Thank you for entertaining my goofy side and for all of your wonderful & positive support for my Project Food Blog Luxury Dinner Party!
I am truly having a blast participating in Project Food Blog. I don’t think I have ever been so excited for a challenge or come alive so much with the blog before. It has really been inspirational for me. I just can’t get enough!
Voting is now officially OPEN, so if you’d like to show your support and send me to Challenge #4 that would be awesome. Click on this link and then click the heart. Thank you for your continued support.
By the way, Frank says, Hello Ladies…How YOU Doin’?
Frank is quite the ladies man, but I’m sure you could tell by the picture.. ;)
I think I shall keep him around for a while.
Fall Workouts and Transitioning To Colder Weather
After one crazy busy and indulgent weekend, I was very eager to get back into my normal exercise routine! I didn’t have a spare second for a workout all weekend and I was really craving it come Monday morning.
The only snag was that it was only 4C/39F outdoors with high winds so I had to really pump myself up to run outdoors this morning!
One of my best tricks for transitioning to the colder outdoor temperatures is to do a 10 minute warm up indoors before you head outside. You can jump rope, climb stairs, do cardio on exercise equipment, scrub the kitchen floor- anything that gets you working up a sweat!
This morning, I hit the treadmill for 1 mile of running (10 min/mile pace) at incline 2% with my running jacket on to keep the heat in. By the end of that mile I was HOT and the thought of running outdoors in the chilly weather seemed quite pleasant!
Transition success. :)
I had a lovely & speedy run and didn’t feel too cold at all. It was quite energizing.
The outdoor run:
- Distance: 4 miles
- Time: 33:08
- Avg pace: 8:17 min/mile
- Splits: 8:25, 8:28, 8:19, 7:55 (rocked that last mile!)
I came home, stretched, and devoured this crazy breakfast!
Spiced Butternut Squash Vegan Overnight Oats + Gingerbread Soft Serve
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup oats
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1/2 cup butternut squash
- Gingerbread Soft Serve (see below)
Directions: In a bowl, mix the oats, chia seeds, pumpkin pie spice, milk, and butternut squash together with a whisk. Place in fridge overnight. In the morning make the Gingerbread Soft Serve and layer with the VOO in a glass. Add a Soft ginger cookie if you are feeling frisky!
Gingerbread Soft Serve
Process the following Ingredients until smooth:
- 1 frozen banana
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp blackstrap molasses
- Splash of almond milk
This was my first time having butternut squash in my VOO and it was absolute heaven. It didn’t even need any sweetener!
Ta-da.
The money shot. ;)
It was the perfect post-sweaty run breakfast!
Do you workout outdoors in the Fall and Winter? What are your transition tips and tricks?
I’ll see you tonight for a wrap-up of my dinner party tips, how-tos, and tricks. I will be talking about prepping, timing of the dishes and what days I cooked what, and how I decorated.
Have a great day!
First of all, I LOVE the turkey!
Secondly, the soft serve sounds so tasty! I love gingerbread flavours! I’m going to have to try it with ground and fresh ginger!
Oh my! That looks AMAZING! *swoons*
I understand why Frank’s a ladies man, it’s all those colours…makes it hard for a woman to resist all that plummage…
I exercise outdoors as often as possible, including in the winter time. I have no-excuses gear (including a face mask) and remind myself that, yes, it may be 0 degrees out but by the time I get going, my body will heat up 15-20* hotter, that makes it not so bad at all. Plus, running in the stillness of cold, especially when it starts snowing, can be pretty magical…
“makes it hard for a woman to resist all that plummage…” hahah yes indeed
Gingerbread soft serve excites me!
I usually don’t work out outdoors much at all – we get so much snow here that I can’t imagine it in winter!
Wow that breakfast looks delicious! I love the idea of gingerbread softserve. Yum! I think doing a warmup inside is a really great idea because then you crave the chilly outdoors. I like doing jumpingjacks too as part of a warmup because they’re so easy and require no equipment!
I run outside throughout the year. I think what helps me transition into fall/winter running is being consistent with getting outside. I find if i start skipping runs because it is too cold I will be more likely to want to skip all of winter running! :) Other tips I have are buying proper colder weather gear. I like to treat myself to a nice Fall running top and that seems to help a bit! ;)
PS: Your dinner party looked amazing!
I always love your ability to capture the spillage so well. Your VOO soft serve looks like an edible waterfall! ;-)
Ohh, Franky – so suave. haha
the best transition for me is incorporating more weight training into my program. it’s harder to be outside, and so when the weather’s iffy i can still do a great workout indoors!
This is my first fall/winter as a runner so my first experience working out in the cold. This morning when I ran it was 39 F and it was definitely a little chilly, I like your suggestion though and will definitely try that.
I agree–I’m so happy I decided to participate in Project Food Blog. An excuse to get creative with food that’s for sure. Gingerbread soft serve…I can’t stop thinking about it!!
There are no words to describe your breakfast – the perfect mix of fall and winter, I’d say! I’d make this for lunch right now but I’m craving something hot instead.
I LOVE your dinner party concept. The food look amazing, the poem is so clever, and your photos are gorgeous! You got my vote :)
I LOVE your dinner party concept. The food look amazing, the poem is so clever, and your photos are gorgeous! You got my vote :)
Good idea re: warming up inside before heading outside. I went out Saturday when it was 10 degrees in my t-shirt and shorts and was chilly for the first half of my 7K run.
this breakfast looks amazing!! wow!!
it looks like you had a fantastic weekend. i made your dinner rolls over the weekend and they were amazing angela!!!!!!!!! yum!
I love working out outside in the fall — yesterday I ran a 10 mile and it was around 35 degrees when we started!!! But as cold as it was, I seem to work harder in the cold (to get done sooner) and as warm as my body gets I never overheat :)
I loved your project food blog entry — the food was beautiful and I loved your “table scape”
Glad you got back to working out! It definitely helps to relieve stress and get your endorphins going! I voted for you and know you’ll advance… how could you not?!
Voted!
Note to self – move to Canada, get invited to Angela’s house for dinner, buy strech pants.
bahaha you are funny. I suggest the empire waist. ;)
Thanks for your vote!
All I have to say is…FRANK hahaha.
As for Fall workouts outside- they are my absolute favorite. Not too hot so your slimy with sweat, not too cold so your layers weigh more than you and you can’t move because you’re bundled up like the indomitable snowman, the weather is just perfect enough to break a nice sweat. I feel crisp and refreshed afterwords rather than melted or frozen!
I’m dreading the colder weather, because I really don’t do well in cold. My lungs close up even when i walk outside, I can’t imagine how it would be if I try to run. So, I’ve joined a gym, and I’ll do some yoga at home :) Nice solution I guess.
your breakfast looks so amazing, I wish I could just take it out of my screen and devour it :D