Good morning! Happy Thursday! Let’s get right to it!

Dinner

While I waited for dinner to cook last night, I snacked on some raw veggies with hummus, which I’ve decided is the best I-need-food-ASAP-snack ever for me. It’s nutritious, delicious, satisfying, and quick! Every time I cut up a (crunchy) vegetable for a recipe/meal/snack, I add the extra pieces to my veggie Tupperware container, so I constantly have fresh ones to snack on. It works great.

On the menu for dinner: a grilled Dr. Praeger’s veggie burger.

And sweet potato fries with ketchup.

For dessert, I enjoyed four Cherry-Walnut Almond Flour Cookies. Mmm! I love these cookies so much!

Healthy Eating Plate

Remember last June when the the USDA reshaped the food pyramid into a circle, calling it MyPlate? The plate was divided into four sections (fruits, grains, vegetables, and protein, with a separate circle for dairy) and was designed to help Americans build a “healthier” plate. I blogged about MyPlate in early June and most of you guys agreed it wasn’t the best guide to healthy eating.

Well, Harvard researchers also questioned the USDA’s idea of “healthy” eating and created their own Healthy Eating Plate.

The Healthy Eating Plate is based off “the best available scientific evidence and was not subjected to political and commercial pressures from food industry lobbyists.” It emphasizes a plant-based diet focused on vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, and healthy proteins.

The plate is divided into six sections: vegetables, fruits, whole grains, healthy proteins, healthy oils, and water (which includes tea or coffee), and each of these categories offers specific recommendations.

Harvard addresses specific shortcomings in each category of MyPlate including the fact that the grain category doesn’t specify that whole grains are healthier than refined grains, the protein section doesn’t value healthier proteins over red and processed meats, and potatoes count as a veggie. Additionally, the USDA recommends dairy with every meal, doesn’t include advice on healthy fats, and fails to warn against sugary beverages [source].

The Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health created a great side-by-side comparison of the Healthy Eating Plate vs. the USDA’s MyPlate. It lays it all out nice and neat.

Question of the Day

What do you think of Harvard’s Healthy Eating Plate? Is it better/easier to understand than the USDA’s MyPlate?

Hooray!!!

Harvard won The Game 45 – 7! They kicked some butt!

Game day started with a delicious breakfast at The Riverwind Inn, where Mal and I spent Friday night.

The Riverwind Inn is the quintessential New England bed & breakfast. It’s located in quaint Deep River, Connecticut just outside Essex in the Connecticut River Valley. The original house was built in 1854 and has been operating as an inn since 1985.

The décor was absolutely stunning inside. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a house decorated so beautifully.

During out stay, the current owners, Elaine and Leo Klevens, provided us with a warm and welcoming experience. There were a few empty rooms at the Inn on Friday night, so they upgraded us to a nicer room without any additional charge.

Breakfast

Elaine and Leo also cooked us a fantastic full country breakfast this morning. We started with baked grapefruit, which was, oh, so delicious. I actually loved it so much, I asked Elaine how she made it—it’s so simple! Just section half of a grapefruit, sprinkle brown sugar and drizzle maple syrup on top, and then bake for 30 minutes on 300*F.

The main course was scrambled eggs with spinach and Parmesan cheese, sausage, and a pumpkin spice muffins. All of it tasted amazing. My stomach left the Inn very happy.

After breakfast, Mal and I met the crew to carpool to New Haven for the game. We arrived at the Yale Bowl a little after 10:00 for some epic tailgating.

Those Harvard folks really know how to plan a tailgate!

Lunch

Everyone arrived with picnic baskets, boxes, and large Tupperware containers full of food, plates, utensils, napkins, cups, condiments, wine glasses, corkscrews, and just about anything else you’d ever need for a tailgate.

There was also a lot of wine.

And a variety of grillables.

Rumor has it that some bulldog was grilled up!

It was an awesome tailgate– one of the best I have ever attended.

Family pic: my sister-in-law, mother-in-law, and me!

M & T!

After a couple of hours of tailgating, it was time to head into the Yale Bowl for the game.

The game was really exciting at first. Yale scored shortly after kickoff and Harvard made a comeback.

However, by the start of the fourth quarter, Harvard had taken a 30 point lead, so the game started to lose a little bit of its excitement. The Crimson was crushing the Bulldogs.

We ended up leaving the game a little early to try to beat the traffic home. We missed another Harvard touchdown, but we already knew who won.

After today, I am exhausted. I’m off to faceplant into bed. Good night!

—

A woman from Massachusetts was struck and killed by a UHaul truck at the tailgate before this game. I was unaware of the incident until half time when the Yale community paused for a moment of silence for the deceased. It’s a tragedy, and my thoughts and prayers go out to the families as well as anyone else affected by this terrible accident. Life is short. Cherish each day and tell those you love just how much you care about them.

Later this afternoon, Mal and I are off to New Haven, Connecticut for the Harvard-Yale game. Mal’s dad is a Harvard alum, so it’s a yearly tradition to get together and watch the game.

Tonight, we’re meeting family and friends for a pre-game celebration and then spending the night in New Haven. Tomorrow, we’ll wake up early for some mid-morning tailgating before the start of The Game. I’m excited for the game, but I’m even more psyched that the weather will be fairly nice tomorrow. It’s usually freeeeeezing at the Harvard-Yale game!

As you probably know, the Harvard-Yale game is one of the biggest sports rivalries in college sports. As of 2010, the Harvard Crimson and Yale Bulldogs have met 127 times since the first game in 1875. Yale currently leads the series 65-54-8, but they haven’t won a game since 2006! Go Harvard!

With all of this rivalry talk, I thought it might be fun to go through some of my past school sports rivalries, especially since I know a bunch of you guys live in the northeast and might have similar ones. Let the trash talking begin!

High School

I went to Littleton Jr./Sr. High School in Littleton, Massachusetts. Our mascot was the tiger. We had a lot of sports rivals back then (it really just depended on the team), but the one I think most of us could agree on was Maynard High School because they had the same mascot. Our colors were blue and gold and theirs were orange and black, but it was still the same mascot. We referred to them as the “generic tigers.” We also killed them in soccer.

College

I didn’t pay too much attention to sports at Union—mostly because I was too busy boozing-face—but, on occasion, I’d attend a hockey game. The Union Dutchmen were a good team and won quite a few games, so it was always fun to watch them.

The big hockey rivalry back then was with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). One of the Union traditions during hockey games involved throwing oranges onto the ice after the first goal scored by the Dutchmen. I never participated, but I always found it amusing.

Grad School

It seems like Boston College has a lot of sports rivalries: Holy Cross, Notre Dame, Clemson. I guess it depends who you ask. I love BC, but I will always root for ND!

Breakfast

Mmm! Delicious breakfast this morning!

I mixed 1/4 cup of Kodiak Cake Mix with 1/2 scoop of Vanilla Protein Powder and 1/4 cup of water to make a pancake, which I topped with berries and maple syrup.

I also drank a glass of iced coffee mixed with eggnog.

Be Thankful Challenge

I’m thankful for The Ellen Show. It makes me laugh, cry, and want to be a better person.

Question of the Day

Who was your school sports rival?

P.S. Check out my friend’s ‘Save Community’ posters! They’re so cool! I want one! (Thank goodness the show isn’t really canceled!)

Good morning!

So, there’s a lot of behind the scenes action happening in Carrots ‘N’ Cake world lately. Obviously, I am working away on my book edits, but I’m also preparing for CNC 2.0! In the next couple of weeks, Carrots ‘N’ Cake is getting a complete facelift. I know Murphy is excited!

In the past 2.5 years, I’ve written nearly 2,500 posts. Crazy, right? Well, if you’ve ever tried to find an old post on CNC, it’s nearly impossible. I can’t even find my old posts sometimes! So, for the past month or so, I’ve been organizing my posts using tags and categories (check them out on the lower left-hand side of my blog). Hopefully, this will make Carrots ‘N’ Cake much easier to navigate.

Last night, I spent a good hour tagging blog posts from when I worked at Harvard, which brought back so many memories. It’s funny because I was so miserable during this time of my life, but I have such fond memories of working for the Dean and her Chief of Staff and spending time in Harvard Yard.

Anyway, since I did all of the work, I thought you guys might want to see some of my old posts. So, here’s how I spent my time while working at Harvard:

• Blogging nearly every day at the Cafe Gato Rojo
• Seeing celebrities outside my window
• Exploring cafes, bakeries, and thrift shops in Harvard Square
• Enjoying the beautiful views of Harvard Yard
• Eating in the dining hall with Crimson Catering
• Wandering around the Farmers’ Market at Harvard
• Watching Freshman run around the Yard on Housing Day
• Experiencing the craziness of Class Day
• Listening to the Harvard tours everyday at 10:00 and 2:00
• Celebrating Cookie Friday with a reader
• Chatting up Mollie Katzen

Breakfast

It’s official: overnight oats are my favorite breakfast ever. Well, besides cupcakes!

Overnight oats are even more delicious in a nearly-empty Barney Butter jar with pearl barley thrown into the mix. I love the chewy texture of the barley and, of course, the Barney Butter was yummy. (FYI: I cooked the barley before adding to my overnight oats.)

In the mix:

• 1/3 cup pearl barley
• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup vanilla soy milk
• Walnuts
• Barney Butter

I also enjoyed a delicious new coffee flavor this morning: Toast Coconut! Holy yum! The coffee grinds smelled amazing. I couldn’t help but stick my nose right in the bag to get a good whiff!

A slash of vanilla soy milk pretty much perfected the sweet coconut flavor. Mmm!

Feta Giveaway

Thanks to everyone who entered my final Feta Friday giveaway. Here’s your winner: 5!

#5 kerry

a salad, mixed nuts and a piece of fruit.

Congrats, Kerry! Please email me at carrotsncakeblog@gmail.com to claim your prize.

Question of the Day

Sort of random this morning, but I thought it might inspire some funny stories! We all need a good laugh on Monday morning, right?

What’s the most unusual gift you have ever received?

Good morning!

Sorry that I didn’t blog last night. Mal and I went to see the Hasty Pudding show over at Harvard, so by the time we got home, I was exhausted and basically did a face-plant right into bed.

Dinner

Mal was on a roll yesterday!

For dinner, he made the most amazing Cheesy French Toast sandwiches with tons of melty brie inside. I added a shake of cinnamon and nutmeg to my sandwich, which reminded me of a fondue that I tried at the Melting Pot in Washington, DC back in April 2008. Holy yum!

On the side, I had some carrot and celery sticks.

After dinner, it was time to head to Cambridge for the Hasty Pudding show.

The “Pudding Show” is a yearly tradition for Mal’s family, so I’ve attended the show every year for the past 6 or 7 years now and it’s always a fun time. Mal and I were supposed to go to the show last weekend, but we got held up at home, so I’m glad that things worked out and we were able to see this year’s performance.

Each year, the Hasty Pudding Theatricals select a Man and Woman of the Year. These awards are presented to performers who have made a “lasting and impressive contribution to the world of entertainment.” This year the Man of the Year was Justin Timberlake and the Woman of the Year was Anne Hathaway.

Last year, I got to see the Man of the Year (James Franco) and Woman of the Year (Renee Zellweger) right outside my office window. Seeing celebrities at work is definitely something that I miss about working at Harvard. Imagine seeing JT right outside your window!? I probably would have freaked out!

Last night’s Hasty Pudding performance was called “Commie Dearest.” Here’s a synopsis:

It’s the 1950s, and the residents of a typical American suburb are all vying to win the American Dream, a bowling trophy. But the arrival of star ball-loving ballplayer Doug Out and sexy-but-fishy starlet Marlin Monroe to award the prize brings everyone’s secrets to the surface. And when Bobbie Sox, a local Pink Lady-turned-Pinko Lady, unwittingly brings a communist mastermind to town, the stakes rise even higher as everyone’s way of life is threatened by the evil Communist space potato Spud Nick and his Russian mail-order bride sidekick. Their Cold War threatens to give a whole new meaning to climate change.

Who will win the American Dream? Will local illegal space alien immigrant, Ross Well, finally get his green card? Will cuban diner owner Desi Speakenglish say something in an accent that other people can understand? Will local dancing rebel, Wes Sidestory, find a cause? Will General Dwight Supremacy stop hanging “Dwights Only” signs on everything?

As usual, the show was hysterical. Mal and I both have a really dorky sense of humor, so we loved all of the puns and witty humor. And, of course, I loved the costumes, singing, dancing, and men dressed in drag!

P.S. JT and Anne Hathaway were not at this performance, but they do visit Cambridge when they receive their awards. Ashley Judd, however, attended the Hasty Pudding show last night! She actually walked right by me in the bathroom! She’s very pretty in person.

It’s only lunchtime, but I’ve already enjoyed a seriously delicious day of eats.

I woke up bright and early for my Lose the Dough check-in and a workout at Healthworks. I got my stats taken and then ran 3.5 miles on the treadmill. (Post coming soon!)

After a quick shower, I met Mal, Beth, and Corey for breakfast at Mike & Patty’s.

Mike & Patty’s is one of my favorite places for breakfast, so, of course, we needed to bring our out-of-town guests there to enjoy it themselves.

I knew exactly what I wanted for breakfast: Grilled Banana Sandwich. Ever since the HLS last summer, I’ve been obsessed with it!

Holy, holy, holy yum!

The Grilled Banana Sandwich was made with loads of honey cinnamon butter and sliced banana on thick slices of country white/sourdough bread.

Omg. Heaven.

I also drank an iced coffee with soy milk and cinnamon from Starbucks. (I grabbed it after my workout.)

After breakfast, we visited Harvard Square, walked around, and explored Harvard Yard.

Of course, we said ‘hello’ to John.

On our way back to our Southie, we took a pit-stop at Flour for some goodies.

How adorable is this quote!?!

And, how delicious do these baked goods look!?!

I could not decide what I to order from Flour. I pretty much wanted one of everything!

I ended up going with the Raspberry-Orange Coconut muffin. It just sounded too good to pass up!

Lots more to come this afternoon. I have a blogging backlog!

P.S. Don’t forget that it’s Fashion Week at OpenSky! The Thomas Paul Pufferfish Wristlet in my shop is on sale for 25% off! Just enter FASHIONWEEK25 at check-out.

Hi, guys! Long time, no see!

Yesterday was absolutely INSANE! It was my first day back to my full-time job in a whole week and it was my second-to-last day and I needed to train a temp. I also had 2 calls at lunchtime and then I went to a fashion show immediately after work. Needless to say, it was crazy day!

So, I have lots to tell you guys! All good news!

First, I won a Bertolli Sauce Sponsorship to the Foodbuzz Festival, which means that they will cover my travel and hotel expenses!!! I still can’t believe it!

My winning menu item:

Mini Five Cheese Sauce Sandwiches

Sliced ciabatta bread with fresh mozzarella, pepperoni, green bell pepper, minced garlic, and Bertolli Five Cheese sauce.

The Foodbuzz community will vote on their favorite dishes starting tomorrow through November 1. The top 3 will get to demo their item live at the Foodbuzz Tasting Pavilion on November 7 in San Francisco.

Many thanks to Bertolli Sauce for the honor! I’m so excited!

Exciting thing #2…

Carrots ‘N’ Cake finally made it into a magazine!!!

Of course, it was cool to have my photo in Shape and my name in Health, but I was so bummed after my contribution was cut from the recent blogger piece in Self magazine. I really wanted my blog mentioned!

But, CNC’s shout-out in Health magazine as an inspiring weight-loss blog totally made up for it!!! I had a smile on my face from ear to ear when I saw it!

It’s the November issue– the one with Jillian Michaels on the cover– page 146. Be sure to check it out!

And if life couldn’t get any better…

Yesterday, I found out that I received a partial scholarship to attend the Institute for Integrated Nutrition!!!

I’ve heard such great things about this program and I’ve been wanting to do it for ages! Now that I have a little more free time, I can finally devote myself to learning about one of my passions.

I chose to do the distance program instead of traveling to NYC– just to make life a little easier– so I start later this month!

Ahhhhh! So excited! You’ll be hearing LOTS more about it!

And finally…

It’s my last day at Harvard!!!

Even though I’m excited to start the next phase of my life, I’m also sad to leave such a wonderful place. My bosses treated me so well and I loved working for them. They’re both such amazing people– I’m bummed that I won’t see them so often anymore.

But, I’m off to live my dream!

I just ate breakfast (toast with peanut butter and banana) and now I need to get ready for my last day of work!

Fashion show recap coming later this morning!

Before we get to my big news, check out the Foodbuzz Blog Awards!

Carrots ‘N’ Cake received 3 nominations! Thanks, guys!!!

Best Healthy Living Blog:
1. Carrots ‘n Cake
2. Eat, Live, Run
3. Gluten-Free Girl
3. Healthy Tipping Point
5. Kath Eats

1. What blogger would you most like to take to dinner?
1. Bouchon for 2
2. Carrots ‘n Cake
3. Eric Rivera Cooks
4. The Healthy Everythingtarian
5. Steamy Kitchen

What blogger would you most want to make you a cocktail?
1. Carrots ‘n Cake
2. Choosy Beggars
3. Honey Nut Lo
4. Sippity Sup
5. Tokyo Terrace

I love that people want to eat and booze with me! But, the category that I really want to win is the Best Healthy Living Blog! Just sayin’.

Please vote for Carrots ‘N’ Cake here!!!

Lunch

For today’s lunch, I added leftovers from last night’s stuffed peppers to a bed of Romaine lettuce and threw in some sliced tomatoes to make a homemade salad of sorts. I also ate a banana with lunch.

Simple, yet satisfying.

I had no intention of buying such a delectable afternoon snack when I went out for a java run, but a frosted pumpkin scone at Starbucks coerced me into buying it.

I have zero willpower around pumpkin-flavored baked goods!

This baby was worth every single calorie and gram of fat.

Calculated Decisions

Ok, here we go. First, a little background info for you…

In January 2009, I took a position working for the Dean of Harvard College. At the time, I wanted a high-energy and interesting job that would make the work day fly by. My new job in the Dean’s Office was no doubt exciting, but it didn’t leave me any “downtime” to blog like I did at my previous job.

So, for the last 9 months, I’ve basically been running around like a crazy person trying to fit it all in (full-time job, CNC, Health gig, Examiner, Healthy Living Summit, new puppy, sister’s wedding, the Move from Hell, traveling, exercise, etc.) But, unfortunately, I haven’t been very successful at balancing it all. Basically, something had to give… but what?

I considered giving up my blog a number of times. During the spring and summer, Mal and I had a bunch of heart-to-heart talks that would almost always end with me in tears. I didn’t have enough time for the blog, but I knew I couldn’t give up on my dream that easily.

Devoting less time to my blog was also an option that I considered, But, I’m not the type of person who can just half-ass something, especially a project that I have devoted so much time and energy to in the past. My blog is my baby! And, as cheesy as it sounds, sharing my love for healthy living is my passion. It fuels me.

So, in the end, I decided that giving up Carrots ‘N’ Cake was just not an option, but how the heck would I pay the bills if I resigned from my full-time job to devote more time to it?

I’m pretty “straight and narrow” when it comes to job security and a steady paycheck, so I knew quitting my job and hoping that my blog income would get me by was a bad idea. As much as I wanted to impulsively quit my full-time job and devote all my time to blogging, I took the time to make a calculated decision in order to make my dream a reality without totally messing up my life.

I started by creating a list of what would help me achieve a happier situation, and then, I considered all of the possible ways to make them happen. I consulted my husband a lot during this time. Ultimately, the decision was all mine, but almost daily, I bounced ideas off him. A lot of the time, Mal brought me back to reality and prevented me from rushing into anything. But, at the same time, he also supported and encouraged me to chase my dream.

After weeks of considering possible options, I finally formulated a plan of attack:

• Save money (for when I leave my full-time job)
• Research part-time jobs related to health, wellness, nutrition, etc.
• Secure a part-time job (that will pay the bills)
• Resign from current job to devote more time to blogging
• Try not to freak out!
• Seek out additional social media projects for extra income

So, that was my basic plan to make things happen. Let me elaborate on a few things…

Save money: I’ve always been good with money. I grew up poor and then later went to grad school, so living with less is something I am used to. So, more than 2 months ago, I went into super save mode. I’ve been able to save a good chunk of my income as a security blanket for when I finally resigned from my full-time job. For weeks, I cut back on all of the “extras” in my life. Thankfully, all of these little sacrifices added up, so now I am pretty comfortable with my financial position.

Tip: Sign up for ING!!! I use ING to “squirrel away” my savings. ING is great because your savings earn quite a bit of interest and it makes it semi-difficult to withdraw funds once you’ve deposited it. (It just takes a few days for them to transfer from ING to your personal bank account.)

Research jobs: I spent a lot of time looking for part-time jobs, but I wasn’t going to leave my fancy-schmancy Harvard job for any ol’ gig. I wanted a job that was related to my passions and that would allow me some flexibility in my schedule. I applied for quite a few jobs and went on a number of interviews. Some were good; some were not-so-good, but I learned a lot about what I wanted in my ideal position.

Tip: If you’re going to make a career move, make sure it’s in the right direction. I’ve loved my time at Harvard, but to be completely honest, my job was not inline with my career goals at all. The 9 months that I spent in my current role basically just delayed my dream.

Secure a part-time job: Last weekend, I accepted a part-time job working for a company that I truly believe in. My new position is related to my passions and very much inline with my career goals. I’m very excited to begin this next phase of my career.

More details to come!

This afternoon, I got to celebrate Cookie Friday with a new friend: Jenny! Jenny is a student at Harvard and she’s been reading Carrots ‘N’ Cake from almost the very beginning. We met near the John Harvard statue before heading to Hi-Rise Bakery to enjoy a couple of cookies.

Hi-Rise was pretty busy today, but we managed to score a table outside, where we chatted for almost an hour! Jenny and I had a lot in common.

As usual, selecting a cookie at Hi-Rise was tough work! I ended up picking an Oatmeal Coconut Pecan cookie, while Jenny chose a Chocolate Chunk cookie. Delish!

After work today, I’m headed to Newport for the weekend with my hubby. Unfortunately, Murphy isn’t allowed at my in-law’s timeshare, so Auntie Sister is on pug duty for the weekend. She is SO EXCITED for Murphy to come stay with her! I’m going to miss M.P. (Murphy Pug/Piranha) sooooo much, but I know he’ll be in good hands.

Murphy actually has a busy weekend ahead of him– including two family parties and a long walk around the lake. I wonder if he’ll even miss Mom and Dad?

A BIG Thank You

With all of the craziness surrounding my recent West coast trip to BlogHer Food 09, I failed to thank my wonderful sponsor for their support. So, here’s a BIG thank you to NASOYA for sponsoring me! I truly appreciate Nasoya’s support of my foodie/blogger endeavors! The trip couldn’t have been possible without it!

Cookie Madness

The Lazy Baker received such a great response from the recent giveaway on Carrots ‘N’ Cake, they’ve decided to offer readers a 20% discount on all orders over $20 through October 12th. Cool! Just enter the code: carrotsncake20 at check-out.

I’m happy to report that Tuesday was a much better day for me.

This afternoon, I escaped from my desk and took a leisurely stroll around the Farmers’ Market at Harvard. It was a gorgeous day to wander around alone and take my time browsing what the various vendors had to offer.

At the Farmers’ Market, I shopped for fresh produce…

Watched a cooking demonstration by Chef Anders Tallberg of Hungry Mother…

And sampled a bite of a delicious heirloom tomato– one of my favorite summer treats!

Browsing the Farmers’ Market was the perfect way to spend my time away from the office.

And if a relaxing lunch break at the Farmers’ Market wasn’t enough, I popped into Dado Tea on my way back to the office for a nice, cold beverage.

At Dado, I ordered an iced ginger tea, which was made with fresh ginger, sugar, and honey. It had quite the gingery zing to it!

After work, I headed home and went for a 3-mile run. My hip is still injured, but I just HAD to run today. It was the most perfect running weather and I had a serious “itch” to get out there and just RUN. I’ve missed it so much! I have another doctor’s appointment next week– this time with an orthopedic surgeon– so hopefully, I will find out what’s going on and be running (without pain) soon!

I’m STARVING, so it’s time to make dinner. I’m excited to cook with my loot from the Farmers’ Market. I have an interesting kitchen experiment planned for tonight!

Enjoy the evening, blog friends!

P.S. I know someone will ask if I skipped lunch today. I did NOT skip lunch– I just didn’t photograph it.