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!!!!!

another survey

{I feel the need to insert that it's my birthday, we're trapped in our house because of Snowpocalyspe Phase II, it's raining ice, and I got all of my homework for the week to complete at home. Pshya.}

Have you been liking my titles lately? I have. Nothing too clever or thought out, but straight to the point.

Or maybe I've just been too lazy to come up with a creative title. It's my lit teacher's fault. I mean seriously, do you know how hard it is to come up with a creative/meaningful/deep title after spending over a week editing and workshopping your second rough draft? Hard. Hopefully she doesn't read my blog because I use terrible grammar.

So the amazingly awesomely awesome Emily nominated me for the Liebster Award! Do you realize how excited this makes me. Do you realize. I smiled so widely at my computer screen when I saw my blog's name on her nomination list - gah I love surveys. And her questions are great!

1. What is your favorite place (in the world) and why?

That would have to be New York City. The minute we got there, I fell in love. I absolutely loved the diversity of the people, how local everything was, the hustle and bustle, walking on the streets, riding the subway, and the entire urban culture and experience! 5 days was no where near enough time. I think my favorite place in NYC was Greenwich Village - if only! <3

2. What is your favorite season?

Fall!! It's so beautiful, and the temperatures are just perfect. There is nothing better than being in the crisp fall air!

3. What is the best recipe you've ever tried?

Oh geez this one's a toughie. I really don't know, I've tried many things, but also don't cook from recipes very often. I do have these breakfast recipes that I absolutely love.

4. How were you named?

I don't think this is much of a story, but I know that my parents wanted me to have a "J" name, and up to a short time before I was born, it was between "Jenna," "Jennifer," and "Jessica." Guess which won? ;) Also, my Dad chose my middle name.

5. Coffee or tea or neither?

HOW BOUT BOTH.

6. If you could travel anywhere in the world with no budget, but you only got to go to one place, where would you go?

Europe. No, Thailand. Nooooo Costa Rica. No, no. Backpacking through Europe. How awesome would that be??!

7. What is your most embarrassing moment?

Goodness gracious. Tooooo many. Do I have to answer?

Soooo homecoming freshman year, as I was dancing (aka showing off to my friends my super lame totally awesome dance moves), I accidentally whacked a dude in the butt really hard. Like practically punched it. And he was a really cute upperclassman.

Oh, and there's always accidentally letting farts out while doing workouts. Always a nice surprise. (It happens to all of us don't pretend it doesn't!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

8. Moving on..... What is your biggest accomplishment to date?

This is a nice question to think about! I'd say recovery, along with Cross Country.

9. Would you rather have an extra hour to cook dinner every night or go out to eat each night?

Definitely the extra hour. I love cooking, but always find myself either crunched for time/not in the mood, so it ends up being something really simple. An extra hour would come in handy! (Unless I lived in NYC and had access to amazing restaurants and takeout, then it would be the latter.)

10. What do you love about yourself?

Wow. Another great question. I think what I love most about myself is my compassion and my strength. :)

Now it's my turn to choose! I nominate....

1. Peanut Butter Loving
2. Daily Moves and Grooves
3. Sweet Tooth Runner
4. Julie Goes Healthy
5. Dulce Vie
6. The Real Life RD
7. The Little Honey Bee
8. Life's a Runner
9. My Freckled Life
10. That Running Girl

I kind of want the people I nominated to answer the questions I got cuz I like em. Is that a cop-out oorr...?? Ah well. Answer my supah awesome questions that someone else came up with!!

Eat a cupcake and stay warm my friends!!

Monday Miles #3

Hoooolllaaaaaa.

Yay Monday Miles numero tres! Wow I am muy into speaking español ahora. I blame all the Mexican food I've been eating. ¡Qué delisioso!

So who watches the Olympics? My family is really into the Olympics, and we always watch when they come on!! Sometimes I think that the Olympics are somewhat contradictory. One the one hand, they promote healthy living, the power of motivation, are soooooo inspiring, and not to mention make me wanna get out there and workworkwork work my booty off. Oh ya and the cute snowboarders.

On the other hand, they make me want to sit around and watch those cute snowboarders all day rather than move.

The struggle!

Last Week's Workouts:

Monday: 15 min treadmill, 15 min arms, 15 min treadmill, 10 min abs, 5 min cool down

Tuesday: 10 min treadmill, Full Body Workout, 15 min treadmill

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: 60 minutes spin bike (intervals), 20 minute arms, 10 min abs

Friday: Rest

Saturday: 2 mile run (warm up pace), Mega Circuit Workout, Cool Down

Sunday: 30 min spin bike (easy), Arms and Abs

Woo, I needed those two rest days. I'm trying to be more strategic about alternating hard cardio/light cardio, and I think I did a better job this week. Monday was easy-paced on the treadmill, then Tuesday hard, Wednesday rest, Thursday hard, Friday rest...you get the picture.

I did run on Sunday! More of a jog - I could definitely tell I hadn't run in 3 weeks, but it still felt good, ya know? I'm still loving my circuit and strength workouts, though - I don't see that changing any time soon. They're so much more fun than steady cardio for long periods of time, although there's nothing quite like zoning out on a beaauuttiful run. Maybe when the weather warms up!

Peace out girl scouts!

Letting Go of Calories Part 1! (a part of my recovery story)

Hello, hello my friends! We have almost made it to the weekend (and my birthday is in 5 days, no big deal).

Do you guys make weird faces when you type a blog post? I do. Like when I have some sort of strong emotion, or any emotion at all really, I make a face to suit it. And I'm not a robot, so let's face it, if you see me making facial expressions at the computer screen, I'm probably typing a post.

Today I'm talking about something that's somewhat of a hot topic in the HLB world. Lots of great things are taking storm in the health world: coconut oil, gluten-free, paleo, vegan, HIIT Workouts, Crossfit, Half-Marathons, intuitive eating....so why write about calories?

To be blunt, calories are my security blanket. This 100% has to do with my eating disordered past. When I'm stressed or unhappy with something, I do tend to fall back on this habit, whether I realize it's detrimental to me or not. Calories are just so..definite. They're measurable. I can count them, I can control them. I can decide how many I want, and how many I don't want. This is the way a lot of eating disordered/recovering/even recovered minds tend to think.

 I'm SICK OF CALORIES. Well, sick of the rap that they have. I don't think they deserve to be bashed on. They don't deserve that, they can't help if they give us energy. That's their job.

Calories are given too much power, and as I just said, I am totally guilty of that.

Let's start with the basics. Calories (along with weight, but that's a whole other story) are literally the most basic form of nutrition that you can monitor/count/whatever. Actually, they're not even nutrients, they're simply a unit of energy that your body uses. It's the nutrients within the calories that matter.

A confession: I used to be a slave to calories. Every single morsel that I put into my mouth was calculated. Through false information (mostly from the media), ignorance, and eventually self-destructive behavior, I came up with a set amount of calories every single day that I would allow into my body. If I exceeded that limit (normally on accident), I was disgusted, annoyed, angry, and highly stressed. Not to mention I was quite sickly, weak, grumpy, irritable, and overall miserable. It was a terrible, vicious obsession that had much more to do with my emotional problems than anything else.

These outright, obvious behaviors were pretty much disposed of after seeking treatment, where all of my calories and intake were calculated/served for me and I learned that hey, eating isn't so bad after all!!!! Eating makes me feel good! But I was thrust back into the real world after being shielded for three months - I still had no idea how many calories I was eating, as I strictly followed my meal plan.

This worked for a while, but I eventually relapsed into old behaviors. Calories, my go-to calculation, were severely restricted yet again. Choosing what to eat caused me more anxiety, I lost weight, and my depression returned. Luckily, I had a fan-freaking-tastic therapist and nutritionist who helped pull me out of it - I gained weight back and became less obsessed with calories. For the first time in 3 years, I was actually eating what I wanted to. 

*Now getting into recovery talk*

This was turning point number 1 in my recovery: I could eat without counting calories. I could be confident with more weight on my body. I felt so great, but still followed my meal plan to a T. I was not prepared for flexibility yet.

Turning point number 2 was when I began adding physical activity back into my daily routine. I began by taking walks. The more weight I gained, the better and stronger I felt. Also, I was exercising for the fun and joy of it, not to make up for what I had eaten!! I was not obsessing over calories, but I know for a fact that I was still not eating quite enough, as I hadn't entirely gotten the hang of intutive eating. I was still quite regimented with my eating habits, in other ways. Nutrition was not my priority, mainly what I considered "healthy" foods, but the flame of my passion for nutrition was sparked.

Turning point number 3: educating myself in nutrition. I began reading HLBs, and the rest is history on that subject. I have learned SO MUCH and I feel now more then ever that this is the field I want to enter. I am so incredibly inspired by many blogs, and I soak in as much nutritional info as possible. Nutritious food became important to me. Fat, proteins, carbs, nutrients, antioxidansts, and whole world of new foods I would have never discovered was opened up to me. I probably would never have eaten almond butter if it hadn't been for blogs. I'd prefer not to think about that possibility.

Cross country was the 4th turning point. I was healthier than I had ever been. I can't even begin to explain how alive I felt. How just....gah. I can't even talk about this without gushing. At this point, I had gone from a depressed, sickly girl, obsessed with food, shy, and withdrawn - to someone who was ready to spread her wings. Joining cross country was my symbol of freedom from all of the crap I had gone through. Running was the love of my life, I was involved in something, I was making friends, I was me. I don't think anyone on my team, my coaches, friends, or parents will ever understand how much of a blessing cross country was to me.

I am now in what I'm considering that last turning point in my recovery. Being 100% totally completely honest, I know I did not eat enough during cross country. While I did eat "sufficiently," (as in I maintained my weight and was able to keep up during workouts) I know I did not fuel myself properly (there are a variety of reasons). Obviously this had repercussions, and I'm almost positive that my end-of-season burnout was [partly] a result of this.

This, my friends, was a blessing in disguise. YES I felt like crap. YES I had to take a running hiatus that totally freaked me out. Almost automatically, I began subconsciously counting calories again as a way to handle my stress.  But it showed me the importance of keeping my body properly fueled and finding a balance with rest/exercise. Which I'm gonna continue with in the next couple of days, but for now, I think you guys have had enough of a brain purge.

I really hope you guys stick around for the second (don't worry, it's also the last) part of this post - I think that it pertains to a lot of girls going through recovery, or maybe even struggling through body image. Pretty please?

Adios amigos!

WIAW: Breakfast fixes everything

So I didn't have the bestest morning yesterday.

I overslept. What's weird is I remember setting my alarm the night before, but have no recollection of turning it off. Twice.

If you know my obsession with schedule, obviously I FREAKED. The morning involved me washing/blowdrying my hair in 8 minutes flat (pixie cuts for the win), chanting "Where there's a will there's a way" to myself as I vigorously stirred my new Wild Friends Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter because I refused NOT to eat it, frantically taking a picture of my breakfast (which was overnight oats, thank the Lord) because I can't not post it on Instagram, and maybe hysterically yelling at my sister because she turned the hallway light out before I had a chance to put my backpack on and you CANT PUT ON A BACKPACK IN THE DARK AND CANT YOU SEE IM ALREADY STRESSED.

Not my proudest moment (sawwy Reibs....love you).

I wish I could look back and say, "Crisis averted" but really all I can say is "Anxiety not handled."

The moral of this fantabulous story is that overnight oats probably saved me from an actual mental breakdown (I waaaayyyyy overslept my friends), and that breakfast is the solution to many a problem. Get that blood sugar steady, metabolism humming, and endorphins flowing with a hearty bowl of oats, and you're good to go. At least I am.

Breakfasts:

The mental-breakdown-saving overnight oats: quick cooking steel cut oats, 1/3 cup almond milk, 1 tsp chia seeds, 1/2 mashed banana, 1/2 sliced banana, pinch of salt, dash of cinnamon, and a splash of vanilla. Topped with Wild Friends Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter!!! SO GOOD.

6-Ingredient Cinnamon Rolls. I've had these 3 times in the past week!! I'm obsessed!!

Pumpkin Oatmeal Bake (made in the microwave - less time, just as yummy) topped with a chopped apple, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and a spoonful of peanut butter.

I don't really know what to call this - Overnight Sunbutter Oats? I got the inspiration from Kylie's Instagram (as I have for a lot of my meals lately...I'm not a stalker she just posts fantastic stuff). The mix is 1/2 cup oats, 1 tbsp Sunbutter or any nut butter, 1/2 a mashed banana, refrigerated overnight. The next morning I added plain Greek yogurt, cinnamon, honey, and a diced peach.

Lunches

A quick post-workout craving: toast with Vanilla Espresso Almond Butter on one slice, and Sunbutter on the other, carrots and bell pepper slices, and an apple. Win.

Personal pizza! With an oat flour crust that was sort of inspired by the dough for the 6-ingredient cinnamon rolls. I just added a pinch of salt and garlic powder and rolled it into a...well not a circle but something like that. Toppings were tomato sauce, provolone cheese, bell peppers, and tomatoes, with a side of 2 Halos.

Dinners

This was my Superbowl dinner - it was a super bowl! Haha see what I did there?? A microwaved sweet potato cut into cubes, baked beans, green beans, and a dollop of Greek yogurt because yes. (And yes these pics are screenshots from my Instagram, holla)

Sauteed Mediterranean veggies in olive oil, seasoned with garlic powder, basil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, with chicken for protein, served over brown rice that I had mixed with a little bit of tomato sauce. Sooo delicious. This would be good over quinoa or couscous - I need to branch out from rice!

Snacks

Lots o' bars and chocolate, my friends.

Chocolate Brownie Larabar.....

Chocolate Chunk Luna Bar.......

Coconut Chocolate Chip Clif Bar....

But I did change it up a bit. When I'm not eating a bar of some sort, I'm most likely noshing on fruit+nutbutter, such as a pear with almond butter.

So there's my eats for the week!! I've got an episode of the Bachelor to watch homework to do, so peace out! Have a greeeaatttt day!! (And eat your breakfast!!!!)

Monday Miles #2

Good morning! We're actually back at school today, as the snow has officially melted. :( Now the temps are in the 50s and I'm cautiously hopeful that it will start warming up a bit.

I really like this new linkup! I enjoy rounding up my fitness for the week, and it gives me an idea of what I enjoy or need to change. Workout planning has been a fun part of my Sundays lately. 

I know I'm probably driving. you. guys. CRAZY. with all of my workout schedule shenanigans, but I really did not expect to have an injury (if you can even call it that). I had planned on being this super awesome distance runner all during the off-season, but this is a much needed change. I can handle up to about 20 minutes of running before my foot starts feeling wonky. I'm also cautiously hopeful that the new running shoes I bought will relieve some of the pain, but for now, spin bike, circuits, and strength are my most favoritest. I also really freaking need a gym membership which is hopefully in the foreseeable future. 

This week's workouts:

Sunday: 45 Minute Spin Bike Workout, arms

Monday: This Cardio/Strength Circuit

Tuesday: 45 Minute Spin Bike Workout (I got about 60 mins w/ warmup and cooldown)

Wednesday: 20 minutes spin bike (light), arms

Thursday: Rest

Friday: Mega Circuit Workout w/ a 10 min treadmill warm up/cool down

Saturday: Warm up, cardio/ab circuit, cool down, arms

Sunday: 60 min stationary bike

I didn't expect to rest on Thursday, as my legs were much less sore from Monday's circuit and I took it very easy on Wednesday, but it just happened. Well, what actually happened is I took a nap (yes I took a nap) and then never got the motivation to exercise after that - ha. 

I also realized that I was a little cardio-heavy, and that my body probably needed a break even though my mind felt like I didn't. 

As for planning, I don't plan my exact workouts on Sunday, but I do try to alternate more cardio-focused (ex: spinning) and strength-focused (ex. arms) so that my body gets a different sort of challenge every day, while the muscles I worked before get a chance to recover. I'm really trying to go by these two philosophies:

1. Quality, not quantity.
2. Exercise for my enjoyment, making me feel good, and increasing fitness, not burning calories.

(Note: This is not saying that I obsess over the amount of calories I burn, I certainly do not, but I'm just saying that maybe when I do a shorter circuit, I feel like it's less of a workout, than one that may have incorporated more cardio. Catch my drift?)

(Also note: I tend to isolate my arms more for strength, because a lot of the circuits involve heavy usage of abs and leg muscles.)

Sooo now you basically know my entire fitness routine! 

Question: What do you consider a rest day? Do you active rest (aka a walk or something light) or do you full on rest (just every day routine..including laying around). I think I do a little bit of both!

I have yummy recipes for you

I have a problem. A crisis, you could say.

You see, I want to bake. All the things. 

It really is concerning. I have spent countless minutes, hours, scouring the Internet for recipes that I want to bake in the future.

I've always liked to bake, but it wasn't much of an issue because a.) I had no awareness of food blogs' existence, and b.) because most things I "didn't have the time for" or "didn't have all the ingredients." The most complicated thing I ever really made was the stuff from a box that was cookie dough on top of brownie batter. Do you remember that?!?! Do they still make it?????

Anyways. Then I started finding and reading food/recipe blogs. And then I happened across blogs such as the Minimalist Baker, Edible Perspective, and Yeah...imma eat that. Things really went downhill from there. (PS There are many many many more that I did not mention.....yah)

Observe my tabs at the moment:

In case you can't tell, there are like 18 tabs open, all recipes. They're actually making my laptop load slowly and I'm afraid I'm going to make my browser crash or something.

Plus, I have yet to add them on Pinterest because I don't want my followers to think I'm some crazy stalker psycho healthy baking obsessed person. Actually, 2 or more of those words may pertain to me. So yeah that might have to be a risk I'm willing to take.

But I digress!!! What I really wanted to do for you is share what I've been looovviinngg lately. Guess what?! They're all healthy, easy, and muuuuyyy delisioso. Oh, and they're all breakfast. Surprise, surprise.

1. Pumpkin Breakfast Bake (serves 1)

adapted from Edible Perspective

I know you guys are tired of seeing this pic, and I'm finally sharing the recipe yaaayy! 

Ingredients:
5 tbsp (1/4 cup + 1 tbsp) oat flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
pinch of cloves
2 tbsp ground flax seed (or 1 tbsp chia seeds)
2 egg whites (or one egg)
1/4 cup almond milk
1/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 tsp maple syrup/honey/sweetener

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350*
2. In a bowl, mix oat flour (I ground mine from rolled oats in my Magic Bullet), baking powder, salt, spices, and flax (or chia seeds).
3. In another bowl, whisk together egg whites (or egg), almond milk, pumpkin, vanilla, and sweetener.
4. Combine the wet ingredients into the dry, and stir just until well combined.
5. Pour into a greased ramekin and bake for 30-35 minutes.
6. Flip onto a plate, top with nutbutter, syrup, Greek yogurt, banana slices...the options are endless!
7. Enjoy!!!!

**I reeaallyy recommend sweetener, because this has no sweetness at all without it! I don't know about you, but I need a little sweetness in my breakfast!

**You can double or triple this, or even make it in the microwave! I would just microwave it 2-3 minutes, like a mug cake. :)


2. 6 Ingredient Cinnamon Rolls (serves 1)
from Yeah...Imma Eat That

I wish I could quadruple this recipe and eat it all. For now I'll just eat it many many days in a row. These are not your average cinnamon rolls - but they are JUST as tasty, if not even more so for those with a healthy sweet tooth like moi. Plus you don't have to wait 30+ minutes for them to bake! Mmmm cinnamon.....

Ingredients:
Dough:
2/3 cup oat flour (or 3/4 cup oats ground into a flour)
+/- 3 tbsp almond milk
pinch of salt

Filling:
3/4 banana
generous sprinkling of cinnamon

Icing:
3 tbsp Greek yogurt
2 tbsp almond milk
1/4 banana
more cinnamon (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat your broiler. Slice your banana in half lengthwise, and then in half again to get 4 slices.
2. Broil bananas until they are caramelized, brown, bubbly, gooey tidbits of deliciousness.
3. In a bowl, mix your oat flour, almond milk, and salt, until they form a dough. They dough should be slightly dry, not sticky, but still pliable.
4. Roll the dough up into a ball, and using the rolling pin, roll it out into a long strip.
5. (The bananas should be done at this point) Preheat your oven to 350*.

6. Place 3/4 of your banana slices onto the dough, and sprinkle generously with cinnamon.
7. Starting on the long side, roll your dough and bananas up! Slice into 3 pinwheels (yay those are your cinnamon rolls!)

8. Bake for 8 minutes.
9. Occupy yourself from the stress of waiting for the cinnamon rolls to be done by combining the Greek yogurt, almond milk, other 1/4 of your banana, and cinnamon.

10. Ice your cinnamon rolls!!!!! Douse with even MORE cinnamon! Eat every day for the rest of your life!

3. Easy Fluffy Vegan Pancakes (makes ~18 small pancakes/9 big pancakes)
from Fo Reals Life

These are so freakin easy there's no excuse not to make them. Vegan or not, these light, whole wheat pancakes are sure to satisfy your pancake craving without leaving you feeling blah, as pancakes sometimes do. I recommend a nice douse of maple syrup.

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cup almond milk
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp sugar (I used brown because that's what I had - I'm sure any kind would work)
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda

Directions:
1. Mix almond milk and lemon juice - let it sit while you assemble the other ingredients (the lemon will "curdle" the almond milk, making it like buttermilk)
2. Combine all the dry ingredients.
3. Gently stir in the almond milk+lemon juice mixture, and stir in the vanilla.
4. Make yo pancakes! I made little ones, but you can always make big ones!
5. Cook until bubbles start forming. Flip! Cook until golden brown. Repeeeaat.
6. Top with anything that suits your fancy! My fave: diced apples and cinnamon, topped with melty Sunbutter. Yuuumm.

4. Date-Sweetened Apple Pie Oatmeal
slightly modified from Minimalist Baker

One word: perfection. 

Ingredients:
1/3 cup rolled oats
1 cup almond milk
pinch of salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon (divided)
pinch of nutmeg
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 egg white (or 1 tbsp chia seeds)
2 dates, chopped
1 apple, sliced
sprinkle of brown sugar (optional)

Directions:
1. Heat almond milk and rolled oats over medium heat. Add in salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
2. Meanwhile, slice your apple, put it into a microwave-safe bowl, and sprinkle with cinnamon (if you want...I think the apples are perfectly sweet enough when cooked w/ the cinnamon)
3. Cook oats in almond milk until liquid is absorbed - take off the heat and add in the egg white and chopped dates. Stir vigorously nonstop (so the egg doesn't separate and you have egg white chunks...bleh).
4. Turn heat to low and add pot back on. Stir in vanilla and cook until thick.
5. Put apples in the microwave for 1-1.5 minutes. They will get soft and cinnamony and delicious!
6. Pour oatmeal into a bowl, and top with your apples. Be sure to pour all of the sweet, yummy apple juices on top!
7. Garnish with whatever your heart desires - walnuts, nutbutter, splash of maple syrup, stir in some Greek yogurt, or sprinkle with some nutmeg. Whatever you fancy!!!

Soooo you need to get out of a breakfast rut??? Well now you have this post to look at. Go make one of these recipes. NOW. Now I tell you. 

Meanwhile, I have to figure out what to do with all my tabs. Maybe I'll just bake them all right now. Hmm.