Secrets, secrets are no fun

Okay, I’ll accept that secrets do serve a role. I mean, it’s in the general best interest to withhold information about military’s next move in Afghanistan.

However, for all intents and purposes, secrets and I just don’t get along… I blame my nosiness natural curiosity.

In the interest of not being hypocritical, I think I have a few things to disclose.

Secret #1: Overnight oats are delicious, but one of my main incentives in eating them is that I get to squeeze in an extra half-hour of sleep.

Consumed: Oats, peach yogurt, chia seeds and frozen blueberries, prepared the night before. Topped in the morning with strawberry granola and a scoop of PB.

I knew this morning’s alarm blare was going to be especially loud, so I thought ahead to make overnight oats.

I’m sure my 30 extra minutes of shut-eye didn’t do much for my sleep deprivation, but the combination of oats and yogurt did give me an extra pep in my step.

Hey, it’s the little things, right?

Another “little thing” leads me to…

Secret #2: I think lunch is an ideal way to use up leftovers. Consequent to that, my mid-day meal is usually a little random.

Consumed: Red Romaine lettuce with kidney beans, carrots, roasted red peppers and sautéed potatoes. Dressed with honey Dijon balsamic vinaigrette.

As will be the trend for the semester, today’s lunch was consumed in the newsroom. Computer #3 isn’t exactly the best lunch-buddy, but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.

My salad wasn’t about to hold me over, though. However, I have a particularly short break window on Monday’s, so I had to carry over part two of my lunch to class time.

Secret #3: When I need to eat, I need to eat. Sometimes that means an extra crunchy snack in class. Whoops.

Consumed: Wasa Crackers and Laughing Cow Swiss cheese.

After rendering my professor practically mute with my cracker munching, I had to swing back by the newsroom for a bit. Then, I was released for four hours of freedom.

First on the to-do list: Working out.

Secret #4: Sometimes I need extra incentive to work out. Whether that be running with Dan, catching up on magazines or watching a little TV, I’m always more inspired to lace up if I have secondary motivation.

Today, my inducement to work out was a little quality time with Rachel Ray, courtesy the gym’s TV.

My training schedule only mandated two miles, so running on the treadmill wasn’t too unbearable.

Mystery of all mysteries, I got even more sweaty on my air-conditioned run than I usually do. Therefore a shower was immediately necessary.

Post-destinking, I was ready for a snack, but couldn’t pin-point what I was craving.

Secret #5: My philosophy is, “When in doubt, go for it all.” In the case of my mid-day munchies, that meant an especially strange mix.

Consumed: Peanut butter M&Ms, salsa-flavored Somersaults, raw almonds and bunny grahams. All x 10.

After getting my snack fix, I was able to spend a few wonderful hours simply relaxing with Dan.

We channel surfed, landing on MTV’s “True Life.” The episode du jour was, “True Life: I’m addicted to video games.”

Sixty melodramatic minutes later, I was so gosh-darn thankful that Dan and I aren’t consumed by gaming. Apparently it’s a “real problem.” (Please note sarcasm. I have no pity for these people… Put the controller aside and go to school.)

Unfortunately, I was jolted back to reality by the realization that I had to go back to the newsroom for editing. My stomach was still full from my snack, so I packed my dinner to go.

Secret #6: Blogging makes me much more inventive with my food.

Consumed: Whole-grain PB & J with some banana chips for crunch.

To tell the truth, I was just craving some good ol’ fashioned PB & J. However, that just isn’t fun to post about (and a girl’s got to get her kicks where she can). Therefore, I scavenged my cabinets to find a way to kick it up.

As soon as I spied the banana chips, I knew it was going to be a winner.

PB & J? Good.

PB & Banana? Good.

PB, J & B? Best.

Also for dinner was peachy cottage cheese and a random trail mix.

On the way to the newsroom, I made a necessary detour.

Secret #7: Fountain drinks are primarily a means to getting crushed ice.

Ninety percent of the time, I eat pure, clean food. Fortunately, I love water, tea and coffee, so that isn’t too hard.

Sometimes, however, I just crave some Diet Coke. I’m sorry… (But not really.)

As mentioned, for as much as I like Diet Coke, my main incentive is really getting crushed ice. I’m unabashedly addicted to that stuff.

With that, I spent the remainder of my night visiting with my good friend computer #3.

One last note…

Secret #8: During the course of any given day, I eat more than is documented here.

Sometimes it is a case of camera shyness. Sometimes I know my food is too boring. Sometimes I just steal and unmentioned handful of cereal straight from the box.

My secrets, just as is this blog, are little glimpses into my life.

They don’t tell the whole story. And, they shouldn’t be taken as a guide for anyone else’s life.

Just do what feels right for you, your body and your lifestyle. Then, even with a few goofy “secrets,” you’ll have nothing to feel embarrassed about.

Questions: What food “secrets” do you have?

Another random one for me, whenever I eat M&Ms, I have to eat an orange one last. It’s my favorite color. Better explanation: I am superstitious.