2012 is Marching On

Can you believe its March already?!  That just blows my mind.

This morning oatmeal was back on the menu.  It's been a little while (ok really, it's been exactly one week) since I made a good old bowl of oatmeal so I decided to end the streak with a cinnamony bowl.  I had a couple of slightly-overripe bananas so I went with my favorite, quick and simple no-sugar-added method to caramelize them for topping the oatmeal.  They add such delightful sweetness that I go light on the sugar that I add to my oatmeal.

I topped the whole glorious mess with Trader Joe's Legendary Nut and Berry Mix which contains almonds, cranberries, raisins, cashews, blueberries walnuts and raspberries.

It was heaven in a bowl.

Cinnamon Spiced Oatmeal with Caramelized Bananas
serves 1

1/2 ripe banana, sliced into approximately 1/2'' thick slices

non-stick cooking spray

1/2 cup old fashioned oatmeal (make sure to use gluten-free oatmeal, if desired)
1 cup water
pinch salt
3 tablespoons egg whites (or the white from 1 large egg, this is completely optional and doesn't really affect the flavor in my opinion, I add it for extra protein)
1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
drizzle of maple syrup (about 1 teaspoon but really, to taste) or sweetener of your choice:  agave, honey, brown sugar or stevia)
splash of vanilla extract

trail mix, nuts/fruit, milk, non-dairy milk, granola, etc. - optional, for garnish

First, make the caramelized bananas:  Heat a spritz of non-stick cooking oil spray in a skillet over medium-high heat and add the sliced bananas.  Cook 1-2 minutes, checking that they are not burning and adjust heat as necessary to allow the bananas to turn golden but not burn.  Flip banana slices once using tongs and caramelize on the other side for 1-2 minutes.

Bring the oatmeal, water and salt to a boil in a small pot over high heat.  Reduce heat, add egg whites (if using) and simmer 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened.  Stir in cinnamon, maple syrup (or sweetener of your choice) and vanilla extract.  Remove from heat and serve, topped with the caramelized bananas and additional toppings as desired.

Do you have a favorite Trail Mix?  

I am currently loving the Trader Joe's Legendary Nut and Berry Mix but really my favorites are anything that has a blend of dried fruit and nuts and nothing else.  That's not to say I don't enjoy trail mix with chocolate or  a trail mix that is more salty/savory but I usually go with a pure and simple nut/fruit blend.  No added sugar.

2012 is Marching On

Can you believe its March already?!  That just blows my mind.

This morning oatmeal was back on the menu.  It's been a little while (ok really, it's been exactly one week) since I made a good old bowl of oatmeal so I decided to end the streak with a cinnamony bowl.  I had a couple of slightly-overripe bananas so I went with my favorite, quick and simple no-sugar-added method to caramelize them for topping the oatmeal.  They add such delightful sweetness that I go light on the sugar that I add to my oatmeal.

I topped the whole glorious mess with Trader Joe's Legendary Nut and Berry Mix which contains almonds, cranberries, raisins, cashews, blueberries walnuts and raspberries.

It was heaven in a bowl.

Cinnamon Spiced Oatmeal with Caramelized Bananas
serves 1

1/2 ripe banana, sliced into approximately 1/2'' thick slices

non-stick cooking spray

1/2 cup old fashioned oatmeal (make sure to use gluten-free oatmeal, if desired)
1 cup water
pinch salt
3 tablespoons egg whites (or the white from 1 large egg, this is completely optional and doesn't really affect the flavor in my opinion, I add it for extra protein)
1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
drizzle of maple syrup (about 1 teaspoon but really, to taste) or sweetener of your choice:  agave, honey, brown sugar or stevia)
splash of vanilla extract

trail mix, nuts/fruit, milk, non-dairy milk, granola, etc. - optional, for garnish

First, make the caramelized bananas:  Heat a spritz of non-stick cooking oil spray in a skillet over medium-high heat and add the sliced bananas.  Cook 1-2 minutes, checking that they are not burning and adjust heat as necessary to allow the bananas to turn golden but not burn.  Flip banana slices once using tongs and caramelize on the other side for 1-2 minutes.

Bring the oatmeal, water and salt to a boil in a small pot over high heat.  Reduce heat, add egg whites (if using) and simmer 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened.  Stir in cinnamon, maple syrup (or sweetener of your choice) and vanilla extract.  Remove from heat and serve, topped with the caramelized bananas and additional toppings as desired.

Do you have a favorite Trail Mix?  

I am currently loving the Trader Joe's Legendary Nut and Berry Mix but really my favorites are anything that has a blend of dried fruit and nuts and nothing else.  That's not to say I don't enjoy trail mix with chocolate or  a trail mix that is more salty/savory but I usually go with a pure and simple nut/fruit blend.  No added sugar.

Short Stack

After seeing Kath and Cait build lovely stacks of waffles for breakfast lately, and realizing that I too, had a box of Kashi waffles in my very own freezer, well there was nothing anybody could have done to stop me.

Two Kashi 7-grain waffles are a serving size (!) so I toasted them up and stacked them with some plain Fage 2% greek yogurt and sliced strawberries in between the waffles and on top.  And added a small dollop of TJ's unsweetened almond butter.

My breakfast short stack was not very sweet (two waffles only have 3 grams of sugar), which was perfect for me but others with a sweeter palate may like a drizzle of honey or maple syrup on top too.  It has been a long time since I've eaten frozen waffles (or any waffles for that matter) but these tasted delicious and smelled heavenly while they toasted, which really increased the anticipation and overall experience.

Here's another fun idea for how to dress your waffles:  top them with a fried egg!  Inspired by Dana's (gorgeous) pancakes of yesterday.

After breakfast I hurried off to a doctor's appointment.  I'm not sure I'm ready to talk about the reason for my doctor's visit on the blog just yet, it's personal and I need to wrap my head around it first.

I hit the gym after my stressful morning at the clinic, which was perfect because it helped me blow off some steam.  I started off with a 1 mile run around the track @ 8 min/mile pace.  It felt good but honestly, it's already starting to get too hot outside to do any running after 9 or 10 am.  It was already 80 degrees outside at 11 am!

Today's workout in the gym was Day 23 Back & Biceps which you can see here.  After 4 days off from lifting weights today's workout was really good.  I felt strong and I was able to increase my weights on a couple of the exercises.  Progress!  I finished up with a fast 1.5 mile run on the treadmill at 7:30 min/mile pace.

I'm not a fan of running on the treadmill AT ALL but now that its starting to get so hot and humid outside it looks like if I want to continue running I might have to take it indoors :-/  Either that or start waking up before dawn, and I am NOT a morning person.

Lunch was A-MAZ-ING.  No lie.  A-freaking-mazing.

Small whole wheat tortilla (actually it's one of these Mission Ancient Grains tortillas*) with a schmear of Trader Joe's Edamame Hummus (I've posted about it before, here), organic baby romaine lettuce, sliced tomato, cucumber and orange bell pepper with one piece of CRISPY bacon.  

*FYI I'm not recommending the Mission Ancient Grains tortillas.  I picked them out when I was in a hurry and didn't really look at the ingredients (my mistake).  It contains a LOT of preservatives and un-prounouncable words which for me is a total NO-NO :-/

On the side:  a Fuji apple and some of my Cinnamon Almond Butter Dip.  And a can of La Croix COCONUT sparkling water.  Love this stuff (Zero sugar, Zero artificial sweeteners, just water and the taste of coconuts!)

I just have to take a moment to tell you how much I love bacon.  Real bacon, that is.  Yes, I know everyone loves bacon but I just wanted to tell you that I love it and I think real, high-quality bacon does have a place in a healthy diet.  Shocked?!  My rational goes like this:  ONE slice of delicious bacon has SO MUCH flavor that it's all you really need to eat.  I'd have to eat 3 or 4 slices of turkey bacon or faux-bacon to get even half as much flavor and satisfying salty, smokey crunch as one piece of the real thing.  And why would I want to eat 3 or 4 slices of those faux foods anyway?!  [Steps down off soap-box]

To eat the bacon veggie wrap I folded up the tortilla around it and shoved it in my mouth.  It's just laying there flat for the photos.

Later on, I'll have a recipe to share for Sneaky-Healthy Blondies that I made yesterday.  I was prepared for them to turn out gross but they were actually really good so I'm willing to share the recipe with you.  Check back later today for the recipe!

What are you loving at lunch time these days?  I'm usually a big salad person but today I needed something with a little more staying power.  This bacon and veggie wrap nailed it!

Short Stack

After seeing Kath and Cait build lovely stacks of waffles for breakfast lately, and realizing that I too, had a box of Kashi waffles in my very own freezer, well there was nothing anybody could have done to stop me.

Two Kashi 7-grain waffles are a serving size (!) so I toasted them up and stacked them with some plain Fage 2% greek yogurt and sliced strawberries in between the waffles and on top.  And added a small dollop of TJ's unsweetened almond butter.

My breakfast short stack was not very sweet (two waffles only have 3 grams of sugar), which was perfect for me but others with a sweeter palate may like a drizzle of honey or maple syrup on top too.  It has been a long time since I've eaten frozen waffles (or any waffles for that matter) but these tasted delicious and smelled heavenly while they toasted, which really increased the anticipation and overall experience.

Here's another fun idea for how to dress your waffles:  top them with a fried egg!  Inspired by Dana's (gorgeous) pancakes of yesterday.

After breakfast I hurried off to a doctor's appointment.  I'm not sure I'm ready to talk about the reason for my doctor's visit on the blog just yet, it's personal and I need to wrap my head around it first.

I hit the gym after my stressful morning at the clinic, which was perfect because it helped me blow off some steam.  I started off with a 1 mile run around the track @ 8 min/mile pace.  It felt good but honestly, it's already starting to get too hot outside to do any running after 9 or 10 am.  It was already 80 degrees outside at 11 am!

Today's workout in the gym was Day 23 Back & Biceps which you can see here.  After 4 days off from lifting weights today's workout was really good.  I felt strong and I was able to increase my weights on a couple of the exercises.  Progress!  I finished up with a fast 1.5 mile run on the treadmill at 7:30 min/mile pace.

I'm not a fan of running on the treadmill AT ALL but now that its starting to get so hot and humid outside it looks like if I want to continue running I might have to take it indoors :-/  Either that or start waking up before dawn, and I am NOT a morning person.

Lunch was A-MAZ-ING.  No lie.  A-freaking-mazing.

Small whole wheat tortilla (actually it's one of these Mission Ancient Grains tortillas*) with a schmear of Trader Joe's Edamame Hummus (I've posted about it before, here), organic baby romaine lettuce, sliced tomato, cucumber and orange bell pepper with one piece of CRISPY bacon.  

*FYI I'm not recommending the Mission Ancient Grains tortillas.  I picked them out when I was in a hurry and didn't really look at the ingredients (my mistake).  It contains a LOT of preservatives and un-prounouncable words which for me is a total NO-NO :-/

On the side:  a Fuji apple and some of my Cinnamon Almond Butter Dip.  And a can of La Croix COCONUT sparkling water.  Love this stuff (Zero sugar, Zero artificial sweeteners, just water and the taste of coconuts!)

I just have to take a moment to tell you how much I love bacon.  Real bacon, that is.  Yes, I know everyone loves bacon but I just wanted to tell you that I love it and I think real, high-quality bacon does have a place in a healthy diet.  Shocked?!  My rational goes like this:  ONE slice of delicious bacon has SO MUCH flavor that it's all you really need to eat.  I'd have to eat 3 or 4 slices of turkey bacon or faux-bacon to get even half as much flavor and satisfying salty, smokey crunch as one piece of the real thing.  And why would I want to eat 3 or 4 slices of those faux foods anyway?!  [Steps down off soap-box]

To eat the bacon veggie wrap I folded up the tortilla around it and shoved it in my mouth.  It's just laying there flat for the photos.

Later on, I'll have a recipe to share for Sneaky-Healthy Blondies that I made yesterday.  I was prepared for them to turn out gross but they were actually really good so I'm willing to share the recipe with you.  Check back later today for the recipe!

What are you loving at lunch time these days?  I'm usually a big salad person but today I needed something with a little more staying power.  This bacon and veggie wrap nailed it!

Early Monday Morning Wakeup

You'll have to forgive me for today's scatter-brained post.  I was up waaaay before the sunrise this morning.

Last week I told my sister-in-law I would drive her to the airport this morning for an early morning flight to Boston.  Waking up at 5 am didn't sound so bad until last night when I was up watching the Oscars until 11:30. Meh...

As I've mentioned before, I'm usually more inclined to eat a HOT breakfast than a cold bowl of cereal in the morning.  For some reason the cereal never does the job at keeping me full until lunch time.

I'm sure that has more to do with the particular cereal (i.e. fiber content, protein content, whole grains vs. processed, etc.) than the fact that it's cold.

This morning I decided to try a new cereal I bought at Trader Joe's the other weekend:  Nature's Path Optimum Power Blueberry Cinnamon Flax.

I loved its subtle blueberry flavor, and all of the different textures from its crunchy flakes and puffy Kamut grains to the fiber "twigs".  Not too sweet but just sweet enough.  I loved it.

Loaded the bowl up with 3/4 cup cereal, Almond Breeze unsweetened vanilla almond milk, a pile of strawberries and a tiny dollop of natural peanut butter.

I had two hard boiled eggs on the side (not pictured), water and coffee.

It kept me full all morning long!

Give the Blueberry Cinnamon Flax cereal a try next time you're in the cereal aisle looking for something different.  I really loved the taste and it's the first cereal to keep me full for longer than an hour or two.  Sweet!

P.S.  This is not a sponsored post (Ha! As if companies send me free products to review!)  I paid for the cereal and just so happen to like Nature's Path cereal and granola so I wanted to share that with you.


Today was supposed to be a legs workout but since my race is in LESS than a week (yikes!) I want to make sure not to overdo it in the gym.  I'm going to take it easy with a 3 mile run and take Hudson for a good 3 mile walk.  Tomorrow I'll be back in the gym with some upper-body stuff (back and biceps).

Hmm what other random tid-bits did I want to mention?  Oh!  I've been listening to the Joy the Baker Podcasts on my iPhone when I walk Hudson.  Hi-lar-ious!  Like, I find myself LOLing all the time listening to Joy and Tracey from Shutterbean just ramble on about random things (often not cooking-related).  It's a fun change of pace from my usual Pandora streaming.  Check them out if you want to laugh :-)

For dinner the other night I made BLTs.  But not just any BLTs, these had grilled chicken, avocado and homemade creamy basil pesto on it.  Whoa momma it was good.  I love BLTs because you can legit get away with eating a BLT any time of the day without it being wrong.  Don't worry, I'll share the recipe with you.  Because, well, that's what I do.  

Oh AND some roasted vegetable pasta salad.  Patience, my friends.  It'll be worth it. 

Hope your week is off to a great start!

Early Monday Morning Wakeup

You'll have to forgive me for today's scatter-brained post.  I was up waaaay before the sunrise this morning.

Last week I told my sister-in-law I would drive her to the airport this morning for an early morning flight to Boston.  Waking up at 5 am didn't sound so bad until last night when I was up watching the Oscars until 11:30. Meh...

As I've mentioned before, I'm usually more inclined to eat a HOT breakfast than a cold bowl of cereal in the morning.  For some reason the cereal never does the job at keeping me full until lunch time.

I'm sure that has more to do with the particular cereal (i.e. fiber content, protein content, whole grains vs. processed, etc.) than the fact that it's cold.

This morning I decided to try a new cereal I bought at Trader Joe's the other weekend:  Nature's Path Optimum Power Blueberry Cinnamon Flax.

I loved its subtle blueberry flavor, and all of the different textures from its crunchy flakes and puffy Kamut grains to the fiber "twigs".  Not too sweet but just sweet enough.  I loved it.

Loaded the bowl up with 3/4 cup cereal, Almond Breeze unsweetened vanilla almond milk, a pile of strawberries and a tiny dollop of natural peanut butter.

I had two hard boiled eggs on the side (not pictured), water and coffee.

It kept me full all morning long!

Give the Blueberry Cinnamon Flax cereal a try next time you're in the cereal aisle looking for something different.  I really loved the taste and it's the first cereal to keep me full for longer than an hour or two.  Sweet!

P.S.  This is not a sponsored post (Ha! As if companies send me free products to review!)  I paid for the cereal and just so happen to like Nature's Path cereal and granola so I wanted to share that with you.


Today was supposed to be a legs workout but since my race is in LESS than a week (yikes!) I want to make sure not to overdo it in the gym.  I'm going to take it easy with a 3 mile run and take Hudson for a good 3 mile walk.  Tomorrow I'll be back in the gym with some upper-body stuff (back and biceps).

Hmm what other random tid-bits did I want to mention?  Oh!  I've been listening to the Joy the Baker Podcasts on my iPhone when I walk Hudson.  Hi-lar-ious!  Like, I find myself LOLing all the time listening to Joy and Tracey from Shutterbean just ramble on about random things (often not cooking-related).  It's a fun change of pace from my usual Pandora streaming.  Check them out if you want to laugh :-)

For dinner the other night I made BLTs.  But not just any BLTs, these had grilled chicken, avocado and homemade creamy basil pesto on it.  Whoa momma it was good.  I love BLTs because you can legit get away with eating a BLT any time of the day without it being wrong.  Don't worry, I'll share the recipe with you.  Because, well, that's what I do.  

Oh AND some roasted vegetable pasta salad.  Patience, my friends.  It'll be worth it. 

Hope your week is off to a great start!

Hot (Pita) Pocket

This morning I woke up sore, like hit-by-a-mack-truck sore.  I am feeling muscles on the outsides of my hips that I had forgotten existed (Gluteus Medius for you physical therapy peeps out there!).  Probably due to the single-leg dead-lifts from yesterday's Leg Workout.  That exercise showed me just how bad my balance is - I was wobbling all over the place!  I am going to start to incorporate exercises that work specifically on my balance and core control in upright single-limb stance a couple of times a week in the gym, probably using the Bosu available there.

Breakfast this morning was a Trader Joe's Whole Wheat Pita that I split in half and toasted.  I was feeling a little indecisive about what I wanted on it so I topped half with Trader Joe's Unsalted Almond Butter + sliced banana and the other half Almond Butter + Strawberry Jam.  For a little texture I added a sprinkling of my Nature's Path Pumpkin Flax granola and for protein had two hardboiled eggs with S+P.  Coffee x2 and water (as usual).

I know you're supposed to put the stuff on the inside of the pita bread (that's what the pocket is there for) but I think you can taste it better when it's on top!  

I picked up these Pitas from Trader Joe's because of the short and easily-pronounced ingredient list.  Plus they have 4 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber for one pita and 0 grams of sugar - and just 100 calories. I'd say that's a pretty good nutritional bargain ;-)  They tasted great too!

I've mentioned before how I'm a huge fan of Trader Joe's Almond Butter.  It's 100% almonds, no salt, no sugar, no artificial ingredients or oils.  And I'm a fan of it's price tag compared to the same thing at Whole Foods!

I'm off to start my day, make sure to check back later this afternoon for a really delicious Quinoa-Oatmeal Cookie recipe!  It will not disappoint!

Hot (Pita) Pocket

This morning I woke up sore, like hit-by-a-mack-truck sore.  I am feeling muscles on the outsides of my hips that I had forgotten existed (Gluteus Medius for you physical therapy peeps out there!).  Probably due to the single-leg dead-lifts from yesterday's Leg Workout.  That exercise showed me just how bad my balance is - I was wobbling all over the place!  I am going to start to incorporate exercises that work specifically on my balance and core control in upright single-limb stance a couple of times a week in the gym, probably using the Bosu available there.

Breakfast this morning was a Trader Joe's Whole Wheat Pita that I split in half and toasted.  I was feeling a little indecisive about what I wanted on it so I topped half with Trader Joe's Unsalted Almond Butter + sliced banana and the other half Almond Butter + Strawberry Jam.  For a little texture I added a sprinkling of my Nature's Path Pumpkin Flax granola and for protein had two hardboiled eggs with S+P.  Coffee x2 and water (as usual).

I know you're supposed to put the stuff on the inside of the pita bread (that's what the pocket is there for) but I think you can taste it better when it's on top!  

I picked up these Pitas from Trader Joe's because of the short and easily-pronounced ingredient list.  Plus they have 4 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber for one pita and 0 grams of sugar - and just 100 calories. I'd say that's a pretty good nutritional bargain ;-)  They tasted great too!

I've mentioned before how I'm a huge fan of Trader Joe's Almond Butter.  It's 100% almonds, no salt, no sugar, no artificial ingredients or oils.  And I'm a fan of it's price tag compared to the same thing at Whole Foods!

I'm off to start my day, make sure to check back later this afternoon for a really delicious Quinoa-Oatmeal Cookie recipe!  It will not disappoint!