Ode to Oatmeal

Through trying various diets, I've come to the conclusion that the perfect weekday breakfast for me is plain oatmeal with fresh fruit. It tastes great after a morning workout, is easy to make at work, and keeps me full all morning. It also seems to keep me on track all day - meaning that I tend to eat less at other meals and crave less snacks, all day long, on days I start with oatmeal.



Along with my oatmeal and fruit, I will also usually have either an orange, a hard boiled egg, or a Greek yogurt. Lately, I have been loving the Greek yogurt!



Recently, while I was doing the strict Paleo/Whole 60 diet, I gave up oatmeal and Greek yogurt. The point of a strict Whole 30 or 60 plan is to eliminate any and all foods that may not be agreeing with your body. I did feel great after completing the Whole 30. I slept better, had more energy, and just generally felt happy. However, it is not reasonable to give up all sugar, wheat, grains, dairy, etc. long term.

What I learned is exactly how sensitive my body is to refined carbohydrates like white bread, crackers, cookies etc. I'm also as sensitive to wheat bread and wheat crackers. In addition to being addictive to me, these foods make me feel sluggish and tired.

After the 60 days were over, the first thing I added back into my diet was dark chocolate. Of course! Then, I added dairy back to my diet, and as long as I eat it in moderation, I'm good. Then I added back in the oatmeal last week, and realized how not only is it okay, it is the best possible weekday breakfast for me.

My favorite healthy dinner is ground turkey, a bit of cheese, and salsa. It takes about 5 minutes to cook the ground turkey, so it's perfect for week nights when I get home from the gym. I ate this meal twice this week - and no matter how many times I eat this meal, I never get sick of it.



I had a great workout week this week too. I had two personal training sessions, I did one spin class, went to Crossfit twice and accumulated over 2 hours of cardio on my own. Again, see how red my face is! This was after sprints on the rower and then 15 minutes on the step-mill at a really hard to maintain pace.



The week was all hard work, both in the gym and at the office. By Friday night, it was time for some fun, so we went out for martinis. Life is all about balance right?







On Saturday morning, as usual, Jaxson followed Ed around the house, howling in the deep, commanding voice he only uses for Ed, when he is trying to order Ed around. The order was "take me to the park, now!"



 


It's always and adventure getting to the dog park because of the extreme excitement of the dogs. Non-stop barking and trying to get into the front seat. But, once they run around, they turn into little angels.



After the dog park we went to a baby shower, and then met up with my sister for a quick snack/dinner. My sister particularly loves it when I take random, candid pictures of her, and the post them online.  Isn't she cool?



And now I'm off to zip up my suitcase and head to Dallas for the week...