Welcoming Year 24

Well, yesterday I celebrated my 24th birthday. Bet that makes you feel young mom and dad. I started it out on the right foot with a 7 mile run followed by protein oats and chocolate milk. I honestly wanted the chocolate milk to aid in my recovery, but part of me also wanted  it to keep my inner kid alive.

Mom sent me another Edible Arrangement. I am obsessed with these!

Kyle defiantly spoiled me with: a Kindle, lululemon No Limits tank, Brooks Utopia Thermal Running Jacket, flowers, and tickets to Second City Comedy.  All in all, it was a wonderful birthday! Thanks to everyone who called, texted, tweeted, Facebooked, sent cards, etc. You all made me feel very special! I am so excited to try out my new workout gear, and I already downloaded Drop Dead Healthy onto my Kindle. Needless to say, I am one happy girl.

New running jacket - It's a vino color and so warm for winter running!

Oh, I also forgot to mention that Choice Organic Teas sent me 6 boxes of tea to try the day before my birthday! I now have 96 bags of tea aka I feel like I should open an Argo Tea out of my condo. Maybe I should throw a tea party and let my English side out. My grandma would be so proud! Stay tuned for a review once I get the chance to try them all.

Have a great night everyone, and make sure you get your 50 push ups in! My friend Andy texted me yesterday mentioning how hard the Spider man push ups are, but he loves them too!! Try them out, and remember there is nothing wrong with being strong!

Thanksgiving Hangover Cure

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! I had an amazing time with some of my family, and happy to say that everyone enjoyed my first Thanksgiving dinner! I'll give a brief recap on it in a later post with the recipes, but first and foremost, does anyone else have a Thanksgiving hangover? I'm not talking about your usual hangover, but instead one induced from eating too much.

Well, I plan on getting rid of it ASAP. A lot of people stay in the holiday mode until the New Year and end up gaining 5 or more pounds and never get rid of the "hangover." That is not in my plans!


I find the best way to get back on track is to start with a healthy breakfast. Give my Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal a try. It's a wonderful mix of peanut butter, whole grains, and protein. You can add several mix-ins to this, but for this one I stuck with flax and raisins, and topped it with a banana and pomegranate seeds.

Give it a try to get rid of the Thanksgiving hangover. Now it's time for me to get a good workout in. Nothing gets ride of the Thanksgiving guilt like a good sweat out. Enjoy, and cheers to a Holiday season of taking control of your health.

                                                         Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal
                                                                         Serves 4

Ingredients

2 1/2 C Old Fashioned Oats
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 C Brown Sugar
2 Eggs, Beat
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 C Peanut Butter (Chunky or Smooth)
1/4 C Raisins (Optional)
2 T Flax Seed (Optional)
2 T Unsweetened Apple Sauce
1 1/2 C Skim Milk (or milk of choice)
1 tsp Vanilla

Instructions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 Degrees.
2. Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Pour into an 8 inch square casserole dish.
4. Bake for 35 minutes. The oatmeal should be golden brown and firm in the middle.
5. Top with fresh fruit, and enjoy!

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Month of Gratitude:
Today I am thankful that God gave each of my sisters a different talent. We may be complete opposites at times, but we complement each other well.

Windy City Running + Breakfast On The Go

You would think after living in Chicago for a year and half that I would get used to the wind, but nope. We are expecting 50 MPH winds today and 25 foot waves in Lake Michigan. I actually contemplated going for a run, but...

     1. The Lake Front Trail is closed because it's a bit dangerous to run with 25 foot waves crashing over the wall.
     2. I can barley fight the wind walking to work, so running may prove to be difficult.

I guess that means I'll stick to the treadmill and cross training until these winds subside. Speaking of winds, my thoughts and prayers go out to all of you on the east coast!

I know most of you who are runners were thinking this upon hearing about the storm.

I cannot believe it's almost November! That means the Holiday's are right around the corner. If this stresses you, sorry that I reminded you. I'm actually pretty excited about Thanksgiving this year because I will be hosting for a small group. Over the next month, I will be testing out some healthy Thanksgiving recipes, and sharing them with you. Who said Thanksgiving had to be dominated by unhealthy food?

In the mean time, I made some delicious Cinnamon Vanilla Overnight Oats for breakfast this morning. I love to make overnight oats because in the morning I can just grab them on the go. That's right, you can skip the McDonald's drive-thru because these oats are even more convenient and 100% healthy.

I'm sure throughout the life of this blog, I will share several overnight oat recipes with you because they are so versatile. This is a very basic recipe, but feel free to spice it up with mix ins like berries, nut butters, etc. You really can't go wrong.

                                                 Cinnamon Vanilla Overnight Oats
                                                                      Serves 1
Ingredients

1/2 C Old-Fashioned Oats
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 T Flax Seed
1 tsp Honey
1 T Vanilla Protein Powder
1 C Vanilla Soy Milk (or milk of choice - if you use regular milk add 1/2 tsp of vanilla) [If you want your oats more thick, reduce the amount of milk]

Instructions

1. Mix all of the ingredients together in a Tupperware container or jar.
2. Seal and refrigerate overnight.
3. In the morning you can add other toppings like: berries, banana, nut butters, etc.

Fall into this Comfort Breakfast

Is it weird that I absolutely love waking up at 5:15 every morning to workout? For me, there is nothing like getting out of bed and going straight to the gym to start the day with a good butt kicking workout. I actually enjoy the days where I have such a hard workout that it's difficult to walk into work or when my arms won't stop shaking while I am doing my makeup. 

Yes, many think I am crazy. I mean how many 23 year olds really wake up before dawn when they don't have to? Better yet, how many 23 years olds go to bed around 9:45 to make sure they aren't too tired when the alarm goes off? I'll admit, I'm not normal, but I love my routine.

I love my Butler Power shirt! I got this for hang cleaning some major weight(when I used to lift really heavy for volleyball).

I also love that the same people go to my gym at 5:30 AM. You almost feel like they are your friends because you see them everyday. When I was out for heart surgery, an older lady (note: she is in killer shape) noticed I was gone and ran up to me on my first day back because she missed seeing me. It's the little things like that, that make my day. 

After my morning workouts, I refuel with protein oatmeal. I shared one of my recipes with you a while back, but lately I decided to change things up. I threw together a hodgepodge of ingredients yesterday, and made Pumpkin Pie Oats. I know, you are probably tired of seeing my pumpkin recipes, but you can't pass this one up. It's not everyday that you get to eat "pumpkin pie" for breakfast! 

You can eat this "pie" without feeling guilty too because it is filled with protein, carbs, and healthy fats. The perfect fueling strong combo. Give it a try, and let me know what you think below. Who knows, maybe you'll love it so much that you'll serve oats instead of actual pie at Thanksgiving this year. -Ha...I'm not sure that would work in my house. 

                                                                      Pumpkin Pie Oats

                                                                            Serves 1

Ingredients

1/2 C Rolled Oats

1/2 C Water

1/4 C Pumpkin Puree (don't use the pumpkin pie filling)

1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

A dash of Cinnamon

2 T Chopped Walnuts (or Almonds)

2 T Vanilla Almond Milk

1/2 tsp Honey

1 T (or 1/2 Scoop) Vanilla Protein Powder

1 tsp Flax Seed

Start Cooking

1. Mix the oats and water in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave the oatmeal for 2 minutes. 

2. Stir in the remaining ingredients, and start fueling strong. 

Protein Oats

Happy birthday to my favorite 2 year old! My adorable nephew turns 2 today, and I cannot wait to go to Indiana this weekend to see him! Last weekend, Kyle and I went on an adventure to find the best gift for him. He loves Mickey, but Kyle thought a trip to the Lego Store would be an even better idea. Honestly, I think Kyle just wanted me to buy him some Legos. It didn't take long for us to decide that Korbin needed a Lego zoo set, and Kyle has already volunteered to help him build it. I guess I know what to get Kyle for Christmas this year.

Little man has grown so much in one year! 

I told you in an earlier post that I am a creature of habit when it comes to breakfast. During the week I make Protein Oats. This breakfast is filled with protein, carbs, and natural sugars that will keep you energized and satisfied until lunch. Not only is it healthy for you, but it is also delicious!

I use protein powder and almond or peanut butter to load the oatmeal with plenty of protein.  Don't worry the protein powder won't make you bulk up like the Hulk, unless you are eating the whole tub in one sitting. Instead, it will fuel you with protein that will help build muscle. Remember more muscle means: you burn more calories, you become lean, and you protect your bones from deterioration.

Today I mixed raspberries, blueberries, and figs into my oatmeal. I figured I might as well take advantage of these fruits while they are still in season. When winter comes I tend to add bananas and apples to the mix since berries are more expensive that time of year. Add in whatever fruits you like, and start fueling strong.

                                                                   Protein Oatmeal
                                                                        Serves 1

Ingredients
½ C Oats (I prefer thick rolled oats, but you use quick oats)
1 C Water
1 Scoop Vanilla Protein Powder
½ C Fruit (Blueberries, raspberries, figs, bananas, or sometimes I choose to put all of them in!)
3 T Vanilla Almond Milk
1 T Flax Seed
1 T Almond or Peanut Butter
¼ tsp Cinnamon

Get Cooking
1.       Place ½ C oats and 1 C water into a microwaveable bowl and microwave for a 1:30 – 2 minutes
2.       Add all of the ingredients above. Stir and enjoy!