Technical Difficulties

Well I’m still a little broken but at least I’m here!! Still working out some kinks, but hopefully I’ll get it figured out soon. Thanks for bearing with me. If anybody’s really good at website stuff let me know;)

I’m munching on a bagel thin with peanut butter, almond butter, and sunflower seeds while I try to figure this stuff out!

(I know- no oats!!)

I’m so excited it’s Friday—which means I get to see my most favoritest person in the world tomorrow- my momma!!! 🙂

 

Ok back to work on this blog-nonsense 😉

Have a great Friday!!!!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia!

Today started off with a huge new container of chia seeds!! I mixed up some more pre-mixed oat combo, and then made some pumpkin-chia oats for breakfast.

Oatmeal, cottage cheese, pumpkin, almond milk, chia seeds, pecans, and peanut butter!

Along with a nice foamy mug of coffee.

Race Photos

Ok I promise this is the last time I mention the half marathon, but official race photos were just posted. They actually weren’t as bad as typical race photos haha…well maybe they were…

<—I’m in the background there

<–What the heck am I doing in this picture?!? Maybe someone should tell me that you don’t have to literally prance over the finish line- it’s ok to step on it.

Funny Fitness Pictures

I woke up this morning just screaming for coffee (not much unlike any other day), so I treated myself to a homemade latte. In case you’re wondering Fresh Market Peppermint Blend and Torani Hazelnut Syrup do not make the best flavor combo. Not as bad as you might think though 😉

And some pretty simple oats: oatmeal, flax, chia seeds, cottage cheese, and peanut butter.

Having simple oats ending up being perfect this morning- there were huge banana nut muffins and little mini cinnamon rolls waiting at work, which I gladly helped myself to. 🙂

Music

This is a little after the fact, but by request, here’s my playlist from the half:

“Funny” Pictures

I don’t have anything interesting going on, so here’s some ironic “fitness” pictures for you:

No wonder we have obesity problems……

Fast Food Quiz

For some reason this morning my oats turned out extra creamy. Not really in a good way creamy. Not bad, but just different than normal. Hmmm.

I had pumpkin-cottage cheese- Amazing Grass oatmeal again. With pecans and sunflower seeds and peanut butter!

DYKT #8

Today’s ‘Did You Know Tuesday’ is a little different.

I have a quiz for you. Leave your answers in the comments section and I’ll report the results tonight 🙂 (No cheating!!)

1. Which of the following breakfast items at Denny’s do you think has the fewest calories?

a. Ham and cheddar omelet

b. Country fried steak & eggs

c. Three slices of French toast with syrup & margarine

d. Three pancakes with syrup & margarine

2. Which of the following items from Chili’s do you think has the least salt?

a. Cajun chicken sandwich

b. Classic combo chicken & steak fajitas

c. Guiltless chicken platter

d. Smoked turkey sandwich

3. Which of the following items from Macaroni Grill do you think has the most fat?

a. Traditional lasagna

b. Chicken Caesar salad

c. Pasta classico with sausage & peppers

d. BBQ chicken pizza

4. Which of the following from McDonald’s do you think has the most calories?

a. Two Big Macs

b. Two Egg McMuffins

c. One large chocolate shake

d. Four regular hamburgers

Answers will be revealed tonight!

(Today is Free Pastry Day at Starbucks! Check out the nutrition info to help you make the best decision-you may be surprised!)

Hey Mr Sunshine

Did you check out my half-marathon recap?! You should 🙂 Or at least skip to the part where I finished in 2:04:25 and was way happy about it!

There was a horrible intense storm last night, but in the morning it was like nothing even happened. The sun was out and shining, and the birds were chirping away.

Today’s oatmeal included pumpkin, cottage cheese, almond milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, pecans, and sunflower seeds. With peanut butter. Oh and Amazing Grass powder.

I couldn’t resist eating them outside even though it was a little wet out there.

I’m not gonna lie- it was a little tough coming down the stairs this morning… just a tad on the sore side haha. Today is definitely a recovery day!!

Back to Oats

Breakfast cookies rock my socks off, but I just couldn’t stand another day without my morning comfort food: a nice warm bowl of oats 🙂

Pumpkin-Pecan Pie Style. With an extra big spoon of peanut butter. You can’t really tell, but that’s an abnormally large spoon in the picture 🙂

Welcome back oatie oats:)

One more day of conferencing, then it’s all about the race baby! The conference ends a little earlier today, so I’ll get a chance to run over to the race expo to pick up my packet and check out the goods! I don’t know what’s more exciting about marathons: the running or the expos. Ok the running, but seriously, expos can rock.

 

Thanks for the song suggestions! Apparently I’ve been missing out by not listening to Lady GaGa on my runs 😉

Sneaky Friday

Today’s breakfast might look a little familiar…..  more oatmeal breakfast cookies!!

I’m missing my bowl of oatmeal, but I’m glad I have a closes substitute. Yesterday they also had fresh fruit, hardboiled eggs, and yogurt for breakfast, along with coffee and tea. Kind of random, but a nice post-oatmeal snack. 🙂

(Oh and by the way, these breakfast cookies work perfectly fine without the almond milk and baking soda I forgot yesterday- they’re dense & moist!)

I’ve definitely got a nice mug of coffee waiting for me to drink in the car too. I’m looking forward to some more fresh fruit once I get there too. Mmmm strawberries & pineapple!

Oh my gosh it’s Friday!! My week has been so crazy that I’ve completely lost track of what day is what. I sure hope I don’t forget when SUNDAY rolls around!!!

Sorry it’s short & quick, but gotta go get my learn on- conference style!

Bowl ‘O Oats to Go

Today starts my three days of craziness- early morning, long commuting, conference marathon. You know how much I love my bowl of oatmeal in the morning, but I’m leaving just too early this morning to be ready for all that. I went to this conference last year and ran across the same issue, so I invented my ‘bowl of oats to go’ breakfast cookie.

This way I can take my oats with me in the car and eat them once I’m hungry and on my way to the conference. I whipped up a batch last night. Basically, it’s exactly the same as my normal morning oatmeal, except with a little whole wheat flour and some egg substitute.

Breakfast Cookie

1/2 cup plus a little more oat combo (this means oatmeal, wheat germ, flaxseed, cinnamon, nutmeg)

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/4 cup egg substitute

big glob of peanut butter (just shy of 1/4 cup maybe?!)

sweetener of choice (I use more Splenda or agave if I’m going to eat them as “cookies” rather than breakfast)

pecans or other nuts

(I acutually usually put in a little bit of baking soda and almond milk but I completely forgot in this batch…I’ll let you know how it turns out)

Mix together and form into cookies. Bake 10 minutes at 375.

It’s just like oats- you can add in just about anything!

This are really good topped with a swipe of peanut butter 😉

I wrapped up two cookies to take with me on my ride. They super easy to eat while driving, yet just as filling and nutritious as more normal breakfast.

I also brought some Oikos Honey Greek Yogurt to eat once I get to the conference to top off my breakfast.

And of course coffee. No way I’m commuting with no coffee 😉 I’ll be re-filling that immediately upon arrival!

I’m pretty sure they have a light breakfast when we get there too, but you can never be too sure 😉

What’s your favorite on-the-go breakfast?!

Bowl ‘O Oats to Go

Today starts my three days of craziness- early morning, long commuting, conference marathon. You know how much I love my bowl of oatmeal in the morning, but I’m leaving just too early this morning to be ready for all that. I went to this conference last year and ran across the same issue, so I invented my ‘bowl of oats to go’ breakfast cookie.

This way I can take my oats with me in the car and eat them once I’m hungry and on my way to the conference. I whipped up a batch last night. Basically, it’s exactly the same as my normal morning oatmeal, except with a little whole wheat flour and some egg substitute.

Breakfast Cookie

1/2 cup plus a little more oat combo (this means oatmeal, wheat germ, flaxseed, cinnamon, nutmeg)

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/4 cup egg substitute

big glob of peanut butter (just shy of 1/4 cup maybe?!)

sweetener of choice (I use more Splenda or agave if I’m going to eat them as “cookies” rather than breakfast)

pecans or other nuts

(I acutually usually put in a little bit of baking soda and almond milk but I completely forgot in this batch…I’ll let you know how it turns out)

Mix together and form into cookies. Bake 10 minutes at 375.

It’s just like oats- you can add in just about anything!

This are really good topped with a swipe of peanut butter 😉

I wrapped up two cookies to take with me on my ride. They super easy to eat while driving, yet just as filling and nutritious as more normal breakfast.

I also brought some Oikos Honey Greek Yogurt to eat once I get to the conference to top off my breakfast.

And of course coffee. No way I’m commuting with no coffee 😉 I’ll be re-filling that immediately upon arrival!

I’m pretty sure they have a light breakfast when we get there too, but you can never be too sure 😉

What’s your favorite on-the-go breakfast?!

Double Nut Butter Oats & DYKT #7

Goooood morning!!

Today’s oats included pumpkin & cottage cheese, along with some walnuts and not one, but two nut butters: peanut butter AND almond butter. Yum. I love the nuttiness of the almond butter, but the hint of sweetness from the peanut butter.

The almond butter doesn’t melt as well, so it’s harder to get in every bite. That’s why the PB’s there for back up 😉

The tummy’s definitely doing better today—ahh the magical power of oats. 🙂 Still a little off, but much better than yesterday! We headed out of town for some family stuff, so things maybe a little sporadic around here- I apologize in advance.

Normally when I travel with the in-laws we eat lots of food out, since we don’t really have anywhere to do any cooking. I don’t normally mind when it’s only for a short time, but with the way my stomach’s been acting and the half marathon coming up, I don’t want to mess around too much.

I decided to pack some snacks that I thought would be pretty tummy friendly in case we do end up having to eat out a lot. Then if there isn’t something that will sit well, I’ll have backups to keep me from chewing an arm off. I asked the husband if he thought it would offend anyone if I brought my own food. I’m not sure why I care what people think so much. It’s not their stomach.

Anyways, I’m all loaded up with goodies: Quaker Blueberry & Hazelnut Latte oatmeal packets, bite sized dried plums, whole wheat Wheat Thins, pretzels, Kashi Honey Sunshine cereal, almonds, & walnuts. Think it’d be strange if I threw in a whole jar of peanut butter?!

Here’s a quickie DYKT for you:

DYKT #7

Did you know it’s more beneficial to carbo-load the week leading up to a longer event than the night before?

Loading up on carbohydrates before an event that’ll last longer than 30 minutes could mean the difference between hitting the wall and finishing strong, but an all-night pasta party probably isn’t the best way to do it.

The idea behind carbo-loading is to maximize the amount of glycogen you have stored in your muscles come race time. By stocking up on carbs, you can increase the amount of glycogen in your muscles from 80-120 mmol/kg to 200 mmol/kg- quite a difference!

Also the point is to specific eat more carbohydrates- not more calories in general, or more fat, etc. Your body does need more calories so the extra can be stored as fuel, but that should be achieved by exercising less, not eating more. Exercising less (tapering) gives your muscles a chance to relax, repair any damage, and store glycogen.

Glycogen stored in your muscles not only provides energy during your race, but it also helps prevent dehydration. For every gram of carbohydrate stored in your muscles, 3 grams of water are stored.

Complex carbohydrates are probably your best option, but what’s more important is not to change your diet too much. This isn’t the time to be messing around! Remember, some carbs like fruit and fruit juice can cause diarrhea in some people. Stick to what you know!

Don’t want to eat more carbohydrates all week long? The most important time period to consumer carbohydrates is the 3 days leading up to the event.

Happy carbing!