrees) to save energy, which I’m cool with until my feet start to lose feeling even when I’m wearing socks. Just a little warmer, pa?

[source]

At least the cooler weather makes me feel more legit when I eat things like pumpkin, hot oatmeal, and hot soup. This past week has included all of those things, so here we go with another WIAW thanks to Jenn! Again, these are just a bunch of meals/snacks that I’ve noshed on throughout the whole week in no particular order, not just in a day. I go against the rules. I also ate a lot of strange things this week, but of course I thought they were all supah tasty…otherwise I wouldn’t be eating them! Thus, I’m also gonna join in on Laura’s Strange But Good fun.

Breakfasts

Pumpkin peanut butter brown rice “pudding.” #Strangebutgood. I just microwaved 3/4 c. brown rice with 1 tbsp pb, ~1/4c. milk, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ~1/3c. pumpkin puree. Topped with half a sliced banana and a drizzle of maple syrup!

Rice krispies+Whole Foods PB Balls+banana with sunflower seed butter

Gina’s cookie dough cereal with raspberries and banana

MY #1 FAVORITE BREAKFAST EVER. Overnight oats in a sunflower seed butter jar. Oh. so. scrumptious.

Lunches

Most of my lunches are at school or dance and have consisted of yummy chicken or turkey sandwiches with an apple on the side.

Snacks

My mom picked up pumpkins and other funny-looking squashes to roast, and I have probably eaten my weight in pumpkin the past few days. We didn’t roast that really funky looking squash in the front though. She figured it would work a lot better as a decoration. Besides eating the pumpkin by itself, I’ve also tried eating it with hummus and even Greek yogurt mixed with pepita sunseed butter. Delicious.

#strangebutgood

The usual yogurt bowl with banana and nut butter. Classic and no-fail.

I tried one of these pumpkin spice cookies that I made for our senior class bake sale last week. From a box like a champ.

Still lots of these Costco nut and seed bars. So good!

Dinners

My mom asked me one night to monitor the split pea soup she was boiling. I was doing my homework in the meantime, so I didn’t check it until it was literally split pea chutney….oops. I still ate it like that though. It was really good on toast! I definitely should have just added more hot water like my mom did after she saw my damage. Oh well. Split pea chutney was #strangebutgood.

Not even close to soup.

Another dinner was a veggie/cheese wrap that fell apart in the panini maker + BBQ chicken on a bed of spinach

Avocado on an English muffin, salmon, and brussels sprouts

Huge salad with brussels sprouts, pumpkin, and salmon

Alright, so there is a sample of my eats for this week, and as you can see, there were many funky food combinations. I never would have been quite this adventurous with my food in the past, but reading blogs has aided in the evolution of my taste buds 🙂

Also, my mom bought my brother and me a big pumpkin for carving! She also bought a couple bags Halloween candy for next week, from which we picked out all the Reese’s (for Ben and me) and Almond Joys (for da ‘rents). We might not finish all of them, but we’re keepin’ a stash just for now 😉