A must-do in London is Portobello Road Market. Yesterday, my friend Allea and I decided to go into London and go to some markets. We had big plans to hit Portobello Road and Camden Town markets followed by a stop at the Hyde Park Winter Wonderland.

There was so much to do (and so many people!) that we ended up staying for 3 hours! I have also had the Mary Poppin’s “Portobello Road” song stuck in my head for a solid 24 hours.

Portobello Road is the world’s largest antique market. Which is great and all…but I love the food stalls the best 🙂

(Uh, definitely not E, N, D, or GF appropriate! 😉 )

 = 

Mid-Afternoon Snack: (E, N, GF?)
I got a fruit smoothie, but was sort of wishing I had saved up my money for:

Frozen yogurt! (Or, as the English spell it, “yoghurt”.) That’s Allea, by the way.
HowEVER, at places like this fro-yo place, people with allergies need to be careful.  The yogurt obviously had dairy in it, but they also had all of their toppings set out in little bowls. Fruits, chocolate sauce, caramel, nuts, sprinkles, marshmallows – everything, which can lead to plenty of cross contamination. Especially since they were putting the fillings on the yogurt with their hands!
Here are some tips on managing places like these:
– Take a look at the bowls/containers. If no cross contamination seems to have occurred, go ahead
– Opt for a topping that is NOT around the others. Sometimes, places like this will have their fruit in a separate, refrigerated section, for example. Or the toppings might have their own dispensers.
– Just have some plain yogurt/ice cream! It’s still delicious!
– Ask the workers. At Coldstone Creamery, for example, they are very accommodating: when I tell them I am allergic to nuts, the get out a separate, clean container and paddle, and change their gloves. They know what to do, and they also know what might happen if they don’t take the necessary precautions!

After wandering, people watching, and Christmas-gift buying, Allea and I headed out. Neither of us were in the mood to do any more market-ing, so we just went back to her house and watched…..

Source: http://www.beatlesbible.com/images/nowhere-boy/nowhere-boy-ost.jpg

It’s a movie about John Lennon. Has anybody seen it? It’s quite good. And especially exciting for me, since I’ve been to his house!
While watching the movie, we ate too many shortbread cookies, drank hot chocolate, and just hung out. Thanks for a wonderful day, Allea! 🙂

Dinner (E, N) for me last night was something I forgot to take a picture of  a cream cheese and ham sandwich, salt and vinegar Snack a Jacks, an apple, and a Diet Coke.

______________________

This morning I slept in until around 9, then got up to eat because I was starving!
Breakfast: (E, N)

An orange, obviously, and some cereal on top of about 3 oz. of Greek yogurt. This cereal is also from the 99p store, and is more like a granola than a cereal (see pre-Dinner below). I topped it off with raisins. It was a very calorie- and carb-packed meal, but that’s because…..

I went for a run today!

It was an extremely foggy and chilly day, but I have had this run planned (and I am NOT one to break with my plans, schedules, or lists), so I just decided to do it anyway. I put on 3 layers, including a fleece and gloves, and headed out. From my landlady’s house to the Rail Station is exactly 1.5 miles (according to Google Maps), so it’s a nice place to run to, since I know exactly how far I’ve gone:

While in town, I decided to make a stop at the grocery store for some lunch/dinner, and then I walked the way back. I honestly could have kept running, but it was so cold and damp that my lungs told me not to. So I walked back.
(6,335 are the amount of steps I took.)

After stretching, I heated up the soup I had bought at the grocery store.
Lunch: (E, N, D)

 I had gotten the Minestrone from this company before, and liked it, so I thought I’d give this a try. (The reason I didn’t get minestrone again was because I figured I needed some protein after my workout.)
Ingredients:

“Water, plum tomatoes, tomatoes, onions, chicken (5%), cooked black turtle beans (4%), long grain rice (4%), cooked haricot beans (3%), tomato paste, spring onions, cooked red kidney beans (2%), chicken stock, garlic, vegetable oil, sugar, salt, cumin, coriander, black pepper, chipotle chillies (.03%), cinnamon, red chilli flakes and our expertise and care.”

It was really quite nice! Very filling, and I especially liked the all natural ingredient list. A serving (half carton) has 186 calories and plenty of fiber and protein.
However, my stomach did not react to it nearly as well as my taste buds did.

After lunch and a shower, I had a skype date with my dad!

Because my stomach still is not feeling 100% better, I’ve decided to keep it easy for the rest of the night.
Dinner: (E, N)

Same as breakfast! So, anyway, about this cereal: you can pretty much see what it is based on the box, but it’s special perks are that it is organic, high in fiber and protein, keeps me full and satisfied for a long time (especially when paired with Greek yogurt and raisins), it’s delicious, and it is cheap!
 A very greeeeeeeeen plate of Granny Smith apple and a cucumber.
Later tonight, if I get hungry, I might heat up the rest of that pasty I got the other day and see how my stomach feels after that.

I have a recipe for tomorrow that I’m super duper excited about…but I’m not going to spoil the surprise! Stay tuned!

And with that, I shall leave you with a very pretty and summery picture of Acadia National Park, taken summer 2010, to look at while I go off and do some homework 🙂