Busy bee

Happy Wednesday! The last few days have been extremely busy. I submitted my application for acceptance to physician assistant school (fingers crossed!), been learning SO MUCH at the hospital in my new job, tied up some loose ends on the research front (completed some experiments for the lab) and still managed to do some volunteering.

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Do you volunteer? As crazy as life gets, giving back to especially those less fortunate is so rewarding. I know we say we will when a certain class is over over or when work is less busy, but when is LIFE not chaotic? Just giving your time once or twice a month is certainly appreciated by others and extremely fulfilling for yourself.

I've also squeezed in some stress-relieving workouts. Last night I went for a beautiful evening run around the White House:

And Washington Monument:

How do I get to live here???

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Study snacks have included lots of fruit:

Diced so I can eat them with a fork and not mess up the computer

And a recent obsession with protein cake:

PB-Chocolate cake with Greek yogurt, stevia, and pecan topping

Vanilla-Nanner cake: 1 scoop vanilla protein powder, 1/2 mashed banana, 1/2 diced banana, 2 tbsp Greek yogurt, almond milk (to moisten), 1 egg white, pinch baking powder, pinch sea salt, stevia. Spray mug with cooking spray, spoon in mixture, microwave for 60 seconds.

Other blog-worthy meals include (can u guess the common item??):

Protein pancakes:

Protein "Ice Cream":


Bean & cheese 'dilla:

Whole wheat wrap, chapolte salsa, black beans, baked at 425F for 10 mins. Then add lite Mexican blend cheese, cumin, red chili powder (not pepper) and bake until cheese melts. Top with a dollop of Greek yogurt

Pa-sgetti & "meat" balls:

Carba Nada pasta topped with marinara sauce and 1 block melted light laughing cow cheese, Trader Joe's meatless meatballs

Someone on a protein kick???

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In recent science news...

Did you know that a diet high in saturated fats from red meat is associated with increased chances of developing liver cancer?

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Scientists followed ~500,000 men and women as they self-reported red meat consumption while controlling for other risk factors such as alcohol, obesity, diabetes, and other lifestyle risk factors. The red meat eaters in the top 20% were 74% more likely to develop hepatocellular carcinoma (a liver cancer) and 2.6 times more likely to pass away from chronic liver disease.

Conversely, the top 20% of white meat eaters were 50% less likely to die from chronic liver disease or develop hepatocellular carcinoma.

So does that mean if you eat red meat you'll die from liver disease? Probably not. The key to remember here those that ate the most red meat were at risk. Interesting study. Moderation, like anything, is key.

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Well I'm off to bed. Have a great day!