WIAW-Confidence

Good morning and happy Wednesday!
I thoroughly enjoyed my day off yesterday-especially since the reason we got out of school was a slippery layer of ice rather than boatloads of chilly snow. :)
Plus! I had close to no homework (none that was due anyway). Win-win.

It was a pretty lazy day, though it started out with a workout, so I should get props for that right?
My friend, Jenna got the news of school closing from her dad as we were pounding out some time on the treadmill.. We got a little too excited for it being 5:30 in the morning and probably annoyed/startled a few people. Ooops.

Anyway, I took my time doing some incline walking and weight training and then headed on home!
I put together some french toast, happy to not be rushed into the shower and off to school.

I mixed together 1 egg, a splash of almond milk, cinnamon, and vanilla. I soaked the bread up as much as I could and plopped it onto the pan!

topped with sunbutter and barnerers!

And yes, I scraped the excess crusty milky-egg stuff off the pan and ate it by itself. Delicious.

Some of my momma's pumpkin bread made it into my morning.. Try this pic x3 :)

After blogging, showering, reading, and getting my tan on (lotion, of course ;) ) I was ready for mini- meal #3
A glass of milk and strawberries!

I could eat strawberries every freaking day.
Pretzels and a dark Reese's were next to go in ma belly!

Izzi's creepin. Woof.

A little while later after some blog reading and some serious time-wasting on the computer, I decided I would actually cook something for lunch.

Whaaat???

I made a Veggie-Heavy Chicken Noodle Soup!
(That's right folks, there's absolutely no noodles to be found in this soup, as pointed out earlier today. ;) Just veggies and chicken! )
Anyway!
First I sautéed about a cup each of carrots, celery, and broccoli. I added about 1/4 of an onion and probably 1/2 a cup of snap peas. (yep, the veggies are coming back in, slowly but surely! I haven't felt sick in two days-fingers crossed)
Olive oil, rosemary, minced onion, cloves, and some peppa helped with the cooking/flavoring.

Eventually I transferred the veggies to a pot and added chicken broth, and some frozen chicken I heated up (real sophisticated, I know).
:)
I let it all simmer for awhile, added a handful of crushed up TJ's 12 grain crackers, and then dug in!

Nummmmm.

Oh, and I finished it up with these guys. Totally out of season, but still tasty!

Veggie Heavy Chicken Noodle Soup:
~1-2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 c. carrots
1 c. broccoli
1 c. celery
1/2 c. sugar snap peas
1/4 red onion
1 tsp. rosemary
1 tsp minced onions
1 tsp cloves
pepper to taste

1 c. cooked chicken
4 c. chicken broth (I'd recommend a lower-sodium option, however that's not what I had on hand)
handful of crackers (optional)

Sautee the veggies and spices in EVOO (I cheated and used the microwave to speed the process up- I would recommend this step) When everything is mixed together, and tender transfer veggies to a pot with chicken broth. Add the cooked chicken and crackers and proceed to boil for 5-10 minutes.

Makes about 3 servings.



To fill up the afternoon, I surrounded myself with a whole bunch of happy!
Pandora radio, some College Writing reading, nail polish and my most recent book. Ahhh...
I also watched some Friends and Grey's.

The perfect balance between laziness and productivity. :)

Another slice of pumpkin bread fueled me through the afternoon along with a bite of one of my sister's cupcakes...

When finally I whipped myself together a smoothie!

1 strawberry banana chobani, handful of mango, a few strawberries, and 1/2 scoop of vanilla protein powder. I topped it with some cereal.

My mom also brought home some "party bread" from a local bakery - basically soft bread with a buttery poppyseed sauce and gooey cheese. Oh it was delicious.
Oh and this guy... helllloooo!

My momma just whipped up some cinnamon banana bread, so some of that will probabbly be happening in a few minutes.
That will be my third slice of quickbread for the day...meh. Over it. ;) Life's to short to pass up fresh baked banana bread.

Think about it: "Confidence is the only key. I know a lot of people who aren't traditionally 'beautiful' - not symmetrical or perfect-bodied or perfect skinned. But none of that matters because all that shines through is their confidence, humor and comfort with themselves. I can't think of any better representation of beauty than someone who is unafraid to be herself" - Emma Stone



Okay, so typically I just leave these "Think About It" posts at the end for everyone else to ponder, as I do when I first come across the quote, without saying much.

Well, I just have to say something about this one because I love it so much. I tend to get wrapped up in doing things right- looking right, eating right, thinking right, talking right, reacting right... I could go on for awhile.

But maybe it's much simpler than that. I think that the best happiness doesn't come with perfection and "doing everything right" but rather doing things  with grace and confidence in your heart.

Chris always says to me, "Confidence is key, Abby."
Words of wisdom from a 17 year old linebacker. ;)

Annnd I'm out!! Have a good day, filled with confidence in your decisions, your future, your abilities, your feelings, your body, your mind, and your heart.
How's that for a cheesy wrap up? Meant every word! :)