Gardens, Chia, Keys, and Thanks

To make my life easier for myself I left my keys and student ID in my room today. Of course my roommates weren’t coming ‘home’ until super late and I have to get in because I am teaching an oboe lesson off campus (more on that later) tonight. I rarely ever forget anything AND I get stressed at the smallest things in life. So you can probably imagine the freak out that ensued today. At least I had my camera, camera charger, and camera cord with me

GARDENS:

I woke up and went on a walk/run for 30 min. The main reason I went was because I knew I had to shower this morning anyways, so I figured why not get sweaty beforehand. It was super hot and I was feeling weak so I didn’t push it too hard. I ran around the Duke Gardens, which is about a block away. I can walk through the Gardens to class as well. Here are some shots that do NOT do it justice:

I decided it would be nice to walk to class this morning (~25 min. away) instead of taking the bus. BAD IDEA. I was a hot mess. I was dripping sweat by the time I got to my class…which was just about the time I realized I forgot my keys/ID. Yes, one of the first things I thought was…’so unfortunate since I just showered!’

My class was Health, Fitness, and Wellness. I was delighted to see Caroline upon walking in!! We met and discussed our classes at the HLS Cocktail party but I guess we never got to talking about this one! Hopefully this class will be both interesting and fairly stress-free, at least relative to my other rather intense classes.

CHIA

Backtrack to breakfast: It was already 11 AM and I needed something quick and easy so I had a Green Monster (1/2 banana, 1/2 cup of almond milk, 1/2 cup of frozen spinach). I also had Oikos 0% Plain Greek Yogurt w/ 1/2 a crumbled KIND Banana & Oatbran Bar. I also added a sprinkle of Omega 3 Chia Seeds that was sent to me by Greens+.

I was thrilled to receive these in the mail because I have wanted to try them for so long! Some facts about these little greyish-black speckles:

-Chia is an ancient seed from Central America that has been used for over 3,000 years.

-They are high in fiber (4.2g per 15g scoop)

-They are high in soluble fiber which slows the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream, binds it to toxins in the digestive system and helps eliminate waste

-They are rich in essential fatty acids. One scoop provides 3g of omega 3, and 1g of omega 6

-Chia seeds are also rich in minerals such as calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc, and is a biologically complete protein.

-Omega 3 Chia is organically grown, certified kosher, and is pesticide-, herbicide-, gluten-, and GMO-free.

You can sprinkle them on anything but unlike flaxseeds, they do not have to be ground up and can be consumed in their whole form.

My thoughts: These speckles are pretty much tasteless and pop/crunch when you chew them. I love that you can add them to virtually anything–sweet and savory–including salads, smoothies, oats, and even baked goods. They are also pretty tiny so you don’t really notice them once they’re in your mouth. The health benefits are incredible and I really can’t believe I waited until now to try them. I cannot wait to bake with them!

**I just wanted to note that I am eating these seeds (a couple at a time) straight out of the jar as I type this

For more information you can click on the Greens+ image on the left sidebar of this page. If you would like to try samples, let me know and I will put you in contact with them!

For lunch I had a Veggie Pita from an on-campus eatery, Twinnie’s. There was an olive spread inside that made it spectacular. Not to mention the goat cheese

I also had an iced coffee to cool my body, quench my thirst and give me some energy. It ended up making me super cold and jittery though! I guess my coffee tolerance is still low since taking most of the summer off from it.

My next class was the one I was terrified of a couple of days ago: Markets and Marketing. It ended up going pretty well. The professor has taught here for 36 years (!!!!) so he definitely knows his stuff. I’m trying to see past my apprehension and realize it will be a good learning experience for me despite the roadblocks I will face. We have to subscribe and read Business Week and be ready to discuss the articles every Friday.  I’d like to take this time to say goodbye to girly fashion/beauty magazines

It was surprisingly simple and easy to get back into my apartment. The football player working at the housing office was extremely nice and it took no more than 3 minutes. See Allie? Why did you have to stress out!?

While writing this, I had a handful of Emerald Cocoa Almonds and a slice of Cinna-raisin Ezekiel bread with AB and banana slices.

Shortly after I was still hungry so I had this salad w/ eggplant, grape tomatoes, red onions and goat cheese (leftover from the other day) w/ a triangle of Ezekiel Wrap.

THANKS!!

I have interacted with so many extraordinarily nice people today (i.e. my TA who let me borrow a textbook, the man at the post office, and the housing/football guy). I think it is not only that they are nice but the way I interact with them as well. Despite my frazzledness, I feel 10x better than I have ever felt here at school. There is a difference in the way I have been carrying myself than past years here. I’m smiling and I am outgoing…the way I originally was before coming to Duke. I’m not exactly sure what it is but I have an inkling it’s interacting with you all and reading your supportive comments every time I open up my laptop. Please know that I am slowly catching up on all of your blogs, I promise. My apologies for being slow!! Thanks for understanding.

I’m off to do some work, teach, and then work some more. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to catch up with some of you tonight!

Tagged as: Almond Butter, Almond Milk, Banana, Bar, Chia Seeds, Coffee, Eggplant, Ezekiel Bread, Ezekiel Wrap, Goat Cheese, Pita, Red Onions, Salad, Smoothies, Spinach, Tomatoes