Breakfasts and Lunches on Repeat

Hey there! Hope you are okay with a bit of randomness today…

I’ve been quite the creature of habit when it comes to breakfasts and lunches recently.

Breakfast has looked something like this:

Some combination of old-fashioned oats/cereal, yogurt, soymilk, fruit, and nuts/nut butter. It’s been hitting the spot!

Lunches haven’t been much more adventurous…

Between our garden, JWD’s parents’ garden, and the farmer’s market , we’ve been struggling to keep up with the constant bounty of produce on the counter. Easiest way to utilize your produce- chop it up into a giant salad! Crackers and hummus have been accompanying most of my salads. 

On the life front, it’s business as usual with the exception of a few things…

We celebrated JWD’s and my sister’s birthdays last week! They have the same birthday 🙂

This has been happening…

My mom and I took trip to Chicago for an extravaganza of bridal appointments. It was a blast! Apparently the legend of the “bridezilla” really exists because each place we went was well-equipped for her- plush dressing suites, cold beverages, fluffy robes, and a sound system with an iPod dock. You know, just in case you happened to bring along a special playlist specifically for trying on wedding dresses 😉  I have my eye on the first dress of the trip (not the one you are peaking at in this picture). 

We’ve also been enjoying some pool time in the unusually mild midsummer weather. 

I’ve discussed a lot of interesting topics with clients lately that I’d like to address soon including gluten-free diets, vegetarian protein sources, and the oxymoron of healthy restaurant food. Stay tuned for that!

Thanks for reading 🙂 

Recently…

Yay, it’s finally the weekend! I love that cozy place between last week’s craziness and preparation for next week. Saturdays are where the magic happens!

After a glorious 8 hour slumber, we headed out for breakfast and the farmer’s market.

fruit/yogurt/granola parfait, scrambled egg, Companion 5-Grain toast, and coffee.

Today’s haul included eggs, beets, peaches, blackberries, green beans, sweet corn, broccoli, heirloom tomatoes, and summer squash.

We also made a quick stop at the mall (before it got crazy busy) and made it home by 11a.m. Love Saturday mornings like that!

Let’s reverse– some highlights from last week…

Overnight oats with the sunrise. Blueberry/peach is my new favorite combo! I’m also loving Wallaby greek yogurt. This batch of oats is topped with toasted crushed walnuts.

Christmas in July! French press for one with Nutcracker Sweet inbru that I found in the depths of the cabinet.

Gracie wishing I’d made French press for two…

Food For Life Ezekiel Flax toast, scrambled eggs, and peaches +blueberries…

My new favorite snack: frozen banana slices with a schmear of coconut almond butter.

Popcorn + almonds

A few epic salads were devoured last week….

This one is a mix of greens, roasted corn/green beans/onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, croutons, and tofu. Baked salt & vinegar chips on the side.

And this one is greens, a crumbled veggie burger, brown rice, cucs, tomatoes, and dolups of hummus and greek yogurt. The salt & vin chips made another appearance!

The best dinner of the week was this Mexican bowl, hands down!

Brown rice, smashed pinto beans, sautéed summer squash and onions seasoned with chili powder/cayenne/paprika, tomatoes, greek yogurt, cilantro, and a heap of nooch! So. Good.

Also had some fun with the spiralizer. More on that later!

Also last week….

Mornin’ garden gazin’ (check out that bedhead, hehe)

And a midweek Dave Matthews Band concert! Out past 8pm on a Wednesday night? Who are we??

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! I’ve got some good stuff in the drafts folder! Thanks for reading 🙂

Post-Holiday Happenings + “No Gym Required” Workout

I hope you all enjoyed a long holiday weekend! Ours was great- family time, friend time, pool time, patio time (and a million bug bites to show for it!). I always feel a little foggy coming off of an extended vacation/holiday and look forward to getting back to my routine 🙂

To lift myself out of my fog on Sunday, I did this cardio workout. You guys have requested more “no gym required” workouts, so here you go! This is a great workout to do at a track/bleachers or anywhere with a flight of stairs.

After getting hot and sweaty I showered and headed straight to the kitchen- my favorite place to be on a Sunday afternoon. We got an amazing farmer’s market haul on Saturday, so I was extra excited to do some cooking. I made a green juice with grapefruit that totally hit the spot. Then I got to work on Kath’s baked oatmeal for the week, and white bean veggie burgers, kale chips, and sweet corn for dinner.

After dinner activities included some work (yuck!), couch time, and popcorn (yum!).

I kicked off the post-holiday Monday with a baked oatmeal square topped with peanut butter and headed to the gym for work. After work I made a spontaneous grocery trip primarily to get anti-itch cream for my bug bites. They kept me awake last night!

The rest of the day…

Lunch

Veggie burger crumbled over greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, and topped with balsamic dressing and goat cheese. A mix of Popchips and rice crackers with hummus on the side.

Pre-yoga snack

Greek yogurt, almond butter, the juiciest peach ever (SO happy peaches are in season!!!), and apple slices. Not very pretty, but yummy!

Yoga was really hard tonight. At one point I even considered leaving, but I toughed it out and my stress levels (and my hips) are happy I did.

Dinner roasted in the oven while I showered.

Tofu with a sriracha/cayenne/chili powder/paprika rub, beets, and beet greens sautéed with olive oil/garlic/apple cider vinegar all topped with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast.

Now it’s time for reading and sleeping! Thanks for reading 🙂

Easy Weeknight Dinners and a Killer Cardio Workout

Hello!

Is it Friday yet?? This week has been a doozy and we’re only 2 days in, oye. 

Hence the frozen pizza we had for dinner last night and the eggs we had tonight.

Here’s how a dietitian does frozen pizza:

First, I look for the lowest sodium per serving I can find. Then, I check out the calories (I like to stay around 300 or less). This one is Amy’s Margherita Pizza. 1/3 of the pizza comes in at 280 calories and 550 grams of sodium. Not perfect, but for a frozen pizza those stats are pretty good! Before I pop it in the oven, I load it up with extra veggies to improve the nutritional quality and give it a little more… er… “meat” so to speak. Also, I always pair my frozen pie with a heaping salad. Dinner was ready in less than 30 min!

Tonight was another late one, so we did eggs in whole wheat tortillas. People don’t usually think of eggs for dinner, but it is one of the easy weeknight staples at our house!

We sautéed onions, diced sweet potatoes, jalapeño, tomatoes, and greens in a pan before adding eggs. I had one tortilla full plus more on the side.

Backing up a bit… 

Pre-dinner, I got a workout in before leaving the gym. I was in the mood for something tough to shake off some stress, so I decided to attempt this baby…

3 Rounds:

1000 meter row

50 burpees

50 box jumps

400 meter run

This is not a Running on Sunshine original, but I can’t remember where I got it. I tend to write workouts on random scraps of paper and find them stuffed in my gym bag, wallet, car, pockets, and (JWD’s favorite) strewn all over the house. I found this one in my gym bag and knocked it out.

Now I look like this. I think it’s time for bed….

Thanks for reading 🙂

Getting in the Groove + a Cardio Workout

Hey there! Wow, two posts within less than a month- I’m on a roll 😉 This week I finally feel like I have a rhythm going in my new work/life schedule. I used to despise transitions, but I’ve had so many in the past few years that I’m learning to roll with them (and even enjoy them a little). Anyway…

I spent most of Tuesday in meetings and at my desk, so when I found an opportunity away for a workout in the afternoon I gladly took it. St. Louis gets pretty sticky in the summer, so late afternoon workouts will only be bearable for a little bit longer. I was in the mood to get my heart rate up after so much sitting, so I adapted this workout from my blog idol, Peanut Butter Runner.

Cardio Workout

1.5 mile run

*10 burpees

Run stairs – 2 laps

*20 squat jumps

Run stairs – 2 laps

*30 box jumps

Run stairs – 2 laps

*40 mountain climbers

Run stairs – 2 laps

*50 jump rope singles

1.5 mile run

After my workout, I downed a smoothie and headed back to the gym (shower not required = best perk of working at a gym) 🙂 Dinner was easy and amazing:

Smashed pinto beans that I seasoned with cayenne, paprika, and chili powder combined with sautéed onions, peppers, yellow squash, corn, and tomatoes. I topped it with avocado lime dressing, greek yogurt, and nutritional yeast. I ate mine on a bed of salad greens, JWD ate his in a tortilla.

Today had an unexpectedly calm start when my early client cancelled, so I took advantage and had a quick breakfast before heading to the gym for a strength workout before my next appointment.

Egg + egg white open-faced on an english muffin, a pile of juicy melon, and coffee. (and unpictured green juice).

I spent the rest of the day working at my desk with a lunch break featuring dinner leftovers and a snack break.

Hemp-a-licious (seriously, that’s what it’s called) brown rice cake topped with coconut almond butter and nature’s candy farmer’s market berries. This almond butter is my obsession right now. So. Good.

I was feeling fancy for dinner, so we made salmon and a crazy concoction of millet, roasted beets, roasted cauliflower, and sautéed beet greens.

Now it’s time for reading and early bedtime! We have fun plans tomorrow night, so I need my rest tonight!

Thanks for reading 🙂

A New Chapter

Once upon a time there was a blogger. She blogged… and then she didn’t. And then she blogged again… and then she didn’t. Sound familiar?  🙂

It’s been a challenging few years. I’ve been in survival mode for most of it, making sharing my life on this blog difficult. But a new chapter is upon me and suddenly blogging feels right. I’m ready to share, to be an open book, and to ditch the ideas of perfection, ideals, and “shoulds”. The perfect time will never come, no circumstances will ever be ideal in every way, and I will always be “under construction”. There is no better time than the present. 

Big changes since we last met, my friends…

1. Instead of sitting in a classroom learning about nutrition and exercise, I am finally out practicing it. I am working as a dietitian and personal trainer at a fitness center and also for a private practice dietitian in sports nutrition, weight-loss, and media. 2. I became an aunt! My sister gave me this wonderful gift- my nephew Waylon. 3. JWD and I are engaged! I am over the moon excited and the wedding journey has only just begun.

4. Therapy- lots of therapy 🙂 I told you I am “under construction”. People treat therapy like it’s a bad word. I think that is nonsense. Since when is wanting to improve yourself a bad thing? We are all a work in progress. Everyone needs a good therapist. It’s life-changing 🙂

My dream is for Running on Sunshine to be a place to share my nutrition and fitness know-how with you, a place for you to turn to for the truth about the latest health craze, and a place to share my day-to-day craziness laced with my personal healthy living tips for mind, body, and soul.

With that, let’s get reacquainted. Here is a look at my Monday… I started my post-vaca Monday (just got home from a week at the beach!) bright and early with a green juice, egg + egg white on an english muffin, and melon before heading out for an early nutrition client. After my client I got some work done at a coffee shop. After another appointment, I headed home for lunch.Leftover tofu taco salad, lemon La Croix, and the last of this yummy snack I posted on instagram today.

My afternoon included a meeting with the dietitian I work for, and a nutrition client at the gym. I snacked on a rice cake topped with the most incredible coconut cinnamon almond butter I made on Sunday and sliced strawberries and a Luna protein bar in between meetings. 

I ended the day with my favorite hot yoga class. This class makes Mondays so much more bearable. It is my religion. I have cried, laughed, bit the dust, and mastered poses I thought were impossible on my mat in this class. Please do me a favor and dedicate an hour of your Mondays to something that feeds your soul in this way!  

I was a sweaty, blissful mess after class. Post-yoga, I took a much-needed shower and threw together dinner with JWD.

Roasted sweet potato fries, tempeh, salad, and sriracha for dipping.

Then  I curled up with a new book, The Fire Starter Sessions, for a little wind down time before bed. I’ll leave you with this great quote from my book: It’s good to be back! Thanks for reading 🙂

Weekend Workouts and Pinterest Recipe Inspiration

Hello friends! Hope you had a great weekend. Today I slept in until 9am (!!) This is rare for me. I has yoga plans, so I shoveled a frozen waffle in my mouth and hurried out the door. A different teacher was subbing the class, it was hard but fun-  a lot of abs and a lot of crow practice. The soreness is already setting in. I’m afraid I won’t be able to get out of bed in the morning. The rest of the day was a typical Sunday of cleaning, homework, and prepping for the week. Oh yeah, and this happened…

I found these cookies on Pinterest and they’ve been on my “To Cook” list for a while now. The ingredients are simple (and bizzarre): peanut butter, honey, baking powder, vanilla extract, chocolate chips, and.. chickpeas! They are surprisingly delicious!

Let’s back up a bit and check out some recent workouts and eats…

The temps have certainly dropped here which made for a few chilly runs last week/this weekend. I am slowly trying to get back into running. I took a long hiatus due to a string of injuries and bad races, but I finally have the racing itch again!

On Thursday JWD and I squeezed in 4 miles before the rain hit. We averaged an 8:45 pace. Considering I am very untrained in the running department right now, I was happy with that 🙂

I planned on Saturday being a rest day, but I woke up in the mood to move so I bundled up and knocked out 6 miles at an easy pace. I was STARVING when I got home, so I showered and promptly inhaled an egg on toast and this leftover soup that I found on Pinterest. (highly recommend!)

Lower temps trigger the return of oatmeal cravings, so oatmeal has been my breakfast of choice lately. 

In this bowl: rolled oats, almond milk, bananas, stevia, cinnamon, and walnuts.

Snackage:

Plain greek yogurt topped with homemade pumpkin-flax granola, apples slices, and cranberry apple butter.

Love this Trader Joe’s butter!

Larabars are always in the snack mix 🙂

Chocolate covered espresso beans for afternoon pick-me-ups.

Bubbles!

Lemon sparkling water.

Now it’s time to put my sore body to bed. Thanks for reading 🙂

This Week’s Eats

I get extremely excited for the weekends these days. My weeks and weekends are such stark opposites. I run around like a crazy person Monday through Friday and then relax, sleep in, and do all things calm and mellow on Saturday and Sunday.

A peak at some recent eats…

Wednesday breakfast was smaller than usual because I had early morning workout plans and wanted something that would digest quick.

Coffee, a Trader Joe’s frozen waffle topped with almond butter, banana, and honey, and a taste of JWD’s smoothie (served up in a teeny beer festival glass).

I did a full-body strength workout at the gym and enjoyed post-workout pumpkin overnight oats at my desk.

Old-fashioned oats, plain non-fat greek yogurt, soymilk, pumpkin puree, bananas, walnuts, stevia, and cinnamon. Yummy!

Lunch was leftovers.

Tofu stir-fry with homemade peanut sauce. 

Afternoon snack:

Trader Joe’s whole wheat mini pitas, hummus for dipping, and an apple.

Dinner was a little unconventional.

Eggs with veggies and toast. Plus a bowl of frozen yogurt topped with chocolate peanut butter 🙂

I’m off to start my Saturday with cleaning, foam rolling (this week’s workouts have left me SO sore!), and plans with friends! 

See you soon to talk workouts! Thanks for reading 🙂

A Milestone and Monday Eats

Since we last met, I turned 25. 25!! When I was younger (and much less wiser), I used to call 25 my “scary age”. I don’t recall what I was scared of at that time. I highly doubt at the ripe age of 15 I was feeling the grains of sand slip through the hourglass. Now that I am older (and much wiser), I realize what is scary about 25. Everything in life seems more “real”. I’m at a weird age where the carefree, “I have my whole life ahead of me” attitude is fresh in my mind, but the reality of life’s hardships and struggles are now on my radar. I feel like I have a foot in both worlds. 

Well, a little over a week ago I made the leap into the 26th year of my life, and it wasn’t so bad. In fact, 25 feels right.

To celebrate, I spent the weekend in one of my favorite places- Chicago. Not surprisingly, it was a food fest! The highlights:

Native Foods Cafe

I got the Bangkok Curry Bowl and the lavender lemonade was awesome!

Piece Brewery & Pizzeria 

Love the pizza, love the beer, love the ‘hood!

Yolk

I’m obsessed with their Iron Man omelette and coffee.

Karyn’s Cooked

This was my first time at this vegan restaurant, but certainly not my last! The food was incredible- the nachos and the lasagna were my favorites.

The Chicago Diner

How could I resist a slogan like “Meat free since ’83”? 🙂 The menu was filled with mouthwatering veggie options. The Special Recipe Wings were yummy for a hot wings fix, the chocolate chip pancakes with vegan whip cream were incredible, but my favorite Chicago Diner treat was this guy…

In honor of my birthday, they gave me this vegan peanut butter cup for free! It had a graham cracker crust, rich peanut butter filling, and a soft chocolate shell. It was absolutely divine. It was devoured while taking in a little baseball at Wrigley Field.

Now, on to Monday! It’s been awhile since I’ve given you a peek into my eats, so I thought I’d share my Monday nosh.

630am: banana walnut overnight oats and coffee at home while perusing Flipboard

930am: post-workout protein shake. This is one of my new favorites. I just blend a scoop of chocolate protein powder with soy milk and a banana. So good!

1230pm: a sad little lunch at my desk. This was thrown together in my morning frenzy (guess I should’ve spent less time on Flipboard…) Beans, avocado, peppers, tomato, and cucumber with balsamic dressing. It was tasty, but it didn’t hold me over for very long.

230pm: Laughing cow cheese, mini pita pockets, and carrots. I love these mini pita pockets from Trader Joe’s!

430pm: Kashi Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal. I bought this baby from the cafeteria at work to hold me over through my evening class. I usually keep instant oatmeal on-hand as an emergency snack, but I didn’t have any with me today.

730pm: quinoa pasta, spaghetti squash, and veggies topped with Earth Balance and nutritional yeast.

900pm: To satisfy my sweet tooth, I had a small mug of frozen yogurt drizzled with homemade chocolate peanut butter.

See you soon with a list of things I’m loving right now, a breakdown of my workout schedule, and a new video post!

Thanks for reading 🙂