Welcome Back Flax

September 5th, 2011 | Posted by Alison Spath in Healthy Habits - (38 Comments)

Do you remember when flax seed was suddenly the new and hip seed to eat? Flax seems like old news to most of us now, and it’s a kitchen staple among many health conscious foodies.

But for me, this seed has been nothing but a giant pain in the flax.

It seems well known that it’s important to eat ground flax seed. Their little hulls are so hard, if you eat them whole they’ll pass right through your body undigested and you miss out on their rich supply of essential fatty acids, Omega-3 in particular.

Banana Whip Oats

August 21st, 2011 | Posted by Alison Spath in Breakfast - (5 Comments)

I go through phases where I eat oats every day. And then there are times where the oatmeal canister gathers dust on its top. This week I’ve been back in that oat phase, and am apparently in a frozen banana phase too.

I discovered this concoction last week by accident, really – I can’t even tell you what possessed me to throw oats in the food processor when making banana whip. I just know that I did.

Banana Whip Oats

1 frozen banana (approx.)
1/2 c rolled oats
1 heaping Tbsp hemp seeds (optional, for protein)

Frozen Bananas Rolled Oats Hemp Seeds

Berry Christmas In July

July 6th, 2011 | Posted by Alison Spath in Breakfast - (6 Comments)

We were out of town for the long holiday weekend, but I was excited to get back knowing the black raspberries in the backyard had probably started to ripen while we were away.

We didn’t get home until nearly dark last night, so I accepted the fact I was going to have wait until sunrise to see what berry surprise awaited me for breakfast this morning.

That is of course, until I remembered the reason they invented flashlights:

Blackberries In the Dark

to spy on your ripe berries in the dark.

Business as Usual

January 4th, 2010 | Posted by Alison Spath in Breakfast - (13 Comments)

The holidays are over. We have moved into our new house and are mostly settled. A formal complaint was filed yesterday over the lack of home cooked meals and several informal complaints have also been filed over the lack of regular posts in recent weeks as well. It would appear that I am officially out of excuses for not cooking or blogging per usual. Your break is over lady, time to get back to work.

Signs

December 16th, 2009 | Posted by Alison Spath in Breakfast - (15 Comments)

When my knees start to hurt on my runs, that’s my sign I need new running sneakers.

When the waist band of my jeans starts to feel a little snug, that’s my sign that I’ve been a bit too heavy handed with the nut butters.

And when my house is a mess, that’s my sign that we’ve been really busy.

[Notice there is no picture of my disaster of a house here? Yeah, the lack of photography was no accident.]

Terribly Tired Tooth Fairy

December 14th, 2009 | Posted by Alison Spath in Breakfast - (18 Comments)

We were almost forced to write a strongly worded email to the Tooth Fairy this morning. Apparently the Tooth Fairy slept like a rock last night and did not wake up in the middle of the night like she expected to. Fortunately, the toothless child in question decided to use the bathroom before she remembered about the visit from the Winged Dental Nymph and our crisis was averted.

We’ve got an outdoor homeschool adventure on tap first this morning which will suffice for a workout today. I spent my usual workout time prepping food and packing lunches.

Catch Up

December 13th, 2009 | Posted by Alison Spath in Life - (6 Comments)

It feels like a week has gone by in the span of about 48 hours. The last couple of days have been filled the disassembly of our current household to be packed and driven to our the new house about 20 minutes away. It’s felt a lot like putting together a puzzle that’s missing all sorts of pieces, including crucial corner and edge pieces like couches, beds, tables, dressers and bookcases.

We have made countless (ok, maybe 5) trips to the new house in the last two days. Anything non-essential (read: anything that is not mine) is subject to being packed up and shipped off to the new Weeds Family Urban Compound.

A Breakfast Carol

December 10th, 2009 | Posted by Alison Spath in Breakfast - (15 Comments)

Today felt like an overnight oats kind of morning. Except I didn’t make overnight oats last night. Good thing “Overnight Oats” is just a trick of a name and it could more accurately be called “Just a Few Hours Oats”.

Into a bowl at 6 AM: 1/2 a mashed banana, 1/2 c of rolled oats, 1 Tbsp of almond butter, 1 Tbsp ground flax, a tsp of unsweetened cocoa powder and 1/2 c of chocolate almond milk.

Oat Prep Bowl

And a single chocolate chip because I’m rowdy like that.

1 Chocolate Chip

Not January Yet

December 6th, 2009 | Posted by Alison Spath in Breakfast - (24 Comments)

It’s Sunday! How about starting today with a nice long run with Jillian Michaels on my shoulder? Jillian’s radio show may be over, but that doesn’t mean she can’t live on in my heart and my iPod too.

Jillian on My Shoulder

At 28 degrees, it was cold enough this morning to break out the pink fuzzy gloves. I think I got these gloves when I was in 6th grade. They matched the hot pink trim on my bright purple winter coat that year. Nearly 20 years later I’ve still got these gloves and I can only pray that jacket has been destroyed.

2 out of 3

December 3rd, 2009 | Posted by Alison Spath in Breakfast - (22 Comments)

What’s one of the first things I do when I wake up in the morning? Put in my contact lenses.

And what’s the first thing I saw today? Toys on the bathroom counter. But do you see what I see?

Dirty Toys

If I look in the mirror I see a lady with a dirty mind.

Toys

At least now I know why he smiles like that.

Now I Know

Soft porn toy pics make me hungry! I was in the mood for cereal and planned to do yoga at home, so I figured I’d pop some homemade cereal in the oven before I got my downward dog on.