A white breakfast

I may not have had a White Christmas, but I surely had a white breakfast today!!! It looks like my snow dance and wearing PJs inside out worked. We got almost half a foot of snow... As crazy as it might sound to some of you, I actually really miss Russian winters... The snow and the air were different there... The snow was dry... powdery... The air was so crispy and fresh... Much has changed since my childhood though because of the increasing air pollution and overpopulation. It's not long before the beautiful white snow turns into wet brown gook and gets splattered all over your boots and clothes... And somehow, I still miss it. I miss bundling up in a gazillion layers. I miss my rosy cheeks...

After waking up at 6am to drive my mom to work, I decided to crawl back into bed for extra snooze time. Little did I know that I would be snoozing for another 4 hours!! :) It felt wonderful and my body needed it.
I was also ecstatic to wake to not one but three ripe bananas!!! I had to have banana whipped oatmeal again!



I vigorously stirred together (and kept stirring) until the texture became more creamy:

• 1/4 c. Instant oats


• 1 tsp. Chia seeds


• 1/2 c. Boiling water


• A pinch of salt and sugar


• Some cinnamon to taste (I love lots of cinnamon in my oatmeal!)


• 1/2 Small banana, sliced


• 1 tsp. Chocolate PB2

Topped with KIND Healthy Grains Oats & Honey Clusters with Toasted Coconut (triple yummm & triply recommended!).


I was contemplating having that beautiful green apple, but my heart was set on the remaining 1/2 banana... So I took a piece of whole wheat pita bread, topped with a spoonful of almond butter and banana slices, and sprinkled with more cinnamon and hemp seeds. I love hemp seeds - they make a great addition to oatmeal, salads, and baked goods! The flavor reminds me of pine nuts!


Now that's what I call a superfood breakfast! Complete protein, whole grains, and lots of omega-3 fatty acids!

With a happy tummy, it's now one to shovel all that snow!
Have a great Saturday!
xoxo. Veronica

Crunch time

90% of the time, I prepare my breakfast the night before. Somehow, 5 min of prep time at night save me 20 min in the morning. Last night I concluded it was time for a good ole' bowl of wholesome crunchy cereal. My love for oatmeal is a recent fad (though one to stay!). Before that, I was a loyal member of the crunchy, high fiber cereal club. Then came granola. Then came oatmeal. And recently I was introduced to the wonderful world of smoothies :)

As I've said before, I love mixing my cereals and today's breakfast was no exception!



{Bran flakes} + {KIND Vanilla Blueberry Clusters} + {coconut flakes} + almond milk = smiles!





A cup (or two) of coffee, half of an apple + a spoonful of creamy almond butter, and I'm good to go!

*****

Let me take a moment to say that you must pay a visit to Whole Foods to get yourself a bag of KIND Healthy Grains. Once you do, and once you have a bite of this crunchy, healthy goodness, there is no going back (I warned you here). KIND got it right. Believe me, I'm a hard critic when it comes to granola - it must be flavorful, low in sugar and fat, high in fiber, have a great crunch, and it must have a sparkly clean profile - ingredients that are wholesome and those that I can not only pronounce but also taste and see! Otherwise, it shouldn't be in my granola!

For example, today's bowl of cereal featured the lovely "Vanilla Blueberry Clusters with Flax Seeds". The flavor and texture were wonderful!

Ingredients : Whole grains (gluten free oats, brown rice, gluten free oat flour, buckwheat, amaranth, millet, quinoa), evaporated cane juice, flax seeds, chicory root fiber, canola oil, vanilla extract, molasses, blueberry puree, apple puree, plum puree, apple juice, glycerine, sea salt, Vitamin E (D-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate), citrus fiber, citrus pectin.

Stay tuned, because I'll be featuring a KIND {DIY} and a KIND {giveaway}!!! :)

xoxo. Veronica

4, 3, 2, 1... go!

...4 miles... 3 layers... 2 pairs of socks... 1 foot ice bath... and a protein shot spoonful later... it was finally time for lunch!

I did not intend for today's run to be fast or difficult. I just wanted to move, breathe, and enjoy. Half way through the run, my foot started feeling funky, and I got scared that the injury was coming back... Turns out I tied my sneakers too tight! And the 2 layers of socks that I was wearing weren't helping the lack of proper circulation either!

I may have looked hideous while running, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do when it's 20F degrees outside!

That icky looking thing on a spoon was a mixture of protein powder, chia seeds, and chocolate PB2 (and water) - a protein shot immediately post-run!

Lunch was a wonderful shmorgishborg!

Potato-broccoli-dill puree. Balsamic kale salad. Seitan Stroganoff + Mashed potatoes. Sauteed veggies. And Hummus!!!







There is nothing better than a warm bowl of soup and a cup of hot tea to defrost your body after the freezing outdoors and an ice bath!

...and a sweet treat will make it all better, too! {a jumbo cluster of KIND Healthy Grains Dark Chocolate & Cranberry Cluster = amazing}



Tonight, I'm going to a potluck dinner! Theme: Mexican food! ... I have 2 hours to figure out what to make and to make it! Any suggestions?

Stay warm!

xoxo. Veronica