I am so glad it’s Monday! (Yes, you read that correct). Today being Monday means my hard finals are over, I am officially finished with undergraduate science classes, and I get to go home tomorrow! Yay!!!

Breakfast

Yesterday’s breakfast was my last breakfast in the dining hall (another yay!). They were running out of a lot of food, but I still managed to find raisin bran and vanilla soy milk. I also had an orange on the side.

I also found some vegan trail mix.

I’m not sure what exactly was in it, but I recognized dried berries, pumpkin seeds, and walnuts.

I’ve really been on a granola kick lately, so I added a spoonful to the trail mix.

One thing I’m really looking forward to when I go home is baking and trying new recipes. If my granola kick is still happening (which I’m sure it will be), I’ll be making these babies:

This recipe comes from Joyful Abode.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups oats
• 3/4 cup wheat germ
• 3/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup peanuts, crushed
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 4 TBSP butter
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• approximately 8 oz. dried fruit (I really like cranberries in trail mix)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F

To crush the peanuts, put them in a plastic bag and smash them with a heavy mallet or saucepan

Mix the peanuts, oats, wheat germ, and sunflower seeds in a baking dish with sides. Toast them in the oven for 10-12 minutes, stirring every few minutes

Prepare a glass baking dish (11 x 13) by lining it with wax paper and lightly spray the paper with a nonstick spray

Put the brown sugar, honey, butter, vanilla, and salt into a saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly

Mix the ingredients in the saucepot and the ingredients in the oven into a large bowl and mix really well and dump the granola into the prepared glass baking dish

Spread the mixture with a wooden spoon or spatula

Fold over the sides of the wax paper or add a sheet on top and press HARD all over the granola. This will help prevent the bars from falling apart when you cut them

Allow the granola to cool (about 2-3 hours)

Open the wax paper and carefully turn the granola onto a large cutting board, and peel away the rest of the paper

Firmly press down on the granola with a big knife and cut your granola into your preferred sizes

Be sure to check out Joyful Abode for more recipes!

 

Like Saturday, I spent the remainder of the morning studying until I took a break for lunch. My life is so exciting during finals week

Lunch

I decided to get a burrito from the dining hall for lunch. I wanted to get a salad, but I’ve been experiencing stomach burning after eating them. Maybe it’s from the vinegar?

In the burrito: rice, black beans, cheese, onions, peppers, and corn salsa.

I got my serving of veggies in with some steamed green beans, and I also had an m&m’s cookie for dessert

Dinner

After lunch, I continued to study straight through until dinner. The dining hall is definitely running out of options, but luckily they still had plenty at the salad bar!

In the salad: lettuce, broccoli, carrots, chick peas, celery, onions, chick peas, hummus, and more chick peas. I seriously have an obsession with those legumes!

I also found some lentils (soup? it was a little thick) with squash. The picture makes it look really gross, but it wasn’t too bad; just a little bland.

After dinner I studied more, although my brain was basically a pile of mush. I even missed the series finale of Desperate Housewives! I’m such a dedicated student.

I haven’t exactly taking great care of myself over the past 5 days, and I really let the stress of finals week get to me. Today, I plan on treating my body with the healthy care it deserves by relaxing and getting a workout in. I’m also going to The Yellow Deli later!!

When you are in a stressful situation, how do you make sure you take care of your body?