Week One: Check!

Going back to school is a time of great anticipation and excitement, but sometimes a little anxiousness is thrown into the mix too. Personally, one of the aspects of college that I like most is the great changes that each semester and each year brings. There are so many clean slates that offer a boost of motivation to make positive changes. Whether the changes that you want to make involve your grades or your health, there are so many chances to start fresh.

Some of my goals for the new semester include the following:

• Find ways to work out even when classes get busy
• Incorporate a wider variety of healthy foods into my diet
• Participate in more school run events
• Get involved in a club
• Try something new

After a very long summer break, adjusting to living at school again can be a tough process. Even after one week, I am not fully settled in. It takes a while to figure out the best times to hit the gym and the best times to hit the books. Although I am not a fan of a completely strict schedule, I do enjoy structure. By the end of my second or third week, I expect to have some sort of time frames in mind that will help me to perform my best. 

As far as week one goes, I was very busy catching up with old friends, meeting new people, going to my first classes, and participating in back to school events. I did manage to snap a few pictures of some of my lunches and a healthy snack though!

This first lunch is from a supermarket called Wegmans. Wegmans holds a special place in my heart and it will certainly be mentioned in future posts. Here is just a simple to go box I assembled after a long day of classes and meetings. It includes salad with lemon grilled chicken and Asian Wokery vegetables. Yummy!

I got this sandwich for dinner one day when I was meeting an old friend. Located to the side of the deluxe pasta station at my school is the "Bread Box" where you can order from a menu selection of sandwiches and paninis or create your own. I created my own with toasted 9 grain bread, turkey, avocado, spinach, tomatoes, and honey mustard dressing. It was very good and extremely filling. 

Here is a little pick me up snack that I made with some crackers and nut butter that I picked up at Wegmans. This brand of cracker is very tasty, organic, and whole wheat. Sounds good to me! The nut butter that I used was Justin's Maple Almond which came in a two tablespoon sized pack. This is great for times that you want nut butter on the go but don't have time to prepare a snack.

I can't wait to see what week two brings. I'll be sure to capture more of my "healthy eats" and share what exercise regime I've been working on.

Mission: Montauk

Happy Friday everyone! I seriously cannot believe how fast this week blew by. I am starting to see the difficulties of consistently creating blog posts, but this is a challenge that I am willing to accept! Two days ago I went on a bit of an adventure with my mom to Montauk, Long Island. Driving out to the outermost tip of the Island was a highlight itself since it marked the longest amount of time I've spent at the wheel. I am quite proud if I do say so myself! 

I started off the morning with a short run around my neighborhood. Unfortunately I woke up later than I wanted to, but I was still able to squeeze in about three miles. With such a long day ahead of me I knew I needed some exercise for an extra boost of energy. I've always found it amazing how running makes me feel less tired throughout the day. 

Before heading to the very tip of Montauk, my mom and I decided to walk around the town to find a bite to eat. We stopped in a cute organic market called Naturally Good whose menu can be seen here. On our way inside, and exiting customer told with such enthusiasm how tasty the fish tacos were, that I was instantly intrigued. We ordered the Cajun Fish Tacos to split. Although the wait was rather extensive, the food was the perfect pick me up before setting off for the rest of our day.

First we went for a long walk across the beach and then visited a few shops on Main Street. Soon after we went to the Montauk Lighthouse at the true tip of the Island. It was so amazing to be engulfed by the beautiful water on all sides. I highly recommend the visit!

Headed up the lighthouse!

The breathtaking view from the top

Relaxing afterwards 

It was about 5:00pm when we finished up at the lighthouse, but the day was not over yet! Boy do I love how long a summer day can last :) Since we already walked through the town of Montauk, we decided to check out some shops in East Hampton. During the course of our window shopping, my mom kept noticing people with bags that read Citarella. I looked it up and it turned out to be the gourmet food market of the town. We had to go there ourselves! We ended up scoring some yummy almond paste cookies as well as an adorably small yet tall carrot cake for my brother's birthday celebration that is coming up. Looking at all the food in this place got our stomachs rumbling for dinner.

We came across a nearby restaurant with outdoor seating and settled there called Babette's. I wasn't expecting much, but as it turned out every single item on the menu appealed to me. This is not a common occurrence! The waitress had to come back at least twice before I was ready to place my order. My mom and I ended up splitting two entrees--one of the great perks of going out to eat with this wonderful lady.

Even the bread that they gave us was deliciously nutty and seeded. 

Lentil Vegetable Walnut burger served with sweet potato fries 

Salad with tofu, asparagus, olives, red potato, tomatos.


Although on the pricey side, we were in East Hampton and the meal was different and fun.



All in all a beautiful day and a great trip.