Friday Thoughts

Hellooooo my friends!

Yeah I missed Thursday Thoughts...again...but in my defense, my Internet has been crazy and it takes FOREVER for pictures to load, even from my phone. Sooooo you get Friday Thoughts instead. :)

I will be heading out on a road trip later today - off to the grandparents!! This morning I have to clean, pack, finish up some schoolwork, and hopefully squeeze in a workout, but we shall see.

1. I think I'm getting a case of the winter blues. It's not so much the snow as it is being trapped inside for days on end. We only get snow storms like this every few (or more) years, so the only thing we're equipped to do is pretty much wait it out. I'm going a little stir crazy.

This is when it just started snowing - we got a good 3 or 4 inches later that day!

2. Adding on to that, my natural instinct is to hibernate. Duh. So all I want to do is sleep and eat chocolate - no workout motivation over here.

3. That being said, I still have a rather ferocious appetite which makes it a little harder to be trapped inside laying around...ha...ha....

4. snOMG my first three thoughts were complaints. No more! Whenever I bake, it's usually a hit-or-miss with my family. Most of the time, they like what I make, and they're used to my vegan/whole grain/gluten-free/naturally-sweetened goodies, but on occasion, they GO CRAZY. Insert: Whole Grain Vegan Double Dark Chocolate Muffins. Oh yes.

My family crushed that batch of muffins like nobody's business. My mom even went to the store (in the snow and ice) for more ingredients so I could make a double batch!

5. Wednesday was literally the most uneventful birthday ever. I'm not complaining, I know we'll celebrate eventually, but it just felt like a completely normal day. (See thought #1.) I did get up and make myself a very special breakfast, though!!

Gah I want sprinkles on my breakfast every single day. I made myself a "cake": Banana-Oat-Flax "Cake," Homemade Maple Cinnamon Almond Butter "Frosting," banana slices, cinnamon sprinkles, and real colorful sprinkles.

Recipe: (adapted slightly from Edible Perspective)

1/3 cup oat flour (ground from rolled oats in a Baby Bullet)

1 tbsp ground flaxseed

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

1 egg white

1/2 banana, mashed

2 tbsp almond milk

1.5 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350*

2. Whisk mashed banana, egg white, almond milk, and vanilla together

3. In a separate bowl, combine oat flour, flaxseed, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.

4. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just combined

5. Pour into a greased ramekin and bake for 30-35 minutes (until a tester comes out clean)

6. Flip onto a plate and top with whatever your heart desires!

6. I am still freaking loving my circuit and strength-based workouts. I feel so strong and energetic, and like I'm giving my body a challenge, rather than burning it out. When the weather warms up, I'll start adding runs back in (I'm planning on doing a 10k in July!!), but for now, I'm totally content.

7. One of the no-bueno aspects of a pixie cut is that I am already in desperate need of a trim. It looks way better shorter than it is right now - all it does is fluff up at the top. Haha.

8. Have you guys been watching the Olympics?!?! I've already mentioned that my fam is totally obsessed, and with all the drama from Shaun White's Halfpipe performace, Yevgeny's injury (so sad!!!), and Abbott's fall and incredible performance....gah I can only handle so much!!

9. Oh yeah, Happy Valentine's Day!! I actually like Valentine's Day, gasp!!!!! It's fun if you don't get caught up in the whole "oohh I'm single/don't have a Valentine/etcetc." And I love pink. And chocolate.

10. A lot of bloggers have been redoing their blogs, and I have to admit, I've been wanting to for a while. I'm just not totally happy with the design any more - it was cute for a first change, but now I want something a little cleaner/brighter/with widgets/etc. The thing is is I'm soooo technologically incapable that I don't even know how to start! Any suggestions???

Well, that's all I've got for you, friends! Have a wonderful day and stay warm!!!!!