Friday Favorites: First Week of Work

Hi all!

It's Fridayyy!

I think I'll actually be free this weekend, since work is coming in slowly. I was so prepared to hit the ground running that I'm cherishing every evening I can leave a bit early (and by that I mean around 7:00). Weekend plans include a Flywheel class, a "short" long run of 10 miles, and seeing Gravity.

Since I don't have much happening besides the new job and training, I figured I'd share some of my favorite things right now.


Sunrises

Since I'm officially on the morning workout train, I've been enjoying sunrises this week. Well, enjoy might be a strong word since I'm not conscious enough to have any real feelings. But some part of my brain says "that's nice." And then later I look at the picture of the sunrise that I took and enjoy it.


Egg Sandwiches

I don't know when my love of these came back, but I'm officially obsessed with egg sandwiches. I used to have one every morning during my senior year of undergrad, but then stopped. I started making them at home -- an Ezekiel English muffin with a fried egg and half a slice of cheese -- but then realized I could get them at work with a whole wheat english muffin for only $1.50. This is totally reason for me to go without breakfast until I get to work at 9:30.


Grand Central Station

In order to get to my office, I have to go through both Times Square Station and Grand Central Station. The difference is enormous. While Times Square is a dirty, underground, awful place to walk through -- where I keep my head down and turn up my music and try to block out the world -- you emerge from the subway into Grand Central Station and get to see a beautiful Beaux Arts structure. It's a nice way to start my workday, even if the place is crowded.

Oh, and it doesn't hurt that the ceiling is in the color family of my favorite color, mint green.


Podcasts

I mentioned this in my workout recap on Monday, but I have to give podcasts a special shout out. Not only have I been listening to Nerdist podcasts on long runs, I'm listening to them during my commute. I really like how conversational and funny these podcasts are.

I'm saving a few with particularly funny/cool people for the Chicago Marathon which is in, gulp, less than ten days!


Do you have any fun weekend plans? What are your Friday Favorites?

My Go-To Breakfasts

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right? I always eat breakfast. It's my favorite meal. I get excited about going to bed so that I can wake up and eat breakfast. Seriously. I'm special, I know. 

These are my go-to breakfasts, the ones I make consistently; sometimes I change it up, but at least six days a week, I'm having one of these. Obviously, if I'm out to brunch I eat something different! (egg and hashbrown scramble with copious amounts of ketchup, hi.)

These are also super basic, I admit, but I love them all so much that I figured, on the off chance someone doesn't eat one of these, I had to share.

P.S. A smaller version of the parfait or protein smoothie are also great snacks!

Greek Yogurt Fruit Parfait 

• 1 cup Greek yogurt

• sliced fruit (mixed berries are fantastic)

• drizzle of maple syrup

• 1/8 cup granola

• sprinkle of chia seeds, hemp hearts, flax seeds, etc.

Last summer, when I was a summer associate at the firm I'm returning to this fall, I would eat this for dinner all the time. Typically we'd have large lunches, so on a hot summer day, coming back around 8 or 9 PM and downing a big bowl of berries and Greek yogurt was the perfectly light and refreshing meal I craved. Nowadays, it's one of my favorite warm weather breakfasts. The fiber from the berries keeps you full and the Greek yogurt gives you that protein punch that's great in the morning.

Nut Butter and Toast

• 1-2 slices whole wheat toast (depending on size of bread)

• peanut butter or almond butter

• topping (banana, apple spread, etc)

• sprinkle of chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp hearts

This is a frequent breakfast but also my go-to pre-long run meal. It seems to fuel me pretty well and there's something to be said for feeling like a long run or race day is just part of the routine.

Protein Smoothie

Peanut Butter Cup Milkshake 

• 1 scoop chocolate protein powder

• 1 small spoonful peanut butter

• 1 frozen banana

• 1/2 cup almond milk

Chai Tea Latte Smoothie

• 1 scoop French vanilla protein powder

• 1 frozen banana

• 1/2 cup almond milk

• generous pinches of cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and ginger

This is my number one summer go-to right now. With hotter temperatures comes me not wanting to eat anything hot in the morning, and I love a protein boost first thing. I use Designer Whey and Whole Foods generic brand of whey protein powder (I prefer the nutritional stats on Designer Whey).

Oatmeal

OMG! A blogger who likes oatmeal! But oatmeal is so gooooood. I love a bowl of oatmeal, particularly mixed up with banana and a spoonful of peanut butter. Go crazy and add a few chocolate chips. I also posted this Very Berry Banana Oatmeal recipe back in January and stand by its deliciousness. 

What are your go-to breakfasts? 

Random Bits and Pieces

Happy Friday! Yes, it's Friday, that happiest of (week)days.

Or the day I have the most class, but my morning class is canceled today so I am off to my first Refine Method class in quite a while! I'm excited. And scared. We'll see how the knee feels!

I've been taking it easy workout-wise this week to make sure that whatever was ailing my knee is officially a thing of the past by tomorrow's first run. Sourabh and I are going to run in Prospect Park! It'll be my first time running in Brooklyn. I'm so psyched!!

I had a bunch of scattered thoughts I wanted to share today!

Creature of breakfast habit
I am a creature of habit when it comes to my breakfasts. I think I've had the same thing now for at least 2-3 weeks, with only the occasional eggs to break it up. And the weird thing is I am totally happy that way!

My current breakfast: whole wheat toast, peanut or almond butter, chia seeds, drizzle of maple syrup, and a banana.
With a big mug of black tea and almond milk, of course!

I go to sleep oftentimes looking forward to my breakfasts. For some reason, I just start liking one thing, so I get into breakfast grooves for a few weeks where it's the same breakfast every day. Then after a few weeks, I find myself unable to finish my breakfast and not looking forward to it the night before. That's when I know it's time to switch it up!

Hardcore Workouts
I love workouts that feel hardcore. It's one reason I like Uplift Studios and Refine Method so much -- you leave a class feeling like you just got your ass kicked. In a good way. But they can be super hard to mimic in intensity at home.

My trainer, Amanda, gave me a terrific workout last Friday that focused on heavier weights for fewer repetitions. We didn't do our normal cardio intervals of burpees and mountain climbers since I had run the half-marathon less than a week before and my legs were still wonky.

I loved the switch-up! And I found it was much easier to make myself do this workout on my own. The cardio intervals are always the hardest thing for me to motivate myself through. Abby came over last Tuesday and we did this workout together at 9:30 PM. See? So hardcore.

The fact that we had a pile of weights at the end made me laugh, so I had to snap a pic. Don't worry, no one else was in the gym so we weren't being rude by hoarding the weights!

Posting Less
You may or may not have noticed I didn't post every day this week or last week. My feeling is that I don't want to post every single day unless I have something I'm excited to write about every day. That typically isn't an issue since I can be a wee bit chatty!


But especially this week and last week, where I've just been feeling exhausted and under the weather and my workouts have been a bit lackluster, I've had to wrack my brain a bit. And I never want to post something that's pointless! So in case you were wondering, that's why there haven't been posts each weekday over the past two weeks.

Illustrative of my exhaustion -- Betty, Bea, Mason, and Sourabh all crashed last Sunday afternoon. 

And yep, I'm still feeling sick. Going to the doctor on Monday I think, after a weekend full of copious amounts of rest and hot liquids, to see what's up. I'm not normally a "lingering sickness" kind of person, so this is really odd for me!

Mason knows the way home
This one is so odd to me, so I had to share and see if anyone else had experienced it as well. When we're in the park, at some point Mason just decides he's had enough walking. I'll try to coax him to walk more, but that's good for about 10 minutes, at which point he just will not budge. Well I can drag him because he's only 12 pounds, but you get the idea.

The funny thing is, once he knows we're going home, he can lead the way there. We'll be a mile away in the park and somehow he knows exactly how to go. Frequently I let the leash go totally slack just to see if he can figure it out, and he always gets us home quickly and efficiently. Weird, right??


Do you eat the same thing for breakfast every day? What kind of workouts are easiest for you to do at home? Does your dog know the way home?

Dairy-Free Almond Waffles Recipe

Somehow, it's supposed to be sunny for an entire week here. I would like to think that someone likes me, but honestly it's more likely someone got sick of me bitching about the weather and wanted to shut me up with sun. Well, consider me shut up.

SUN!!!!

I can actually show Sourabh the incredible mountains here! We're going to take advantage of the sun, regardless of how chilly it is. And thankfully it'll be sunny into next week so I don't have to worry about wasting a sunny day while I'm inside watching football (GO SEAHAWKS, by the way).

Anyway! I don't make fancy breakfasts at home. Really, I just make oatmeal, almond butter on toast, and occasionally some eggs. My dad, however, makes some incredibly tasty breakfasts for us on the weekend. Egg dishes, pancakes, and ... waffles! He's come up with a great dairy-free waffle recipe that uses almond meal, so it's not just tasty, it's quite healthy as far as waffles go. I figured I'd share it as a TGIF treat before I head out to do some freezing hiking!

Dairy-Free Almond Waffles Recipe
Serves 4

Ingredients
2 eggs, separated
2 c. almond milk
1 c. almond meal
1 c. whole wheat pastry flour
2 tbsp. oil of your choice (my dad uses canola oil)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. sliced almonds (optional)
cinnamon to taste
coconut oil for greasing iron

Directions

1. Beat egg whites until stiff. Set aside.

2. Mix all other ingredients together (if you have a blender, this step is super easy).

3. Fold mix into egg whites, then sliced almonds if using.

4. Pour into waffle iron and bake!

What's your favorite "weekend" breakfast?

Very Berry Banana Oatmeal Recipe

In the dead of January, I want something warm and filling for breakfast, but I also want something bright and cheerful to help me beat the winter doldrums (especially right now while in Washington, as I stare at a grey, rainy sky). A healthy serving of bananas and berries make this oatmeal much more fun than a boring cup o' oats! This dish is a perfect way to start the day, filled with antioxidants from the berries, potassium from the banana, and protein from the oatmeal and egg whites. Plus, lots of fiber!

I've made this three days in a row and don't think I'll stop making it any time soon. It leaves me full for hours and has lots of fruit for an added nutritional punch. Frozen berries are cheaper and more sustainable in the winter since fresh berries aren't in season for most of the U.S., and you don't lose any nutrients by using frozen berries. Since they're baked in the oatmeal, they become warm and gooey, dripping berry juice throughout the oatmeal.

If you don't like oatmeal but want to fit this powerhouse into your diet, this recipe is the perfect way to do so. My sister can't stand oatmeal but loved this when I made it for her and even requested the recipe to cook it herself! The reason it's great is that it tastes more like an oatmeal bake; no drippy oatmeal here!

It might seem like a lot of ingredients, but if you lay out the non-perishable items the night before, this shouldn't take more than 5-8 minutes tops since it comes together very quickly. 

Very Berry Banana Oatmeal Recipe

Ingredients
Serves 1

1/2 large banana or 1 small banana, mashed (slice and save other half for topping if desired)
1/2 c. almond milk
1/2 c. egg whites
1/2 c. oatmeal
1 tsp. maple syrup or honey (I prefer maple syrup)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 c. frozen berries
sliced almonds (optional)

Directions

1. Mash banana in bowl.

2. Add almond milk, egg whites, vanilla, maple syrup, cinnamon, and baking powder. Mix together thoroughly.

3. Mix oatmeal into bowl slowly then add frozen berries and mix.

4. Place bowl in microwave and bake for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Take out and mix, then bake for 1 minute more. Let sit for 30 seconds.

5. Top with sliced almonds and banana and enjoy your very berry banana oatmeal!

Are you a fan of oatmeal? How do you like to make it?