These are a few of my favorite things

"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens..."

Scratch that. I don't actually like cats. Unless you are talking about my BFF Cat, who I actually love.(Cat in all of her morning glory and her trashed bedroom! Clean that up!)

I much prefer dogs. Big dogs. Dogs that run to the top of the stairs when they hear you walking around first thing in the morning so they can greet you with great big kisses. (Boomer posing. He knows he's handsome.)

"Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens..."

Both will do you no good here. Grab a blender and some ice because we are back in the deep south during the height of summer.

(Reunited with green monsters and it feels so good! And mango just for good measure!)

"Brown paper packages tied up with string..."

All of these groceries were carried home in brown paper bags to my father's dismay. That is how I roll Dad. We are going green! :)

(More than a few of my favorite things. More like a schmorgesboard of happiness.)

"These are a few of my favorite things."
(Lot's of favorite things ahead. Get ready!!)

(Cut up veggies and fruit for the week for easy accessibility. Bottom to top: Cauliflower and broccoli, strawberries and blackberries, cucumber strings, red pepper strings.)

(Lunch of champions: Starbucks Hueveos Rancheros Wrap and a divine unsweetened iced coffee with soy milk.)

Snack plates have come back into my life in full force!
(Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, cucumber, and hummus.)

Welcome home dinner. Yes, you are looking at Ratatouille. Chef Bob (my dad) made it from scratch to "ease me back into American cuisine." Good lookin' out dad.

(Ratatouille, veggie burger with ketchup and corn on the cob.)

Dessert(Chocolate Vitatop, 1 tbsp Dark Choc. Dreams PB, and fresh strawberries.)

My first day home can literally be summed up by what I ate as I was too jetlagged to do much else. Oh, but I did watch a fabulous Michael Pollan documentary on Netflix based on his book "Botany of Desire."

~~~~~~~
Today, I refocused my "knack for nutrition" w/ a little deviation. My healthy living blog has not been so healthy as of late. I don't regret a single petit pain chocolat but damn it feels good to get back into my routine!
Pre work-out breakfast.

(Coffee w/ almond milk. Slice of Ezekiel sesame bread with 1tbsp almond butter and 1/2 banana.)

Following consumption, I went to the gym and broke my first (intentional) sweat in a week. I don't think I have taken a straight week off of working out since high school. Let's just say, things got sweaty pretty fast and running felt like death. But the first workout back (especially after not so healthy eating) is always the worst, so it is all uphill from here!

I munched on a replica snack plate from yesterday before delving into some serious grooming. I mean the whole 9 yards. Straight hair, shaved legs, eyebrow waxing, and a fabulous pedicure that was beyond necessary! Buh-bye gross European feetsies!

(I have unnaturally stubby toes. They just don't grow!)

Then I was off to check out a new frozen yogurt store in Little Rock called Orange Leaf Yogurt. It is very similar to the popular yogurt stores I saw all around DC.

Alright, let me feebly attempt to decipher what went into this cup. Ice creams (as in plural):Chocolate PB swirl and cake batter. Toppings: Rainbow sprinkles, 4 teddy grahams, white chocolate chips, 2 brownie bites, blueberries, strawberries, coconut shavings, and a cherry on top!

I did not even make a dent, y'all. My mom locked my dad out of his car as I was sitting down to inhale my fro-yo (a sign perhaps!?) so I had to rush home to give my dad the other car. Crisis averted. Instead of loading up on sugar, I took advantage of the fully stocked refrigerator.
Linner

(Organic spinach, cucumber, grilled teriyaki tofu, 1 hard-boiled egg, hummus, and balsamic vinaigrette.)
I have since munched on a handful of potato chips and some hummus and spelt pretzels. I don't think my tummy likes dairy anymore, so sadly Orange Leaf will not be getting more of my business.

I am still feeling the jet-lag, so this evening is going to consist of blog-reading and a movie. I am up bright and early in the AM for an intense workout followed by my first day of summer school!

Until tomorrow,
~Jenn

Question: Does anyone else hate their toes?!

God Bless America!

It is a bizarre thing to wake up in one country and go to sleep in another.(Strasbourg exactly as I wish to remember it).

The morning began bright and early at 5:30AM Strasbourg time. I didn't fall asleep until nearly 1AM, so my body is extra confused today between the lack of sleep and changing time zones. The host mom insisted we sit down for a final petit déjeuner of café and cookies. Yes, you read that right. I said I wasn't hungry and she said that I needed to eat before we left. So we split cookies. I can't wait for my detox that starts as soon as I walk in the door of my house.

I digress. So my 1st flight of the 3 I am taking today went from Strasbourg to Paris with no problems. Très bien. The Paris to my current location (which remains undisclosed for safety reasons) flight was a bit delayed because of some crappy weather in Paris.(Sesame seed bar/cracker combination. Surprisingly sweet.)
The flight was 8 hours and 30 minutes. Needless to say, I am stiff and could really go for a hot yoga class. Anyways, on the flight I sat beside a 23 year old man from Togo, Africa who was immigrating to the US to go to school in Nebraska! How cool is that?! I chatted with him for a bit in French before falling asleep.(Just juice: Pear, raspberry, and apple.)
When I awoke, I struck up a conversation with a nice old Jewish couple that were flying back that were flying back to the US after spending 2 months on the southern coast (rough life right?)(10 euro food magazine that I left on the plane. Doh!! I wanted to make a collage of the food pictures, they were stunning!)
So back to the couple. I chatted with them for the last hour of the flight because we had so much in common. We talked about my interests and how I will be graduating in December with no future plans. This led to a conversation about food and politics of course and then he started telling me about his brother who works at a non-profit food policy organization in California!! I was grinning ear to ear throughout our delightful conversation and by the end of the flight I exchanged contact information with him. You never know, maybe he will be a good contact to have in the future? :)

I went through customs and immigration in 15 minutes flat. Good karma at its finest. I was very relieved and excited to see this sign upon my arrival. All I could think was "Wow. I did it!"

Then I jumped right back into American culture the best way I know how. First stop...Feeding the man...and my tummy! That was quite possibly the best unsweetened iced coffee with soymilk I have ever had. The French need to learn an appreciation for COLD coffee in the summa time. Granted, Starbucks tastes like butt compared to authentic French café, but I look at it as a give and take. And today, I'll take cold coffee thank you.

Re-energized, I ran around the airport for a bit trying to negotiate my way onto an earlier flight. No luck. So I walked to my gate, settled in, and made myself comfortable.Check out my new baby! Gorgeous no?!? It makes me feel so classy to carry this bag! I digress...I chalked up $8 for Wi-Fi and then made myself "perfect oatmeal."
(Cranberries, raisins, and mixed nuts.)
So that was about 2 hours ago. I'm still hanging out with a little under 2 hours until I board for Little Rock. I can already tell my body is going to hate me tomorrow and that I will need a lot of sleep to recover from my sweaty, sleepless nights and a 7 hour time zone adjustment. I think my brain is a little confused already because I got the hunger pains again. Oatmeal never fails me, but I suppose today is just an exception. So I did what I do best.(Au Bon Pain Caprese sandwich: tomato, mozzarella, romaine lettuce, pesto basil spread, whole wheat baguette.)
I find it completely humorous that the only think I wanted to eat after living in France for 6 weeks was another tomato and mozzarella sandwich on a french baguette. Haha, I told y'all I need a detox.

Alright, I'm off to catch up on google reader to pass the time. Next stop...HoMe! :)

Until then,

~Jenn