Before I get to my recipe for seriously delicious oats I will show you my latest salad monster creation.

Yes, I eat my salad monsters in a casserole dish because I like having the sides to stop falling food.  Don’t judge.  My new favorite salad monster includes half a Boca burger chopped up, lots of mushrooms, 2 scoop hummus, carrots, and croutons.

I got to enjoy my dinner with flowers on my coffee table.  My first grade of the semester came through and it was an A!!!!!!!!!  Jordan surprised me with congratulatory flowers.

After dinner and Insanity it was time to ice the leg and pass out.  One day of summer session down and I am exhausted, have to recite both Tuesday and Thursday,  and my apartment looks like a tornado hit it.

Banana Split Oats

I just realized these pictures are fairly terrible, but the oats are amazing!

1/3 cup Bob’s Mill 5 grain cereal, or oats of your choice

2/3 cup water

1 tsp flax meal

1/2 scoop BSN Lean Dessert Chocolate Pudding protein powder

splash or two of soymilk

shredded cocunut

strawberries

half a banna

Prepare the cereal as directed with water and 1 tsp flax meal.  Once cooked stir scoop of protein powder and splash of soymilk.  You want just a tad thinner consistency than you usually eat because the coconut shreds will soak up some of the liquid.  After the protein is mixed it is optional to heat for additional 30 secs in microwave-if it has gotten cold.  Top oats with shredded coconut, diced strawberries, and sliced banana.  Stir and enjoy a sweet breakfast treat!

Optional to serve these oats in the “Good Morning Gorgeous” mug.

Good morning bloggers.  Let me just start by saying that Jordan and I got our bootays kicked my the Insanity Fit Test last night.  Let me give you a summary:

• Mistake Number 1:  Not fueling before the workout. I thought I could wait and just eat dinner after.  Wrong.
• Mistake Number 2:  Thinking I was in good shape.  “Ha”.  Those would be Shaun T’s exact words to me.
• Mistake Number 3:  Not having a towel near by, I was dripping sweat all over my living room…gross!

I started my morning off with a nice big bowl of oats since my stomach was growling!

Tropical Oats

1/3 cup Bob’s 5 grain mix

2/3 cup water

Splash or two of vanilla soy milk

1/2 scoop vanilla protein

coconut flakes

dried cranberries

peaches or pineapple

honey

Cook cereal in microwave according to directions on the package.  Once cooked add in splash of soy milk and 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder.  Mix well.  Top mixture with coconut flakes, dried cranberries, and fresh diced peach (or canned peach/pineapple). Then dip a small spoon or butter knife into jar of honey and drizzle on top of oats- this adds just enough sweetness. Enjoy!

*Optional to add almond butter.

I am breaking down and buying the padded biking shorts, any recommendations?

You’ve heard of the runner’s high?  But is there such thing as a biking high?  Well, I don’t know yet but I did put my first 10 miles on the bike!  And…I did not fall!  Although that may seem like no big deal, I have a really bad history with bikes!  (Insert bike wreck ending in concussion and gravel permanently stuck in my head)  Not only did I not fall, but I also cranked through all the gears fairly easily.  For me, it is not quite the rush I get from a really great run…yet…but I was able to go and bike at 3pm in 90 degree heat and probably 70% humidity. Sadly, running season is well over here unless you get up before the sun.

Verdict:  I already want to hop on my bike and log some miles!  And Katie was so right:  I am going to have to break down and get those ugly padded shorts.  My bony little butt hurts!

Moving on…we are leaving for hill country today!  The best part of the trip is that I didn’t plan a thing.  Usually I must have my hand and opinion in everything that we do, so I plan.  As you know I have been busy and exhausted (I might have passed out on the couch immediately after dinner at 7pm).  I asked Jordan to plan the whole weekend (and convinced him I really did not have an opinion) and he did!  He planned everything from the bed and breakfast, to hiking, to dinner reservations.  Unfortunately he left me to pack, but I consider it a good trade-off!

My eats have been no where near blog-worthy.  I am basically just eating my way through a Sam’s size container of salad mix and our pantry.  I do have a blog worth new oats bowl though:

I found this over-sized coffee mug at TJ Maxx yesterday and just had to buy it.  It says “Good Morning Gorgeous”.  How can that not brighten your morning?

Blogging to come:

• I will be posting my faux banana quesadilla recipe today
• Tomorrow I have a Featured Friday Fun Facts
• Saturday I have a guest post from my best friend (she is probably biased toward me and my blog)
• Sunday I shall return and overload you with hill country photos!

To the students who are now done/finishing school what are you most looking forward to this summer?  To the real-worlders, what do you look forward to most about summer?

I like lay out, tan, and read a good book.  I also enjoy sun dresses and cocktails.  Before moving to Houston, summer at home had a whole different feeling-just amazing- because you had been trapped inside all winter.  Summer is also a time for lots of family events, so summer now makes me homesick a bit!

I guess it is in my book.  I let myself hit snooze until 6 this morning although I am pretty sure I could have slept all day!  The last couple of weeks I have immediately gotten up and exercised for 20-30 minutes so that I made sure to get it in…but, this morning I decided to finish this dreaded outline I have been working on all week first.  Priorities.

To motivate myself I made a nice, filling breakfast.  And yes, I am eating instant oatmeal right now-there is no way I am dirtying a pan or standing in the kitchen for more than 1 minute 30 seconds.

OAIJ:  with some apple chunks and cereal topping.  This tasted a lot better before I went outside and realized it was as hot and muggy as the rain forest.  Maybe some iced coffee is in order.

Let me give a photo recap of what I have been eating all week and a quick workout review.

Eats:

Lots of cereal, protein powder, and berries.  At least one meal a day, usually two.

Packed up a few of these home-made tv dinners.  This is just a bag of frozen california vegetable mix, brown rice, chicken pieces, and low sodium teriyaki sauce.

Soup with the last of my mushrooms, spinach, and pitas.

A frozen black-bean, butternut squash burrito topped with Laughing cow.

So glad I made a few of these awhile back and froze them.  Instant lunch.  Click here for recipe.

Last night I created another wrap of sorts.  Can you tell what the hubby and I survive off when we have no time to cook or grocery shop?  Wraps are a lifesaver!  (*Tip:  Flatouts keep well in the freezer.  Buy an extra package and keep it on hand for weeks like this one*)

Southwest-style egg wrap

1 Flatout (best shape to work with)

1 wedge Laughing Cow

1/4 cup egg beaters

2 Tbsp or handfuls black beans

Tomatoes or salsa

In microwave safe dish cook your eggs until done.  Take out and break apart with fork.  Heat small skillet on stove med-high to high.

Spread 1 wedge Laughing cow out all over wrap.  Towards one end add eggs, black beans, and tomatoes.  Sprinkle on any desired seasonings.  Roll wrap up tightly.

Place wrap on hot skillet and lightly press down with spatula.  Cook until light brown and slight crisp.  Flip and repeat on other side.  Enjoy!

Helpful hints:

• I used both canned black beans and tomatoes because that was all we had!  Improvise people, this is meant to be easy.
• A panini press would work great if you are lucky enough to have one

Workouts:

If you can’t tell, I rarely leave the library or my desk chair.  I can tell, it is taking a toll on my body!  Besides already looking frumpy, I can feel my energy levels shriveling up.  That said, I have kept to my monthly goal of at least 30 minutes a day.  I wake up and immediately do Level 2 Shred or hit the treadmill for a HIIT workout.  These two things seem to pack the most punch for me right now.

I have completely disregarded strength training.  I can tell.  Things are starting to droop after skipping for about 3 weeks now.  I am going to make an effort to put in at least one day of strength work until I get through finals.

Okay, I am going to end this incredibly long post now…and come back with a second one just for Friday Fun Facts.

These babies arrived in the mail earlier this week and I finally got to break into them this morning (thank you for Admin law being cancelled!). It gets hotter than you know what in Houston during the summer, so a lot of outside activity gets limited.  I thought it would be a good idea to restock my DVDcollection.  I have heard some good things in the blogworld about Core Fusion so I got on Half.com and got the 3 Dvd set and Arms & Abs for 30 bucks!  Including shipping.  Pretty sweet deal if you ask me.

I gave the Arms and Abs a go this morning.  It was different than my usual DVD workout.  I usually like really intense, fast paced workouts; this one was slow and focused.  And if slow and focused gives me those abs then count me in!

Core Fusion Arms & Abs

Things I loved:

• The incorporated stretching was great!  I need to stretch more and making it part of the program was perfect.  (Jillian, I wish you would add stretching to your 30 Day Shred).
• My stomach actually felt slimmer afterwards.  There was so much focus on deep moves, that I ended up still keeping the posture.

Things I didn’t love so much:

• I thought the music was lame.  Of course, I think all DVD workout music is lame.
• I didn’t break a sweat.  When I workout, I feel like I need to sweat in order to feel accomplished.

Overall:  I will definitely be adding these to my routine.  I would like to do Core Fusion once a week and see if I notice a difference in tone.

Breakfast was some seriously watery overnight oats.  This would be the result of making overnight oats at midnight when you are already sleep deprived.  I also start my morning with a huge jug of water.  And a multi-vitamin.  I am a stickler about the multi-vitamin during finals season.

As much as I should do yoga, I don’t.  But, if you do then check out The Best Yoga for Women.

And now for the second installment…

Friday Fun Facts

• I just bought a new car this week.  Well the car is new to me.  It is a 2007 PT Cruiser.  In my life I could have never imagined driving one of these, but we got a major deal on it!  (I am an SUV girl all the way)  If you are in Houston and looking for a car, check out Momentum Volkswagen in River Oaks.  They were great to us.
• I was a 10 year 4H member.  I would say I was pretty good, won my fair (not pun intended) share of champion ribbons.
• I have never gone skiing.  Water or snow.  I really have no desire to either.  I hate being out in the cold.  And when it comes to water, I would rather lay out and work on my tan.
• I hate grape flavored anything.  I love grapes, but cannot stand anything artificially grape flavored.  It reminds of that grape-tasting medicine I took as a kid.  Yuck!
• Most random fun fact of all:  I still have a baby tooth.  Yep, weird huh?  You can’t tell but I have one tooth that never had an adult tooth grow in, so it never fell out.

Alright, everyone leave a comment with one random fun fact about yourself!

I have spent the last 6-7 months training for races.  That means I ran.  A lot.  I didn’t really cross train because my goal was to build speed; therefore, I ran, did speed work, and did long runs.  I am starting to do a lot more exercises that don’t involve running, such as Jillian’s 30 Day Shred.  Yesterday morning I got in Level 1 real quick before heading to the library.

This morning…

Ahhhh, I am sore!  Level 1 Fail.  My legs and lats are crying.  No worries Jillian, I will conquer all 3 levels.

Breakfast this morning was some leftover oats eaten overnight oats style.  For once I really, really enjoyed them cold.  It is hot here in Houston you know.  I topped them with all sorts of goodies.

Although I wish that were little pieces of chocolate on top of my oats, it isn’t.  It is pieces of this bar.  I got this bar on discount the other day at GNC.  I really wanted to like the bar, but gross!  The consistency is just downright awful.  However, chopped into little pieces and put on top of oatmeal it isn’t too bad at all.

I messed up my alarm somehow and ended up sleeping until 6, an hour late.  Therefore, no ab or strength work this morning.  I hope I can fit it in later in the day!

Tuesday Recap

All of my food for the school day.  I had the Luna bar for breakfast and was not impressed.  I really like Luna bars.  Haven’t met one I don’t like until this one, Berry Almond.  I could barely get the wrapper off due to the thick, sticky berry glaze.  The bar almost seemed like it was covered in raspberry syrup or jelly.  It was overly sweet and I didn’t find any almonds.  Has anyone else tried this flavor? Did the heat melt it or something funky?

Anyway…

Lunch was another My Fit Foods meal.  This was turkey meatloaf with mashed sweet potatoes and broccoli.  Again, tasty!  The turkey meatloaf had a bit different consistency than I was expecting but had really good flavor.  The state were impressive:  250 calories, 15 g protein, 8g fat.

Obviously 250 calories is NOT nearly enough calories for lunch, so I enjoyed a giant bowl of strawberries, and 1/4th Oatmeal raisin PowerBar for dessert.

Snack of they day was cocoa roasted almonds.  Yum!  Addicting, so I pre-portioned about 1.2 servings to last me.

Dinner was another monster-sized wrap.  I am loving these Joseph’s Lavash wraps.  I wish they sold them somewhere besides WalMart.  This baby had 1 Laughing Cow wedge, hummus, mushroom, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, and some Parmesan cheese.  Oh yes, it was as good as it sounds!

On the side I had a salad.  We went grocery shopping on Easter and of course only 1 store was open near us, so we ended up buying a bag of salad mix.  Ugh.  This stuff was already going bad, so I even talked the hubby into eating a salad with dinner to use the stuff up.

For dessert I snacked on a few handfuls of jelly beans.  I sent the jelly beans to work with my hubby so I don’t devour the rest of the bag while studying today!

Off to read on the stationary bike!

The first day of finals studying and I have gotten no studying done. I have just been trying to keep up with my daily assignments which have increased a ton! All of my professors seem to be trying to play catch-up and are loading the work on. Not good timing. Needless to say, I am going to try and stay up really late or get up really early to get in a couple hours of study time.

Monday recap:

Breakfast was a nice big bowl of oats/bran. This was a hearty change from the GM. I made a huge batch to last me the week! This morning I topped mine with banana, strawberries, and AB.

There was also coffee consumed x2.

Lunch was courtesy of My Fit Foods. I got a great Groupon deal the other week for a $35 giftcard for only 15 bucks! Steal.  The hubby and I knew things were going to be crazy this week so we picked up some meals this weekend.  When you go to store, all meals have labels with size, nutritional information, heating instructions, and best by dates.

These are Miguel’s Snack tacos.  3 tacos, 270 calories, 3.5 g fat, 41 g carbs, and 18 g of protein.  These were quite yummy.

I ate 2 of the tacos and saved one for the hubby to eat.  I am a volume eater-I need to consume a lot of food- so these meals are just too small for me.  I added a side salad to bulk it up.

Overall, the food was good but the meals are pretty pricey.  If you really don’t have time to shop or cook then this would probably work for you.  The hubby and I really need more food (more volume) and definitely couldn’t afford to do this for every meal.  With that said, it might be a good solution for finals time!

Snacks included some pita chips, grapes, and handful of jelly beans.

Dinner was quick and the hubby prepped everything for me.  Sweetie.

I had another Lavash wrap stuffed with hummus, sauteed mushrooms and onions, diced tomatoes, and some scallions.  I love these wraps!  Wish I could find them somewhere besides Wal Mart because I hate making the trip outside the loop.

On the side were carrots, cucumbers, and ranch.  Simple and delicious meal.  Eaten on a paper plate-one less dish.

After dinner we headed to park to run.  Bad call.  We went right after dinner so that I could get back and work.  Maybe it was lack of time to digest, maybe my stomach just hurt…but my “run” was really more of a walk.  I “ran” 3 miles in about 34 minutes.  My stomach was in terrible pain and I just couldn’t run.  Lesson learned.

Study.  Pass out.  Goodnight.

I was really excited for my run this morning because there was hardly any traffic and only a few people out on the trail.  (Note to self:  run at 8am on Easter Sunday more often)  I had planned a 9 mile run, but within the first mile I knew that wasn’t going to happen!  It was unearthly humid!!!!!  I am entering my second summer here in Houston and still cannot believe the humidity!

I could actually feel myself running into particles of moisture.  Gross.  I ran slow.  Slower than I have in a long time.  I honestly couldn’t breathe.  The air was too thick to breathe and the allergies were horrible!  After 59 minutes and 6 miles I threw in the towel!  My hat was so completely soaked that sweat was pouring into my eyes…YUCK!

Anyway, it is hot here.  And humid.  But time to recap the weekend anyway.

Saturday started with a nice 6 mile run.  Finished in 54:50.  Not too shabby.  I wasn’t pushing too much, just enjoying the run.

During Saturday errands we stopped at Whole Foods to find this sweet deal:

Buy 1 Get 1 Free take and bake pizzas.  Yum!  These things are so huge!  Clearly I had a slice of this monster for lunch Saturday.

Dinner was a HUGE sweet potato with vegetarian beans and cinnamon.

The hubby and I also split a sliced apple with dinner.  Yes, more cinnamon.

After dinner I couldn’t beat my sweet tooth.  I gave in.  I will conquer my sweet tooth this week-hopefully!

On the plus side I made this delicious protein cake!

Chocolate covered strawberry protein cake

1 scoop Lean Dessert Protein-Chocolate pudding

1 tsp baking powder

3 Tbsp egg substitute

1 Tbsp applesauce

about 10-15 mini chocolate chips

Strawberry jam of choice

I used a bigger, shallow Pyrex bowl to cook in.  Spray with non-stick spray.  Add in wet ingredients.  Mix in dry ingredients.  I use a small whisk to make the dough fluff up a bit.  Sprinkle mini chips on top of mixed batter. Microwave about 2 minutes depending on microwave strength.  Take out and cover with strawberry jam of choice.

*I bought Smuckers sugar free jam yesterday because that was all that WalMart had–YUCK!  This had nothing on Polaner’s sugar free with fiber.  I will have to go to Kroger and get the good stuff next time!

Trooper has been a real spit fire this weekend!  Here he is protecting his squirrel.

Easter Sunday started with pre-run fuel…

Kashi Go Lean Truly Vanilla packet with banana, AB, and sprinkle of Honey Nut Cheerios.

Then I went on a run through a tropical rain forest, erh, went on a run around Houston.

I got home (showered first, no worries) and then unwrapped this baby.  All I can say is… WHY DIDN”T I BUY THIS SOONER????  Ahhhhhh….felt so good on the leg muscles.  This thing probably would have helped a lot when training for my 3 halfs.  Oh well, I am enjoying it now!

Lunch started with this WalMart find.  Just 100 calories for this monster sized wrap.

Stuffed the wrap with hummus, mushrooms, cucumbers, onions, and pickles.  On the side some pita chips.  The wrap tore a little bit while I was eating it (when doesn’t that happen?), but I loved the slightly chewy texture.

Currently snacking on a bowl of fruit, writing this post, and starting homework.  If you haven’t noticed I am a massive slacker when it comes to school.  I just really dislike all my classes this semester so I have no motivation whatsoever!  Off to read, read, read!

Anyone do anything special for Easter?  Family traditions?

Clearly the hubby and I don’t do a lot of holiday celebrations.  We live 1,000 miles from our friends and family so there isn’t much of a point.  We just did what we do every other Sunday.  (I didn’t get any Easter candy…disappointing but good for the abs)

There was a lot of weekend recap happening, but obviously I left out a lot of food!

Let me start with today’s lunch:

Lunch was a toasted sammie with Laughing Cow Swiss and raspberry jam.  Dessert was a calcium chew and half a Cliff Z bar-brownie.  Some how I always end up eating these in halves.

I also had a big ol’ GM.  I used mixed berries instead of blueberries and it turned out to be of a Mud-colored Monster.  Oh well, tastes good to me!

Now, here are some random foods consumed since Friday:

Massive jar of oats/oat bran mix.

Turned into a massive bowl of apple cinnamon protein oats.  So filling!

I had saved a couple pink pancakes for the hubby, so he had PB pancakes on Sunday morning!

Tuna salad-salad.  Yes I made this is a casserole dish because all of my plates were dirty.

New “fake garlic bread”.  Toast bread, spread on Smart Balance, sprinkle Kroger’s Zesty Garlic & Herb spice, sprinkle on Parmesan.  I am addicted to this combo!

Boca burger salad.  I promise there is Boca under all those mushrooms!  Another piece of “fake garlic bread”.

Cadbury egg!  About the only kind of chocolate candy I like!  I always eat at least one every Easter season.  Anyone else think they have gotten smaller since they were kids?  Not that that is a bad thing!

PB & J protein cake.  Deliciousness!

Found the cutest Easter treats, click here to make!

I enjoyed a wonderful 6 mile run in the beautiful, sunny weather.  I wore a thin-strapped tank top in hopes of fixing the farmer’s tan I got from sitting at the bar yesterday!

I also managed to down 2 cups of hot chocolate today.  I really wish I hadn’t broken my coffee pot.

There were also many good eats today:

I prepped some frozen banana sandwiches today.  Looks like I have dessert for the weekend!

Lunch was based with some overnight oats with greek yogurt mixed in.

On top was cinnamon apples, bananas, cheerios, and honey.

On the side a piece of ww toast with jam (and two pieces of banana-random).  I snacked on apple slices, grapes, and a mini-protein shake.

Dinner was a HUGE salad topped with mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, carrots, and a Boca burger.

I ate the last piece of my Central Market mult-grain bread.  I toasted it, topped with Laughing Cow, tomato, and crumble of Boca.  I also ate a few random tortilla chips.

Dessert was consumed.  I honestly wasn’t hungry, but I emotionally wanted dessert.  When I emotionally want sweets I try to make it nutritionally beneficial.  Dessert was “baked” cinnamon apples, spoonful of greek yogurt, half a crumbled granola bar.  I also ate a small piece of caramel.

Tomorrow is a full-on rest day.  I plan on sitting by the pool most of the day.  I will also being shopping for the hubby’s birthday.  He is turning the big 2-5 in a few days!