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The Ultimate Healthy Breakfast
Today’s healthy breakfast “recipe” brought to you by our very good friends :) My family spent the weekend in the San Diego area (Missy too!) to visit our friends. Since we are all active and healthy, the weekend was full of good food and outdoor exploring.
I can’t wait to recreate the breakfast they made us this morning. It was a fun diversion from my usual oatmeal. Look at this spread:
These were toppings for mini 7-grain pancakes (made with almond milk & apple sauce, cooked with coconut oil). You might want to rethink your butter & syrup combo after this….
So many healthy benefits to this breakfast: Omega-3’s, protein, essential amino acids, protein, antioxidants, magnesium, iron, fiber.
Put them all in a bowl and what do you get? A protein-packed pancake parfait (and yes, I was proud of myself for that alliteration.) Ta da!
That is a beautiful Sunday brunch :)
I did a little research on the nutritional content of the ingredients above. Aside from being vegan, raw, and “clean”, here are some fun nutritional facts:
- Hemp seed comes from the cannabis plant (yes, marijuana) but has miniscule to no THC, and does not contain any drug properties. It does however act as an extraordinary source of all essential amino acids. (Those are good!)
- Cinnamon is a mega-antioxidant that controls blood sugar levels and has been shown to increase metabolism. It also has “warming” properties (freaky!) and in my opinion is one of the best scents ;)
- Flax seeds are full of Omega-3 fatty acids which do wonders for your heart’s health <3
- Greek yogurt. I would say that Greek yogurt qualifies as a “fad” right now but I’m right on that wagon. It’s delicious, filling, low-carb/low-fat/low-sugar/high-protein. Those are good ratios!
- Strawberries are the most popular berry in the United States (potentially arguable statement.)
- Studies have concluded that blueberries can improve memory. They are also highly addictive.
(If you have any other toppings ideas, let me know!)
Time for a hike! Our families climbed to the peak of one of the local San Diego-area mountains. My calves were burning over the steep grade and the views were beautiful, all the way out to the ocean. Love hiking with my family!
Who has heard of geocaching? It’s a GPS scavenger hunt that takes you to hidden containers where players can leave behind objects and messages for future players to uncover. The top of the hill we climbed was a geocache location and Miss Johnna found the metal box hidden in a bush under rocks. Treasures!
I love the idea behind the geocaching game. It reminds me of the TV show The Amazing Race, which is also the only reality show that I would actually consider signing up for. Thanks for such a fun & healthy weekend!
Last but not least, next installment of my marathon training playlist. This week I’m going to have to go with Kryptonite by 3 Doors Down and I apologize for the old dude in his underwear…
A little bit of a throwback… The song is 14 years old and I remember listening to it in elementary school. It’s definitely in my 200-song playlist for marathon training :) There aren’t really any specific lyrics this time that I can relate to running, just love the beat!
T-14 days to my first marathon! Time to get those 8-hours of zzzzz’s…
Let’s relive Christmas one more time.
Now that the Christmas season is over, we are done with the baked cookies, gingerbread, peppermint-flavored chocolates, and fancy lattes right? I think my ability to say “no” ran out and I completely overdid the holiday-flavored everything. At least the temptations will soon be gone and we can start fresh :)
But before we look to 2014, let’s relive Christmas day one more time.
We were spoiled with 75-degree sunshine which I soaked up on a 6-mile Christmas day run with my dad along the dirt canal wearing shorts and a tank top in the middle of winter. I’m so thankful to have this guy on the bike next to me while I pound the pavement around town.
You know you’re a runner when:
- Your stocking is filled with protein bars.
- More than one present is gear for your upcoming marathon.
- You’re Christmas presents are addressed like this:
Our holidays are pretty calm, just my mom, my dad and I. (And Missy of course.) I’m always jealous of friends with a dozen cousins and big crazy families with huge celebrations. I want a Christmas like in the movies with a full table and a loud house. (Yes I’m totally picturing Christmas Vacation right now.)
Brunch. Stockings. Coffee. Missy went NUTS. She thought every present was for her.
I had a hard time coming up with a Christmas list for my parents this year. I sent them my book wish-list on Amazon including Gone Girl, The Maze Runner, The Happiness Project and The Giver series plus a couple style Vans. They picked out the rest themselves, and I think they know me better than I know myself!
For my new apartment I am now stocked with a coffee bean grinder, milk frother, baking ware, & a kitchen scale (no more guesstimating serving sizes for nuts & pasta!)
They also picked out an iPod arm band and wrist pocket for my fuel packs for next month’s MARATHON along with some running attire. But my favorite, a gorgeous pair of earrings that I may or may not have exchanged this morning for an even more gorgeous pair ;)
Diamonds may be some girls’ best friend but this girl loves PINK.
My Pinterest boards came in handy as I made a few Sharpie Mugs. My dad recently moved into his own new office so I created and framed some quotes over top of some of my pictures for his desk. My favorite since it’s so appropriate for my life:
I love giving out one-of-a-kind gifts because they are so personal :)
My absolute favorite tv show is and always will be Gilmore Girls (followed up closely by Friends though!). And if you’ve ever watched an episode then you’ve seen the quaint town of Stars Hollow. The fictional New England town is the epitome of my dream home, and I would start every day at Luke’s Diner just like Lorelei and Rory do. (If you have no idea what I am talking about, you are truly missing out on one of the most fantastic series of the twenty-first century.) When I opened my Christmas present containing a Luke’s Diner t-shirt from Warner Bros. website……well, my face says it all:
After my 6-miler I spent a few hours just lounging in bed with a new book, some music, coffee and snacks which felt HEAVENLY.
After dinner, my mom and I walked our neighborhood to “pre-burn” some of our Christmas dessert calories ;) We are big fans of the “pre-burn” in our house. I know I’m not the only one who is thankful that the Christmas desserts are done. They are hard to refuse but nasty to lose….January’s gym sessions will be spent undoing December’s desserts ;)
And with that another Christmas come n’ gone!
Weekend in Snapshots
Pictures can do the past 48 hours more justice than words could. My parents drove up for the weekend to celebrate my birthday and were greeted with a beautiful blanket of snow. First stop: the track. Work hard then play hard ;)
With the time trial completed, we headed downtown for the night!
One of the best friends I could ask for!
Peanuts in their shell remind me of baseball. Take ME out to the balllllllll game!
SNOWFLAKES!
Night 2 – Greek food! Shared a delicious Greek pizza & Pita Wrap. Yes, I splurged this weeked (AFTER a 75 minute gym sesh)
Yep. That’s caramel. And chocolate pretzels. And ice cream. Health nuts have birthday dessert too ;) Like I said – I splurged! (I may have “wished” that these calories just disappeared…) And I definitely hit the treadmill for a 10-miler the next morning!
Love having my family here, and the weekend was definitely too short. As my parents first experience with snow, we had an unforgettable weekend! Only one thing was missing…..
Strong Like My Coffee 