Cafe Latte Oatmeal

What could be better than oatmeal and coffee for breakfast? How about oatmeal and coffee in the same bowl? Yea, that's what I thought, too-- delicious! 

Cafe Latte Oatmeal

1/2 cup dry oats

1/2 brewed coffee (darker the better!)

1/2 cup milk (soy, hemp, etc. would work too)

2 tsp brown sugar

1/2 tbsp vanilla yogurt (optional)

1. Combine ingredients.

2. Cook in microwave for 2 minutes.

3. Top oatmeal with vanilla yogurt (optional).

4. Enjoy!

Wine and Dine (at Home)

It's Saturday night. I'm in my PJs, my make-up is off, my teeth are brushed, and I plan to be in bed by 10:30. When did I get so old! :) 

Like I had hoped, dinner was fast and easy. While discussing what to make for dinner, Mal and I enjoyed a glass of Red Bicyclette chardonnay, which has a crisp, vibrant, lightly fruity, but dry taste to it. For less than $10 a bottle, it's one of our "go to" wines. I drank about 3 ounces of wine while we watched the movie, Once. (P.S. Once has an a-mazing soundtrack! I can't wait to get my hands on it!!!)

Mal and I had different ideas about dinner-- he made Annie's Mac & Cheese; I made an open-face banana sandwich with a sweet spread that I haphazardly whipped-up in the kitchen. I loooooovveeee this new creation! It's especially wonderful on a warm piece of whole wheat toast. Yum! Recipe below...

PB Pumpkin Spread

1 tbsp canned pumpkin

1 tbsp peanut butter

1 tsp honey

1/2 tsp ground flax seed

My Saturday night, coffee table dinner... 

My bed is calling my name! Off to do a little reading and drift off to slumberland. Night, all!

Night In With My Hubby

Let me tell ya-- no moss grew under our feet today! Mal and I were go-go-go all day long! I'm so glad that we decided to spend the night in and relax. I need it! 

Lunch today was leftovers from Thursday night-- a salad of grape tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, black olives, feta, and a little broccoli from last night's dinner thrown on top. 

The other half of my lunch was a cottage cheese-canned pumpkin mixture, which was a yummy new discovery for me. I didn't measure exactly, but here are my ingredient estimates...

Maple Pumpkin Cottage Cheese

Serves 1

1/4 cup canned pumpkin

1/4 cup cottage cheese

1/2 tbsp sugar-free maple syrup

1 tbsp sliced almonds 

 

After a million errands, running around town, and a workout, all I wanted to do is relax. I made myself a cup of Yogi peppermint tea and caught up on my blog reading this afternoon. 

Breakfast

Mal and I wanted to get moving on our Saturday to do list, so we decided to not make breakfast at home and grab it at Starbucks instead. I ordered a reduced-fat turkey bacon egg sandwich and an iced grande soy latte-- both were delish and a great way to start my day! 

Right now, I am starving for dinner! No idea what's on the menu, but I hope it's fast and easy! 

30 Minute Elliptical Workout

Time: 30 minutes (or 50 min. if you repeat min. 5 - 25)

Workout Intensity: High

Time     Level

0 - 5  3 (warm-up)

5 - 7 8

7 - 8  5

8 - 10 8

10 - 11 5

11 - 13 10

13 - 14 6

14 - 16 10

16 - 17  6

17 - 19 4

19 - 20 12

20 - 21 10

21 - 22 4

22 - 23 12

23 - 24 10

24 - 25 4

25 - 30 3 (cool down) 

Fondue for Two More

Good morning! It's a gorgeous day in Boston! I woke up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and for once, not starving for breakfast! Our special dinner last night held me over quite well. 

Last night, Mal and I made cheese fondue for our DC friends to welcome them to the building. Yep, that's right-- they moved into our apartment building, 2 floors almost directly above our apartment. Josh and Danielle are into healthy, good food like us, so Mal and I will be eating lots of meals with them. (Danielle makes an amazing lasagna!) Now that they are all moved in (well, their new furniture arrives today), you will be hearing much more about the two of them! Welcome, Josh and Danielle! We're psyched you guys are here! :)

Our new neighbors preparing for fondue goodness...

Into our cheese fondue, we dipped French bread, broccoli, and kielbasa. Mal and I had wanted to make the cheese fondue from scratch, but we barely had any of the ingredients that the recipe called for and the 4 of us were starving. The store-bought version was so much easier! 

Josh and Danielle brought a "delightful" bottle of Pinot Gris to enjoy with dinner. The Trimbach Reserve was a full-bodied, rich, dry white wine, which perfectly complimented our fondue. Pinot Gris is my favorite wine of all!

Our new neighbors also supplied dessert: seven-layer bars. By the time dinner was over, and I had drank 3 glasses of wine, I could only manage to eat half of one, which is a first for me. I'm never too tired to eat dessert! 

Lots of Saturday things on today's agenda. Hope everyone has a nice day! 

Panini + Veggies = Lame Leftovers

I ate leftovers for lunch today. Nothing wrong with that... but after eating the same thing last night, it really wasn't exciting at all. The food satisfied my hunger, but there was no "thrill" to lunch today. (Sigh)

Salad with cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, black olives, and feta (aka same as last night)...


Also, half of a ham and swiss cheese panini and baby carrots...


Lunch from above... are you feeling the thrill?


I brought a Larabar for lunch as well, but all of the veggies really filled me up. I decided to hold off on my pistachio Larabar until later this afternoon. I'm having trouble imagining how it will taste, but I'm excited to try this new flavor!


Friday Fun

Last night, Mal introduced me to the most hilarious comedian ever. Demetri Martin is hysterical!!! He reminds me of a young Steven Wright with his Seinfield-esque observational comedy. The best part about his comedy is his use of humorous drawings as visual aids, which make his jokes that much funnier! He's definitely worth a look if you like this type of humor.

My favs:

Demetri Martin Flip Chart and Art

The Jokes with Guitar

Almost weekend time!!!!!

Energized!

The class at the gym this morning seriously kicked my butt, but it a good way! It really challenged me, especially the millions of squats that we did, which I am sure I will feel tomorrow! The class was a combo of cardio on a Bosu and muscle conditioning using free weights and our own body weight. The class definitely confirmed that my recent workouts were getting much too relaxed. I was working much harder than I usually do on my own, so I am definitely getting my money's worth so far! :)

I didn't have a snack before the gym this morning, but, by the time class started, my stomach let me know that it was a bad decision. The grumbles came on loud and strong, but they eventually went away once I started moving. After class, I stopped in Starbucks (it's location is dangerous for my wallet!) for an iced soy latte. Soy milk lattes are my faaaavorite! I'd get them more often, but jeez, they are expensive-- I paid $4 for it! It really was delicious, so I guess it was worth it.


I made breakfast in the office again today-- Kashi instant oatmeal with fresh blackberries.


Up close...


Question of the Day

With the start of the weekend coming up, what's your best tip/advice for dealing with eating out, parties, BBQs, and other social events where this is lots of yummy food?

Me: I've actually asked this question on the blog in the past, but this is an area where I often struggle with "over doing it." The more ideas and tricks for healthily navigation, the better! :)