Sweet Snacks

As I have mentioned before, I've got one hell of a sweet tooth. Or rather, a mouthful of them anyways.
I'll generally have a chocolate yogurt parfait for dessert after dinner, and then if I'm still craving something, I'll have a fig, or mix a spoonful of organic flaxseed with chopped dates and cocoa powder.

These are some sweet snacks that have been laying around the house and are great for immediate satiation; which is what teenagers pretty much always strive for, no?

Organic dried black figs with zero additives; they're gluten-free and nut allergen-free too

More dried fruit; the dried mangoes and super delish, but with a lot of added sugar (though no other preservatives). I like to have it as a pre-workout snack, since it keeps me full and the sugar gives me a boost.  

Chinese Candy! These are just kinda like toffee chews with a filling. I think my grandparents sent this over like last year, lolz, and they're really addictive, especially the cappucino flavor. I've nibbled on 6-7 of these since I started writing this post.

And... this is the last fudge bar in the fridge, haha. I'm sure my family will be happy to find I'm the one who ate it, or will be eating it.

 In exercise news, I'm considering going out and rocking 6 slow miles later today after pounding through a brutal interval workout yesterday. I know I've been spoiled with so many tempo runs lately, but they feel so much easier than speed/interval workouts, or HIITs on the treadmill.

And I've also got to take into consideration the fact I should be SLOWLY adding mileage and not trying to go too far at one time; overuse injuries suck, and I don't want my shins to flare up again.
I think I'm going to just go 4 miles and then see how I'm feeling; if I'm feeling fine, then I'll keep going and do 6.
Today's probably going to be the only day until next Saturday I'm going to be able to go for a long run, so I need to make it count!

Five Mile Run

I've done it. I've finally run over 4 miles! I have never run over 4 miles in my life without stopping, and yesterday I did a tempo run for around 5 miles.
I started out around a 9 minute mile, but overall pace was probably aound 8:50-9 minutes. I clocked in at running 5 miles in just under 45 minutes. This may be a lap around the park for seasoned runners, but since I spend more time doing high-intensity bodyweight cardio interval training and pilates, it's a first for me!
Surprisingly, I barely felt tired at the end of my run and not much soreness; I feel ready to tackle another 5-6 miles today, but will go the wiser route and take a rest day. I just have a one and a half hour dance class tonight, and it's not super strenuous (it doesn't make me break much of a sweat) so it should be fine.
My appetite wasn't really up after that either, as usual, since running at a steady pace (not interval treadmill) seems to be the one form of exercise that doesn't excite my appetite... interesting.

The only thing I was really craving was protein, namely, red meat- hey I'm a huge carnivore. I mean, I eat lots of tofu and looooooove me some veggies, but I don't remember how much I love red meat until I have it again and it's in front of me. I'm not that into hamburgers and the such (though as we all know I'll eat pretty much anything) as I am to meat that looks like it isn't suspiciously ground up and could have anything in it, like my mom's pot roast or stewed pork or mutton...
I respect your choices, veg/pescaetarians(/atheists), but if God didn't want me to eat meat then why'd he make it taste so damn good?
So it's a great thing my mom made one of my all-time faves; Uyghur lamb and rice!

Needless to say, my love affair with organic, freshly cooked mutton began anew...

Maybe I'm missing B6 or B12? Idk... we just had beef soup with rice noodles last night (yum! Love your cooking you mom) , and I had peanut butter with veggie sticks as an after school snack today, so it' probably not that. Oh well- the important thing is to listen to your body and honor your cravings.
Though you're probably needing calcium when you're craving ice cream, at least you're getting some through a pint of Haagen Daz caramel chocolate chunk. And Chocolate, btw, is a food group.
Just so you know. ;p
Crowd out the bad stuff with the good, but nooooo deprivation!

Tackling the Box

I've got to go through this extemporaneous speaking info box, full of articles on international politics, by five tonight.

And as we all know, I'm brilliant with staying on track. So this post is kind of in fact totally procrastinative.
I just got back from Subwayabout half an hour ago, as we stopped there for lunch on the way home from the library.
I ordered my ol' regular 6 inch turkey breast sub on toasted whole wheat, with tomatoes, heaps of black olives, lettuce, spinach, cucumbers, and honey mustard.
We also got mini cookies!

Yes, there were 6 whole cookies when we got them. But there will soon be none left. That, my dear readers, is a fact.

Practiced my camera skills:

You know you want it...

And more random pictures of some highly photographic tulips somebody gave us a couple days ago.

Seriously, flowers are SO photogenic- point a camera at them and they look incredible. Just like Miranda Kerr! Zip tweaking needed. WTF is this??! I am an exceptionally unphotogenic person, despite my charm in real life (yes I realize I'm vain, and I've earned it. Just ask my ass after all those jump squats yesterday.) so my jealousy in this matter is quite great.

Curse you, photogenic tulip!

SSS- Super Shopping Spree + Kickboxing Cardio

WARNING: Rant on my troubles at buying a new purse to commence. Read on at your own discretion.
Whoooooyeeee. After romping around the mall for five hours yesterday quavering with indecision on whether or not to purchase a GORGEOUS Rebecca Minkoff purse, I left my heart in Nordstrom's Rack with that chain-strap, studded, 60% off purse.
WHY DIDN'T THEY HAVE IT IN BLACK???! If it was in black and could match everything I wore, then there would be zip hesitation. But although the copper shine is stunning, it doesn't go with everything I own (i.e. something hot pink) and is way too flashy for going to the grocery store.
Hitler's dog in Hell. (In my best Donkey Kong roar) WHY NO BLACK ONE?!?!?!?

Anyways...
My mom and I got our hair trimmed and eyebrows waxed, and with my upper face feeling slightly raw, I commenced to shop 'til I dropped today, in recompensation for not buying that purse yesterday.
Marshalls has an awesome, unbelievably cheap selection of workout gear. Since I've started shopping there, I now refuse to purchase a workout top (or shorts!) for over $15.
I did a long, awesome cardio kickboxing workout after I got home to get that itch to rip off price tags out of my system. Kickboxing has become my new cardio obsession on the downcast, stormy days as I dislike running outside on gloomy days; it brings down my mood.
Two awesome kickboxing cardio videos from youtube:

An awesome, healthy fat-filled dinner of baked salmon with the perfectly charred skin (hey it's cheaper than buying weird looking fish oil pills), and a salad rich with olive oil and avocado replenished me. Yum.
After totally revamping my wardrobe, though sadly not my wallet, I chipped away at this leftover dark chocolate mousse cake my mom had bought on a whim at Costco.

Yup, it used to look something like this:

Source

Me and my little bro have been working hard at it for three days- him on the layers of spongey cake and me on the moussey buttercream frosting.
We've always been great partners at the dinner table- when we were little(ler) I only ate the meat in dumplings and he would eat the skins. Great pairing, no?

Fruit Plate and Fartleks

Guess who won first place in the piano competeition yesterday?
Of course it's moi!
Not to be too up-in-you-ass about it or anything, but it was pretty unexpected, and needless to say, the prize money will be going towards my shopping trip tomorrow in search of the perfect everyday purse; preferably Marc Jacobs...

Started off this morning with a fruit plate from the leftovers of Saturday's party.

Make that x 2

Also brunching with the family on some fried rice. Way to play into the stereotypes, no? But I loooove me some fried rice so in this case it's kind of a welcome one.

On the weekends, or the days me and my brother don't have school, we usually have a big brunch late when my mom gets up to cook, like around nine or ten. On usual weekends, it's generally the only sit-down meal we have as a family since everybody then heads off to their busy weekend activities.
But though it's Spring Break, we're pretty much just keeping the weekend meal rhythm up, which is fine by me!
I've got a 3-4 mile Fartlek run planned for later today,but may change that to just an hour or so of tennis with my dad now that the nets are up in the park. Either sounds pretty fun right now with the weather.
Off to look up ways to spend my prize money!

Hit those Chocolate Cravings. Hard.

My quads were already screaming from a killer tabata routine (in which jump lunges were involved) yesterday, but I decided to contribute further proof of my insanity and pound out another 3 miles today. Needless to say, much swearing is now involved every time I try to stand up from a squatting or sitting position. Tons of fun.
Afterwards we had a huge asian dinner party, during which I forgot to take pictures due to my recurring foodgasm at my mom's seafood curry but that's not much of a prob since we've got plenty of leftovers to show for it!

Now onto the chocolate...
I think we can all see by now- I constantly crave chocolate. It is a rare occasion I turn down chocolate unless I'm totally full.
I whipped up this super quick and low-fat/low-calorie chocolatey concoction for a little boost of morale before my piano competeition today...
and I guess it worked because I finaled! Fingers crossed I place in the final round tomorrow- first prize is around $100, I think, and will go towards my "bag fund." (More on that later.)

Chocolate Yogurt Parfait:

RECIPE:
*1/2 cup lowfat plain yogurt
*1/2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
*1 teaspoon honey
*1 tablespoon chocolate chips
*1 tablespoon old-fashioned uncooked oats

Stir everything together, top with fruit, and enjoy!

What a tease

It seems like Spring is finally here... only probably to disappear within the next few weeks.
Apparently as a consolation for not allowing me to baptise my new running shoes outdoors yesterday, today the sun was out in all it's full glamour, and the temperature was actually in the 50s.

This pattern is supposed to keep up all week, maybe even peaking at 65 degrees F!
Besides the fact this means I'll have to pick up all the poop my dog Lulu left in the backyard this winter when the snow melts, I am hugely cheered by the weather. My once seemingly far-away dreams of pleasant spring runs are now here!

I went out for an easy 3 miles after I got home from school today, knockin' them off in about 23 minutes. I feel like  really need to buy a Garmin, as the Nike GPS running app on my ipod doesn't seem very accurate, so I didn't use it for this run and went a route I knew was 3 miles.
Plenty of splashing and jumping over puddles on my run today = the realization I can finally break out the Sperry Topsider rainboots I scored on sale last spring but never got to wear.. just the thing to dispell unpleasant thoughts of the dreary science quest (yes my science teacher calls his test "quests"; make of it what you will) coming up this Friday.

Lookin' forward to more spring runs, and keeping my fingers crossed for good weather!

I am finally back again!

I am finally able to cut out blogger's guilt return to the blogosphere again, as the laptop got fixed!
Not much is new, besides the deadline for an English paper worth more than 50% of my grade looming ever closer.
That and the fact I decided to start working on the scarf that I began last year... the one I managed to dig out under the black hole dubbed my laundry bin.

(Last Christmas, I gave you my heart...)

I just put myself through a sweaty treadmill workout to christen my new Asics; had been planning on trying them out on a trail run today, but, as always, the weather did not agree with me. And guess when the ol' sun decided to come out? Right when I finished my treadmill workout. Yup. Story of my life, I swear.
Will most definitely post pics of that, plus another intense cardio workout next time! I've got to get back in the habit of taking pictures of random objects while people stare at me and question my sanity again.
I generally dislike running outside in the winter, since it's so cold here up north. I guess I'll just keep workin' away on treadmills and indoor tennis courts, with dreams of lovely spring runs and sweaty summer sessions.

Pork rib and seaweed soup for dinner:

Seaweed Monster!