Stickin’ It To The Day

You ever have one of those days where it seems like all the fates are against you? Like everything in the world is trying to stop you from having a good day? Ever tell those days where to stick it?

Today was one of those days…but it seems like I found the perfect recipe for a good mood kind of day…

I’ve been working out pretty steadily since I joined the gym last week, but until today, I had not set foot in the gym before 8am. Well, with my work schedule keeping me at the hospital until after 7pm this week, I KNEW if I wanted to get a workout in, that it would have to be early. And actually,  it seems like having to get up, get dressed AND get in the car is a bit more of a motivator than I thought. Before I even really felt conscious, I had a date in my mouth and was heading out the door!

And guess what! While I was at the gym, I made some new friends! After 30 minutes on the elliptical, I headed back to the activity room to make up a short circuit to run through, but when I got back there, there was already a group doing the same thing. One of them invited me to join in and the next thing I know, I’m pumping some iron hand weights!

Annnnnd? It looks like I have a new my first running buddy! We got to talking about running and I’m going to be joining one of the girls on Thursday for a 7 miler! Now…to get over the fact that I’ve only ever run 5 miles at once! Eeeek!

So after my GREAT workout and of course being on the new friend high (hey, I don’t get out much, mmkay?), I came home to my much anticipated breakfast!

Told you I knew what I was having for breakfast!

Chai Chia Oat Pudding

The verdict? Oh yeah, Elise knows her stuff! This was my first experience with the chia seed pudding texture (which took a little getting used to) but the flavors were out.of.this.world!

Anywho, back to sticking it to the bad day!

I should not have had a good day at work today. It was determined from the beginning. Here’s what went down in bullet format because, you know, bullets always make things seem more severe:

  • First patient of the day…code “brown”…if you don’t know what code brown means, think about it…it’s brown and rhymes with schnit!
  • Second patient of the day…yells at me for 15 minutes (in the middle of the waiting room) about having to come in for a scan only to sit down and shut up when I told her she had the choice to leave.
  • Doctor on the warpath
  • Lunch postponed for 45 minutes
  • Bathroom break? What bathroom break? I don’t think that’s in your job description!

All that, and I STILL left work smiling…sometimes I let things get to me too much, but not today. I rolled with the punches and kept on going!

And then there was dinner…two guesses as to what I had…

Breakfast!

Aren’t you surprised?!

Kashi Go Lean/Kamut Puffs, peanut flour, shredded coconut, raspberries, almond milk.

Ha! Take THAT bad day!

When is your favorite time of day to work out?
I’m usually more of a late morning/afternoon kinda gal, but with days like today, I think I could get used to early mornings!

Do you find you’re in a better mood after morning workouts?

Posted in Breakfast, Workouts | Tagged , , , , | 25 Comments

Coconut Chai Pancakes

Good morning and happy Pancake Sunday! I hope you are all having a fabulous weekend! It started storming here a couple of hours ago so it looks like my day is going to be filled with the excitement of housework and food prep for the week.

Speaking of food prep, I know EXACTLY what my breakfast is going to be in the morning!

I’ve been drooling over Elise’s Chai Chia Oatmeal Pudding since I saw it on her blog the other day! Doesn’t it look absolutely delicious?! I think I might actually have been dreaming about it last night because when I woke up this morning all I could think of was chai tea!

Luckily, I happened to have some Yogi Chai Black that I found on sale a few weeks ago and I decided this morning would be the perfect time to crack it open and put it the (taste) test in a recipe!

Coconut Chai Pancakes: (serves 1)
Inspired by Hungry Hungry Hippie’s Chai Chia Oatmeal Pudding

  • 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons coconut flour
  • 1 tablespoon ground flax
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup chai tea steeped in water
  • 1/8 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 1/8 cup applesauce
  • 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat a non-stick skillet over medium heat and coat with cooking spray.
2. Combine dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.
3. Whisk together the tea, milk, applesauce, oil, and vanilla in a small bowl.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
5. Spoon batter onto hot skillet surface (makes 3 small-medium pancakes) and cook for         approximately 4-6 minutes per side or until golden brown.

Top your cakes with unsweetened shredded coconut and cinnamon spiked maple syrup (1/4 teaspoon cinnamon added to 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup) and enjoy!

I love the way chai tea feels like it warms the body…perfect for a stormy Sunday morning breakfast!

This was actually the first time I’ve ever created a tea-infused recipe and I think the addition of the sweet/spicy taste of the chai tea made for the perfect companion to the subtle coconut flavor!

Well, I’m off to do laundry and make up a big batch of something for the week. “See” you guys tomorrow!

Posted in Breakfast, Pancake Sunday | Tagged , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Five Things Friday

Hello my little carob chips! How are you this evening? Probably frickin fantastic since we made it to yet another weekend! I swear, for the most part, I thought this week would never end, yet today went by in a flash! So, anybody got any big plans for this weekend? I’m on call, so that pretty much cancels out a lot of activities for me…so please…let me live vicariously through you! 😉

So, as I was thinking of an idea for tonight’s post, I realized that my evening can pretty much be summed up in pictures…

Gym time!

Tried out the arc trainer today for some cardio and then enjoyed making an a$$ out of myself in a small zumba class…oh yeah, this white girl has moves…

like a stick! :-/

Breakfast for dinner

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagain! 😉

Egg white omelet stuffed inspired by my pre-workout snack from the other day and topped with carob chips

Plain hummus, peanut flour, 1/2 a banana, and maple extract…

Mmmm!

A “surprise” visit from my man Dex

Maybe being on call this weekend won’t be so bad after all!

Oh, and I came home to this little gem!

Seems like the city of Clarksville is not a fan of my yard!

Apparently the weeds at the edge of my property are

“out of control”

10 days or I could get charged up to $350?!?!

Hmm, looks like Dex is gonna have to wait until I get back from Lowe’s 🙁

So, before I head out for the night to research the newest member of the broccoli household, I have some exciting news! How about some giveaway winners?

Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway!

Ladies, email me with your addresses and I’ll get your Flax Sprinkles in the mail ASAP!

What is one great thing about your day today?

What are your plans for this weekend?

Posted in Breakfast | Tagged , , , | 26 Comments