I hate the way my photos turn out in this student union!! It’s SO dark in here and the food looks so bland! But it tasted great 🙂
I got the BEST NEWS in an email this morning from my Chemistry professor:
“If your performance on test 3 is as stellar as your record has been, you will be exempt from the final.”
I mean, seriously, can you get better news that that!? Cumulative finals are the thing I hate most about academics. I have (had) 3 this semester:
Cultural Foods, which should be relatively easy and shouldn’t take more than an afternoon of studying
Medical Terminology, which is a pass/fail course and I’ve got a thick stack of flashcards from the semester so it shouldn’t take me long to review them all (I’m a whiz at memorizing flashcards)
and
Chemistry. Hard. Long. Lots of studying. GONE!!!
So for lunch today I had a Smoked Salmon Quesadilla. 2 oz of smoked salmon, a laughing cow cheese as my “cream cheese ” binder, lots of dried dill between two TJ’s wheat flour tortillas (not the healthiest choice TJ’s offers, but the texture of these looked the doughiest and the best, so I got them. They’re not the worst either.)
Along with mango (from last night’s video!) and Crudités with 2 tbsp of hummus my mother in law made.
And an apple pie yogurt (1/4 cup apple sauce mixed with Fage (really TJ’s brand greek yogurt) and cinnamon)
All together with hot tea (which I needed today because it’s freezing out there!) for 500 kcal, 11 grams fiber and 37 grams protein (Greek yogurt is really high in protein!)
I need a hot water refill before I can walk back across campus for lab! Today is our last Physio lab of the semester!! Next week we have our third exam and then I’m done! I couldn’t be happier – I am ready for summer! I think my brain has already started shutting down, which is bad because I have 3 big tests, 3 quizzes and a presentation along with my finals to do before I can celebrate!
Speaking of summer, my life is about to get really crazy in a good way. Here are my upcoming weekends:
April 19: Cookout with Friends, otherwise relaxing. Last calm weekend.
April 25-27: Davidson Alumni weekend and Spring Frolics (Friday and Sat. events, craziness)
April 29-30: 2 really hard tests
May 1-3: Three-day getaway to Folly Beach with my college roommate in between final exams!
May 5-6: Final Exams
May 10-13: Fly to Baltimore with my mom to visit grandparents (drive to RDU first)
May 16-18: Sister’s college graduation at Davidson. Whole weekend of partying and family fun.
May 19: Night School Chemistry starts.
May 23-26: Weekend romantic getaway at Bald Head Island with my sister and her BF to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary!
June 2: Celebrate 1 year of marriage!!! Drink expensive bottle of wine we saved from honeymoon. Find a way to get anniversary cake from Raleigh cake baker to Charlotte. Eat entire cake. Give husband one bite
June 9: Five weeks of CRAZY summer school starts.
The second half of the summer is much calmer!
Kath says
Tara ,
I’ll have to hit up Pier 1 soon!
Laurie,
I don’t really know the brand of smoked salmon I normally get from Harris Teeter. This week I got Trader Joe’s and it was a lot slimier (oiler but there was no oil in the ingredients list) than my usual kind. But it tasted the same. My normal kind comes in a blue package, if that helps.
Melissa,
Smoked salmon is just salmon that has been smoked. I love it. It’s pretty salty, but otherwise healthy. I get it in the seafood dept. near the crab meat. It’s usually packaged and under the fish case. More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoked_salmon
1200 calories is definitely not too much food. It’s borderline too low, although you did say you’re sedentary. Is there a reason you don’t exercise? And are you sure you did the translation right? What does the 19 points you used to eat translate to? Like 800-1000 kcal?
Kath
At 1
Kath
Tara says
“Speaking” of that cute spoon, my husband and I were shopping for cute coffee cups at Pier 1 this weekend and I saw this really cute cup I liked. “What a minute….” I said, and at a closer look, I saw a CUTE SPOON in the handle of the cup, “That’s Kath’s spoon!” Ha ha ha! But it wasn’t green. There was an orange one and a yellow one.
Laurie says
Kath – What brand or what kind of smoked salmon do you buy? I love smoked salmon, but I’ve bought some really bad/slimy brands before.
Anne P says
What a fun (first half) of the summer you have planned! Mine is crazy as well, with a trip to Boston coming up this weekend for the marathon (a friend is running), and in May trips to Atlanta and Philly for bridal showers/bachelorette parties, a trip to the beach for memorial day weekend, and then a zillion weddings the rest of the summer! whew!
Melissa (the other one) says
Kath – I’ve seen you use this smoked salmon before and it looks amazing. What is it? (Brand, etc) I have looked and looked for both this AND wild salmon in the store before, but can’t find it anywhere. We don’t have huge, great grocery stores…..is that why?
Also…for Kath or anyone else with some input 🙂 I have been doing Weight Watchers for about 5 years now. I originally lost about 40 pounds on it and have counted “points” on and off for the last 5 years. I’ve gained back about 12 pounds and am trying to lose those now. I recently have been counting calories instead of points, because I always need new fun things to motivate me and with inspiration from Kath, etc.
Here’s my problem. I always got 19 “points” (calculated with calories, fat, and fiber). Now that I’m counting calories, I try to eat 1200-1300 (I’m only 5’2″ and VERY sedentary desk job). When I translate it to Points though, it counts to be like 27 or 28 points!!!!! So I really feel like I’m way overreating……I hate to mess with something that works (Weight Watchers DID work for me) but like counting calories more and hey, if I can eat more and still lose, then maintain, even better! Any advice????
sexywife17 says
Melissa (the other one)-
are you factoring in fiber? Remember that weight watchers isn’t just about calories- fat and fiber make can make a huge difference in the number of points a food is. I love weight watchers!
Comrade GoGo says
Congratulations on your awesome academic performance!! Between school and keeping up with this blog, I bet you don’t have much down time ;).
rhodeygirl says
kath! congrats on doing so well on your first two exams, I am sure you will do just as well on the 3rd!!!
your lunch looks delicious, as usual!
Julz says
Kath, it may help you to get a little organized… I mean, it’s just a suggestion 😉
Haha and quick question about the dried dill… I’ve never used it but I ADORE fresh dill and just bought it dry. I usually put a touch of thyme (one of my fave herbs) in summer chicken salad with yogurt, dijon, jicama/cuc, red delicious or fuji apples/finely diced + a touch of toasted walnuts, s+p+cinn! Sorry if it sounds odd, but for me it’s a childhood fave and YUM.
So my ? is, since dill pairs really well with dijon, do you have any tips on a chix salad I could do with it that would incorporate some sweetness too? I bought dried dill last weekend but for some reason it’s intimidating…I love fruit in my chix salad (apple, dried cherries, dried crans, grapes, under-ripe cantaloup!). I’ve never paired dill with anything sweet tho… :-\
If you, or any readers could lend me some tips my taste buds and I would surely appreciate it! thankss 😉
Allison K. says
“give one bite to the husband” I love that!
SarahF says
Melissa (the other one),
I figured I’d answer your question about my cleanse on this post (since it’s too confusing to go back and forth between posts).
If you’re looking for one without the pills then this one wouldn’t be for you. I personally like taking the pills because then you know you’re body is being “flushed” more efficiently than just eating lots of healthy food. This one you take 6 pills (3 different kinds, 2 at a time) before breakfast and dinner, as well as these drops-all of which “purify” your body. The food is kind of confusing because it’s all math (luckily, I’m an accountant) but there are specific foods you can’t eat anything of (things like sugar, wheat, yeast, alcohol, anything fermented, cheese, dairy, etc.) and then certain things you can only eat 20% of the time (nuts, chicken, beans, pretty much most of your protein items), and then other things you can eat as much as you want of but should be a minimum of 80% of the time (fruits, vegetables, brown rice, fish). This is a general over view because there are a lot of specifics within it-some fruits you can’t have, some nuts are in the 80% column, etc. It’s quite time consuming because you have to find new recipes, read the labels to EVERYTHING, and do the math with each meal.
I do enjoy doing cleanses, but studies have never shown any conclusive evidence that you need to do them-our bodies are really efficient with cleaning itself & dealing with toxins. I more so do cleanses as an additional motivator to eat really healthy (especially after the weekend of crap I ate).
Hope that helps
hk says
awesome news about the exam, actually the same AWESOME news was recently delivered to my class, too, YAY!
Looks like a crazy schedule coming up, but I think that busy with friends is the best way to be 🙂 just have to find a good balance, which you seem to have mastered; happy monday!
Katie says
Smoked salmon is my FAVORITE! I would have NEVER thought of this. You are a genius. Love it!
Sarah says
Congratulations on exemption from your Chemistry final. That has got to be the best feeling in the world.
Jennifer says
Hi Kathy! I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoy your sight, and you have inspired me once again to take on my weight loss! I have started a blog, (I’m still learning alot) but just wanted you to check it out. www.slim-shoppin.com. I hope to add recipes and report my weight losses and goals. I love how you can eat a ton of food when its healthy. It’s like not being on a diet, and I’ve gotten tons of ideas from you. Thanks again for all the work you put into the site!
Jane says
Hi Kath-
Just wanted to stop by and let you know
that you are my inspiration! 😀
both in terms of nutrition/fitness and your academics/organization~ ~
I really like how everything is structurized which is exactly what i need in my crazyyy hectic undergrad schedule. I wish I can plan out my day like that but i get to bed around 3-4AM everyday and it’s sometimes exhausting to fit in exercise on top of that.
anyhoo,
luv ur blog!
BethT says
Melissa (the other one): I’m on Weight Watchers too! Please, please, please do not get concerned about counting calories – it sorta defeats the purpose of the plan. For example, a half cup of high fiber black beans may be only 1 point because it’s so high in fiber, and yet it has 100 calories…by the same token, a low fiber food that’s the same amount of calories could be 2 or 3 points. My daily target is 21 and I consistently eat 27 – 30 each day (yes 30!) when I factor in weekly points and activity points. And I have lost 8 pounds so far.
Do you ever go to the WW message boards? They are my other obsessions 😀 Let me know!
Betsy in Pittsburgh says
Would it be weird to grill up a quesadilla that has smoked salmon in it? I don’t know I just like the idea of a hot cheesy quesadilla – and I love love love smoked salmon… but I wouldn’t want it to get weird from being cooked.
Melissa (the other one) says
Thanks everyone!!
Kath – yes, I’m sure I’ve done the counting right because I’ve done it for a few days now. Yes, 19 points equates to be about 900-1,000 calories. Well I do exercise – my HRM says I burn between 250-400 cal during exercise. I try to do it 5-6 days a week, but for the rest of the day ALL I do is sit…
BethT – I know, and I’m torn because obviously WW has worked really well for me and I know it SO well (like I said, 5 years:) ) but since I’ve been counting just calories instead, I feel like I get to eat SOOO much more! (which I guess I am) so if I can lose eating more, even better.
SarahF – oh I see! I just talked to a nutritionist a couple of days ago about doing a cleanse…. She kind of said the same – doesn’t hurt you probably but doesn’t have scientific evidence it works. Can I ask which pill you’re doing? let us know how you like it! 🙂
Michelle in SC says
Hey Kath! So you are headed to Folly Beach? I live in Charleston. If you have any questions about places to go, eat or see let me know! Hopefully the weather will be great and you can get the full “Charleston” experience!!!
mrs darling says
Just found your blog and love all your yummy food ideas. Ive embarked on my own healthy eating plan and need all the ideas iI can get.
Jill says
I’m so jealous! Will you take chemistry for me?
Michelle says
Hi Kath! This is the first time I have commented on your blog and I wanted to let you know how much you have helped me make healthy decisions over the past few months. Thank you!
I have a question for you~~Do you know much about the Vitamin B 12? My husband heard that it is supposed to give you energy and he is interested in trying it out. Do you have any advice on this?
Another Kelly says
Melissa (the other one) – You’re forgetting about flex points. If you divide the 35 points by 7 and add them to your total you’re closer. Plus as the other poster mentioned, it’s not a perfect conversion, especially if you’re getting in lots of fruits and veggies. I did weight watchers and it worked fantastically for me. I really liked it because unlike just counting calories, it rewarded you for eating fiber-rich foods I learned to eat better naturally. The only thing I didn’t like is it doesn’t really distinguish between good and bad fats and rewards you for having a really low fat diet, even when there are benefits from having good fats in moderation.
Another Kelly says
Michelle- Check out the following:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vitamin-B12/NS_patient-vitaminb12
I’ve heard that if you don’t get ENOUGH of it you can feel lethargic, but not that if you get MORE of it you’ll feel energetic. The sense I’ve also gotten is that if your boyfriend is eating a fair amount of animal protein his B12 levels are probably just fine.
I love the Mayo Clinic site BTW. So helpful.
Another Kelly says
Comment in regards to Energy:
Fatigue
There is some evidence that intramuscular injections of 5mg of vitamin B12 given twice per week might improve the general well being and happiness of patients complaining of tiredness or fatigue. However, fatigue has many potential causes. Well designed clinical trials are needed before a recommendation can be made. C
Nick says
Mmm, I love smoked salmon. I found a recipe recently for “gravlax” which I assume is somewhat like smoked salmon? I found it here Gravlax. It sounds amazing and I’ve been meaning to make it for a while. Although I feel like I’m in the same boat with tons of other foodies out there that have a very long “meaning to make for a while” list.
I love laughing cow cheese, especially the low fat flavored ones.
– The Peanut Butter Boy
Anne P says
kath,
why are the wheat tortillas from TJ’s not the best nutritionally? i’ve bought the TJ whole wheat tortillas before and though they were good, no sketchy ingredients, whole wheat, etc. just curious! maybe you got a different kind than the ones i get?
p.s. i was cracking up over the “eat entire cake. give husband one bite.” lol!
Ally says
Congrats on the great grades!
You definitely have a busy summer ahead of you but it sounds like a ton of fun.
Lunch looks great, I’m going to try that ‘apple pie’ yogurt some time!
Betsy says
that’s awesome that your chem professor let you do that!!! i never had one of mine say that to me-grrr.
what a crazy next few months you have ahead! but, at least you’ve got some fun stuff thrown in with the craziness!
Kelly T says
mellissa(the other one) that makes me so very nervous that you are so confused. Yeah, weight watchers works but this is what happens when people try and go off of it because they were never taught about the quality of food over the quantity. 1200 calories is very low, especially if you burn 250 calories in your workout.
erg, salmon plagues me. Its one of those foods, like tomato soup, that i want to like but everytime i try it, i just cant do it.
BethT says
Melissa (the other one) – do whatever makes you happy, but if you go back to WW I would seriously look at what foods you were eating to only have 19 pts = 950 cals. I think I eat more food now that I ever have on the plan because I try to eat in volume (like Kath!) instead of relying on empty calories like 100 calorie packs and lean cuisine meals. If you decide to give i a go and want to swap ideas, let me know! It’s definitely not a plan you should go hungry on, especially since they now have the 8 Health Guidelines that guide you to have a certain amount of dairy, fruit, veggies, healthy fat, etc each day.
Melissa (the other one) says
BethT – First of all, I’d love to exchange ideas! I think that’s always helpful and motivating to hear what others do 🙂 Feel free to email me: [email protected]
But yeah, actually I find that now I’m able to eat a LOT healthier than when I was counting points. Like I said, I only got 19 and if you take a look, the 8 HGL basically took all of those (4 for dairy, 2 for oil, etc). For example I would make Classic Kath Oats and it was using up 8 points! That’s about half my day! But I don’t see it unhealthy in any way….
Kath – By the way, PLEASE do tell how the heck you get ready in 10-12 minutes!!! I take an hour and am not high maintenance by any means…I’ve tried to cut back but it just doesn’t happen 🙂 I’d love some advice!
Becca says
I have to admit I’m jealous! I’m terrified for my chem final in a few weeks. It will be cumulative and I haven’t had much experience with those! Congrats on the great work in the class though!
bikergurl says
Wow, awesome news about the chem final! It sounds like you’ve got enough on your plate without that! I applaud you for having such a good balance between school, healthy living and having fun.
Kiala says
I don’t know what I’d do without the lite laughing cow cheeses.
As for Kath’s getting ready time, I’m guessing she has naturally silky straight hair. Mine is curly and I have to beat it into submission with a blow dryer. This adds at least 25 extra minutes to any morning routine.
Carrie H says
I am so happy today!
Last week, my boss gave me $20 and asked me to bring in healthier treats for my officemates …
So, I baked vegan carrot cake muffins and orange zucchini bread (with applesauce instead of oil *but two eggs*) for my office … Every person who has tried them has loved them! And I work in an office with chronic candy and fast food eaters!
I also brought them little pre-portioned baggies of raisins, nuts and a tiny, tiny piece of dark chocolate. It was fun.
Thanks, Kath and everyone, for helping me to be healthier each day.
Carrie H
VeggieGirl says
Oh. my. goodness. Your Chemistry professor is lovely!!! I have 5 finals, all cumulative; and no, my professors would never think of canceling. You’re lucky!! But you so deserve it, so enjoy it :0)
Wow, you certainly WILL be busy!! Sounds like some fun times ahead though! :0)
Enjoy the rest of your Monday afternoon!
DL says
Mmmm! I just tried your bake oatmeal (for dinner), yum! I added some cinnamon and traded out part of the bananas for blueberries (I wish I added more!) Delicious! Thanks for the great idea!
What’s the best way to reheat the baked oatmeal?
Leng says
congrats on your Chemistry class. By the way do you have any advice/tips/something special that you do to study for the exams to get such stellar grades?
That is so awesome that you have an option to take the final! Your hard work paid off.
Mangoes look so yummy
Jennifer says
haha I love this part “Find a way to get anniversary cake from Raleigh cake baker to Charlotte. Eat entire cake. Give husband one bite”
Thanks for the laugh…thats how my thinking works too!
Romina says
Congrats on the exemption!
Kath says
Julz ,
I’m not sure with dill + sweet either. I tend to think of it as a “salty” herb – I guess because I eat it on tuna salad and with smoked salmon most of the time. I would just try a small amount on the side and see what you think in one bite. Nothing will tell you better than a taste test.
SarahF ,
I don’t want but butt in, but I’ve just spend a whole semester studying the physiology of the human body and your body is designed to naturally cleanse itself. That’s why you have a liver and kidneys. Your organs would probably rather have whole foods, lots of water and antioxidants…
Jennifer ,
Welcome to KERF. Your site is cute 🙂
Jane ,
A good calendar and to-do list is all you need 🙂
Betsy in Pittsburgh ,
I heated mine today in the microwave. I don’t think I’d want to cook it to the point of cooking the salmon, but heating it for crispness would be good.
Michelle ,
B12 is an important vitamin involved in a number of physiological processes – but like Kelly’s Mayo Article said, deficiency is rare. If you take a multi-vitamin, you’re probably getting all you need. The article provided a good background otherwise – thanks Kelly!
Anne P,
They’re not 100% whole wheat – they’re the low-carb “wheat flour” ones. So not really bad, but not the best on the shelf either.
Michelle in SC,
Yup! We’ll be there Thurs-Sat. Send me an email if you want to try to hook up by cell phone and meet while I’m there. I’m not sure of our schedule, but if it works out that we’re in Charleston for dinner or something perhaps we could meet for a drink?
Melissa (the other one),
I just rush!! I do everything in the same order so I don’t forget things. And I do have silky straight hair that I can blow dry in 5 minutes, Kiala 🙂
DL,
Glad you liked the oatmeal! Reheating in the oven is best (although it does get a little drier – but crispier too!) but microwave works fine too.
Leng ,
One thing I don’t do is read through my notes. I always take notes on index cards so I can study visually and easily sort what I know and what I need to work on more. I’ve been doing that for years (sometimes transcribing notebook notes onto them at test time, other times taking notes ON them) and it works really well for me. I’m a very visual learner.
Kate(the teenager),
I just run, so I don’t really monitor my pace. Some days I”m really slow others I’m swift, but my guess is I run an average of 9.5 minute miles. My fastest treadmill mile was 7:26 but I am known to run 10 minute miles at times too.
Amy ,
TJ’s greek is just as good as Fage. I can’t tell a diff. It’s certainly cheaper!
Adelle ,
I’d just ask your doctor the next time your in if you should be concerned at all – she/he should be trainer to make a fair judgment for your weight/height/lifestyle. If you feel comfortable at your weight and are happy with your lifestyle, then it sounds like it’s the right one for you.
sarah ,
I’m not sure when I’ll be arriving, but our flight leaves on Saturday morning, May 10th, from RDU. If you want, maybe we could meet for a drink somewhere easy for me to get to from Hillsborough on Friday night? Or perhaps lunch. I’ll have to see when I’m going to get there and stuff. Do you think you’ll be free that night?
Kath
Kate(the teenager) says
VERY RANDOM!!! but, when you run, what pace do you try to keep??
Amy says
The other Melissa –
I did WW for about 3.5 years and just switched to calorieking. I agree that I feel I get more food and I eat healthier now. Plus I’m still losing so it must be working! I was bored with points plus I think counting calories is something I can do forever. Good luck with it!
Kath, congrats! That’s great if you don’t have to take the final. What a stress reliever!!
I also have one question for you. Do you find the TJ’s greek yogurt as good as fage? I want to try it if it’s good. Fage is so expensive!
Adelle says
Hi kath – love the blog 🙂
since this seems to be a pretty active forum with lots of people interested in proper diet/exercise/lifetsyle, i hope you don’t mind that I post about an issue of mine that I’d love any kind of feedback on…
I’m 18 years old, and have been naturally slender my whole life. Up until last year I weighed about 110 pounds, and I’m 5’7″. I ate normally and exercised moderately. then I went through some pretty difficult times in my life personally, and turned a lot more to food, “eating way” things I didn’t want to deal with. Binging on way too much food resulted in me gaining 10 lbs. Of course I knew that I wasn’t fat at 5’7″ and 120, but the point was I felt so uncomfortable being immersed in such an unhealthy lifestyle of eating too much sugar, junk, even oversized potions of “healthy” food in unhealthy. So I decided to take control of it and stop overeating to deal with mixed up emotions. Over the past two months or so I have managed to stop bingeing and sort out a lot of stuff in my life, and have taken up running and its a great form of release. Since I felt really uncomfortable at 120 lbs., I ate about 1,500-1,600 calories a day and exercised about an hour to an hour and a half 5-6 days a week. I felt very satisfied and happy with myself during the time, and now I am back to the weight I was before I started bingeing: 110. I am eating close to 2,000 calories a day now and am not bingeing anymore (don’t count calories too closely, just ballpark), and I hear a lot that I’m really thin and I know I am, but I feel healthy and sooo much better than I did when I was bingeing and miserable and weighed 10 lbs. more!
Basically I’m not starving myself at all, exercising properly and my body just wants to be this way. But technically I am “underweight”!
Does anyone else have this dilemma, and have learned to just accept their body the way it naturally is when it’s not being gorged with junk food (or starved; just any kind of unnatural extreme!)???
sarah says
ooh, i saw RDU in there! if you have time, let me know when you’ll be here — on the off chance that i am off from work or post-call, we should meet for lunch/dinner/whatever!
Anne says
ohhhhhhh okay, the ones i’ve bought there before are 100% whole wheat so they must be different!
Jana says
wow, congrats on your great performance in your classes! i’m in the middle of studying too and i know how hard it is. it’s good to have some positive feedback, especially if someone refers to your performance as “stellar”!!! way to go to!
btw, i love your plans for your wedding anniversary. “Eat entire cake. Give husband one bite” *laugh* awesome.
mrs darling says
My WW leader always told me to figure roughly 50 calories a point. Of course fiber enters in but she said if you estimate it it will end up about 50 cals. That would compute with 950 calories equaling 19 points.