Today got off to a great start! No reason in particular, just a bunch of “little things” combined to make a pretty great morning.
I started off the day with a 30-minute elliptical interval workout, followed by my “Anything for a Minute” circuit workout twice through. My elliptical intervals looked like this:
Definitely a great way to get your heart pumpin’ on the elliptical! The elliptical used to be my “cop out” for when I didn’t feel like doing real cardio work on the treadmill. It may not be quite as tough as one of my HIIT tradmill workouts, but it definitely leaves me sweating. Phew!
I headed home, got the coffee brewing, and whipped up this delicious breakfast concoction: Chocolate Chia Proatmeal. You’ve got to try this!
In the mix:
- 1/4 c. steel cut oats, cooked (Or use 1/2 c. uncooked regular oats)
- 1/3 c. unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1/2 Tbsp. Chia Seeds
- 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
- 1 Tbsp. peanut butter
- In a bowl, combine your oats, almond milk, and chia seeds. Let sit for at least thirty minutes up to overnight. (I normally make mine the night before, as the chia has more time to absorb the liquid.)
- Next, add some more liquid (water or almond milk) if needed and microwave for about 1:10 (depending on your microwave).
- Remove and stir in your chocolate protein powder and peanut butter. Enjoy!
How to “level up” this recipe:
- Add some sliced fruit, like a banana, into the mix for some added nutrients.
How to “level down” this recipe:
- You can remove the chia seeds, but you’re missing out on the big, voluminous bowl of oats it produces!
- Top with some coconut or chocolate chips for added flavor!
Back to all the “little things” that made my day great…
My new Vera Bradley lunchbox that I got for $8.50 during a holiday sale. Score!
Yes, hand sanitizer. I think I was most excited because I got this on clearance last night at Target for $0.88. (Granted, it was originally like $1.25, but still. It’s a steal, right?!) It smells delicious, and I finally have some hand sanitizer at my desk!
Okay, so this was no “little thing” that I enjoyed for lunch. It was pretty darn big and packed full of all of my favorite things right now: sweet potatoes, black beans, veggies, chipotle salsa, and avocado. Yum, yum, yum. It was an amazing lunch!
And, I was too excited that I forgot to snap a picture, but I enjoyed some homemade vanilla cashew butter with flax seed spread over two brown rice cakes for an afternoon snack. I have some minor tweaks to make, but I’m excited to share my easy-as-can-be homemade nut butter recipe with you. I don’t think you’ll ever buy the jar stuff again — I know I won’t!
Time to go! I’m currently cooking up another batch of my Spicy Sweet Potato Black Bean Soup (trying it with lentils instead of sweet potatoes!) to freeze and use in the future…At least, that was my original intention. After smelling the soup, that’s pretty much all I can think about for tonight’s dinner. We’ll see! 🙂
Levels 