Monday Morning Motivations

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January 3, 2011 by buttermilkbaker

As I told you last night, we watched three movies yesterday. That totals about 6 hours of just sitting. That’s gross.

I feel gross.

So today I woke up with some resolve. Now, that didn’t mean I made it to 8:15 yoga…I’m not quite there yet. (Still gotta soak up my sleep-in days before going back to school, duh) But I made a promise to myself that I will be active today. And by golly, I’ll be active today like I’ve never been active before!

In order to make this activity happen, I need fuel. Obvi. I made myself what has become my favorite bowl of oats to date: PB-AB-banana-coconut oats.

…I know. Here’s the shakedown:

Now don’t be intimidated by the number of ingredients here. (Oats not pictured, by the way. Glaring oversight.) They come together suuuuper fast, I swear.

• Heaping 1/4 cup oats
• 1/3 cup water
• Hefty pinch salt

Now some of you may be thinking, Doesn’t she usually slice in the banana before nuking? Why yes, faithful BwB reader, I do. Adding the banana in before cooking the oats lends an extra sweetness and, more importantly, creaminess, unattained by any other ingredient. However, there are times when I want to taste the oats in their pure, unadulterated glory, and thus today I omitted the banana from the cooking process. Moral of the story: you can do whatever you want with your oats. They’re your oats, after all. Liberating, isn’t it?

At this point, I popped my oats in the microwave for about 1:30 seconds. Our microwave has supernatural powers and bubbles over at about 1 minute…which peeves me to no end. Doesn’t it know that the oats aren’t done cooking yet!?!

Ugh, technology. Anyway, after the oats are done, I add 2 heaping spoonfuls of this new Chia Fresh + my sweetener, and stir like there’s no tomorrow. This not only helps to blend the chia/sweetener in fully, but makes the mixture smoother.

This is actually pretty remarkable, if you ask me. So much fiber + protein for only 25 calories. That’s less than half the cals than my whole chia seeds at school, and more fiber + protein! Dreamy. It smells a little weird at first (methinks it’s the omegas), but once added to the oatmeal it takes on a wonderful nutty flavor. As for my sweeteners, that’s one packet of Truvia, because I’m afraid of going blind from aspartame, and 1 packet of Equal, because I’m addicted to aspartame. It’s complicated.

Then comes the fun stuff:

• ~1 tsp each of almond butter + peanut butter (my FAVORITE IN THE WORLD, might I add)
• Sprinkling of sweetened shredded coconut (directly on top of the hot oats, this releases the full coco flavor)
• Sliced bananer

Not so pretty around the edges.

But holy molyyyy does this taste good. I usually don’t mix the whole thing together so that I can get little bites of each topping, but lately I’ve begun swirling it all into a cosmic maple-almond-butter-honey-peanut-butter-coconut-naner concoction that is so good you’ll forget you’re eating oatmeal. Seriously, I crave this in the mornings.

And this is coming from someone who dies for pancakes, sausage, and migas. You must try it!

So after a bowl of nutrient-packed oats, what are my plans for an active, fun-filled day? I’m thinking about yoga at 11:30 and some shopping. I’m also considering a run, because #1 on my list of New Year’s Resolutions is…

Run my first half-marathon!!!

I am really, really excited about this. A big group of girls in my sorority at school are planning on training together throughout the spring semester in preparation for the big event on April 2nd in NYC. I cannot tell you how thrilled/anxious/nervous/AMPED I am about this you guys. I’m just hoping I can follow through. The longest I’ve ever run is 8 miles, for the Turkey Trot last year. 13.1 will definitely be a challenge, but one I welcome with open arms! Bring.It.On.

What are my other resolutions, you ask? Good question.

#2 is to find a job. Boooring, I know, but absolutely 1000% necessary. I’m having a hard time deciding what area I want to go into–Museums? (I’m an art history major) PR? (I love marketing, development, advertising, event planning…the whole shabang) Education? (I’ve been so blessed with academic opportunities in my life that I’d love to give back and bring the same kind of opportunities to other kids). Stress.

#3 is a bit more fun. And it involves you guys! I want to commit myself fully to this blog. I want to improve my writing, the topics I cover, my photography–everything. I read so many wonderful blogs on a daily basis and am just in awe of what they do and the kind of readership they garner. I would love to be able to bring to someone else the kind of joy and inspiration I gain from them.

And that’s all, folks. What are your resolutions? I could always use more ideas…

Happy Monday!

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