Holy smokes it’s Friday again!
I swear it feels like it was just Friday.
Yesterday’s workout was FUN. I love the feeling of renewed enthusiasm after a day off.
I did a 3 mile run:
- 3 min walking warm-up
- Mile 1: 6.0 mph, incline 2%
- Mile 2: 6.5 mph, incline 5% (such a hard mile!!!)
- Mile 3: 6.0 mph, incline 2%
- 2 min walking cool-down
Mile 2 was a LONG, hard mile. I stopped half way through to get water. After the run, I did the ab-solute workout (18 mins of abs) and Booty Booster workout from the Booty Camp Fitness DVD.
Since I have been doing strength training my appetite has gone way up! I wonder if that is because my body is expending more energy repairing my muscle tears? Either way I have been one huge Hunger Monster lately.
This morning I woke up COLD. A Green Monster or juice was not going to cut it.
I was really excited to try out this new product:
Nut ‘n Budder contains peanuts, almonds, flaxseed oil, organic sugar, and flaxseed. It is only available in Canada right now (you don’t hear that on blogs too often!). It is seriously addicting, subtly sweet, and very creamy. I had to hide it in the back of the Lazy Susan! :mrgreen: I could *probably* find it if I really wanted to though…if you catch my drift…
Creamy PB + J Oatmeal Parfait
Ingredients:
- 2/3 cup regular oats
- 1 T chia seeds (optional)
- 1/3 cup coconut milk
- 1/2 cup almond breeze
- 1/2 cup plus a bit more water
- pinch salt
- 1/2 banana (optional- I didn’t have one so I used chia seeds to thicken it up nicely)
Layers/Toppings:
- Strawberry jam
- Nut ‘n Budder
- peanuts
Directions: Mix together oats, chia seeds, coconut milk, salt, banana, almond milk, and water. Bring to a boil and then cook on low, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes. Take a glass and drop in a layer of jam, then oats, then PB, then oats, then jam, etc. Sprinkle with peanuts and enjoy!
YUM!
Would you like a chance to win a jar of the Almond Budder Extreme and Nut ‘n Budder?
Leave one comment below.
If you want you can tell me your all time favourite FICTON book! (Yes, I am in the market to start fiction reading again and looking for good ideas!!) :mrgreen:
Contest is open to US and CAD residents only please.
I will be selecting TWO winners. Contest open until tonight at 11pm EST.
Have a great Friday!
YAY! Give away time ~
My favorite book is “Poisonwood Bible” by Barbara Kingsolver (oprah book – did a whole show on this book with good reason)
Vampire series: Sookie Stackhouse novels that are the inspiration for HBO’s True Blood show by Charlaine Harris. There are many books to lose yourself in.
Vampire series with sex (hee hee) JR Ward’s “Blackdagger Brotherhood” series. Dark Lover is Book 1.
***I MUST echo that Wally Lamb’s “She’s come undone” is FANTASTIC! about an overweight woman changing her life – sooo good.
ciao bella!
Oh yeah – David Sedaris books will have you laughing out loud in public with no shame. “Naked” is the first book. check them out, no lie.
Oh, man, do I love Margaret Atwood. She’s a little non-traditional from other fiction authors, but I really can’t get enough of her. She has a book of short stories that are great for traveling, “Bluebeard’s Egg.” I always find myself stuck somewhere waiting (outside of a bus terminal, in a museum) and I can just open the book to any little story and enjoy myself. A longer book that I like is “Robber Bride.” It won a Booker Prize, and that’s no small feat.
I read The Girls of Riyadh recently and loved it. It’s like Sex and the City but in Saudi Arabia. It helped me to learn more about Saudi culture in an entertaining way.
Hey, I forgot to mention that you should check out SUblime in Fort lauderdale for organic vegerterian food (they cater to vegans too)!
I can’t say no to nut butters!!! And my fave fiction book recently was Twilight ;-)
I have totally gotten out of the groove of reading fiction books too!! But I would have to recommend Shantaram. So good, you won’t regret it!
I’ve noticed that my appetite has seriously increased since I started training for my marathon! I guess I should have expected that, but it’s still weird to me to feel hungrier!
I, too, am trying to work on reading a fiction book, and I just started reading “Tunnels.” It’s a newer series that has been dubbed to be potentially the “next” Harry Potter.
Thanks for hosting the giveaway! :)
Shes Come Undone by Wally Lamb– amazing book
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. Good Canadian fiction. I read it in high school for a project and it still sticks with me as a favourite!
I would love to win some Nut ‘N Budder! For fiction books I really liked the Twilight series.
Wow! Lots of good book suggestions. The first one I’d recommend is “Water for Elephants.” It’s such a GREAT read. I don’t think I would hav epicked it up based on the little synopsis that books often provide, as it’s about a traveling circus. But the book really isn’t about that, it’s about the people aboard this train and traveling circus. It is GREAT! I couldn’t put it down.
I love anything by James Patterson (make sure it’s by him- the one’s with him as a co-author aren’t as good) for a very fast, easy read. They are crime/mystery type books, and REALLY good! I read his books in a day or two.
Other good ones: The Glass Castle, 100 Years of Solitud. Next on my list is “The Help,” as I’ve heard it is really good.
One of my favorite books is _Einstein’s Dreams_ by Alan Lightman. The writing is excellent, and the subject matter is creative, at times piercing, and thought-provoking. The chapters are brief vignettes on “dreams” or thoughts, really, about how we can perceive time. Lightman is a physicist. This – his first book (1992) – was an international best-seller.
I also agree with Nicole – _The Road_ is a terrific, haunting read (can’t see how they managed to make a film out of it, though).
And I wouldn’t mind being put in the “pool” for the nut butter. ;)
Awesome book to read: The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. It is a creepy fairy tale for adults. Its pretty awesome!
I would love to win some of the nut and budder. I love nut butters so much and am always looking for new ones to try and become addicted to!
The Time Travelers Wife was super awesome read!!!
Your breakfasts always look so amazing! I got hooked on 3 minute breakfast cakes this week! Now I have something new and delicious to try!
One of my all time favorite fiction books is Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. It took me a while to get into it, but once I did, I could not put it down! I highly recommend it!
One of my favorites is a classic, Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann. If you haven’t read it yet, you absolutely have to!
The nut butter looks great!
Wow that’s a really tough questions! For light reading, The Confessions of a Shopaholic books are hilarious!!
For mysteries I like anything by Mary Higgins Clark.
I do, I do! I would looove to try the almond budder! (I live for almond butter!!!)
I also liked “The Time Traveler’s Wife”, and for a non-fiction I absolutely loved Eat, Pray, Love, have you read that?
I know you didn’t ask for non-fiction but I absolutely loved that book and I feel you would too, if you haven’t already read… why do I think you have already read it?!!
Fingers crossed for the almond butter here!!
Ana
omg that parfait looks AMAZINGLY delicious!!!!! :) i would totally love to win a jar of that stuff, especially since its only available in canada!!!
my favorite fiction author is Tami Hoag, i’ve read almost all of her books. she writes mystery…. not really horror but it’s usually around a murder or kidnapping or something like that. the main character also usually ends up falling in love with someone, haha. i really like them, but abviously not everyone is in to that kind of thing.
on the hunger note…. i think that’s normal. you’ve been working out a lot and to repair your muscles with the added strength training i definitely think your body needs more fuel, especially protein. i feel like i’m finally getting back on track myself, eating healthy (at least 90% of the time) and getting exercise in there too. i just wish it was nicer outside so i could start running again, because i REALLY want to, but this darn winter is not very motivating!!! hahaha
I’m a huge fan of F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Beautiful and Damned, The Great Gatsby, and Tender is the Night are all absolutely wonderful. They are so engaging and beautifully (BEAUTIFULLY) written. He also wrote some wonderful short stories.
Also, if you have not read One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, it is my favorite book. Easy to read, funny, and thought provoking. Same with The Catcher in the Rye, and To Kill a Mockingbird. I love classics, and 20th cent. is sometimes overlooked!
In terms of more contemporary books, The Virgin Suicides is also very good, as well as Into the Wild. The movies are both very good but the books are better (as always!!) Also, since I was younger I have always loved Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt, and Anne Frank’s Diary.
There are some ideas for you! I hope you can pick a couple and enjoy them….
-Becca
ps that parfait looks AWESOMEEE
Oh yeah and Sarah Dessen is a really good author for girly but thoughtful books. Any of them are good! I think I’ve read them all.
I love “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius” – by Dave Eggers. It is based on a true story, but takes some literary license at parts. About two brothers who grow up fast, and being in your 20’s, taking life on, etc.
The preface is one of the best parts!
Nom nom nom….nut budder….It looks delish! I love my almond butter in the am – makes my oatmeal go from drab to fab.