Kiss Me, I’m NOT Irish

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Hooray for a fun holiday! I love the collage of green I’m seeing everywhere today.

Are you wearing green today?

You bet your booty I am! 😀

Sportin' the Green

Kiss Me! I'm Not Irish!

When I saw this t-shirt a couple years ago, I scooped it up immediately.

Are you Irish?

I’ve always felt a little left out on St. Patrick’s Day since I’m not even the tiniest bit Irish, so this t-shirt makes me feel better about my German and Swedish heritage (at least I think that’s what I am).

Breakfast

I thought about trying to make something green for breakfast, but that idea went out the window pretty quickly when I remembered the recipe I saw in Oxygen magazine yesterday for chocolate protein pancakes.

Chocolate for breakfast? Yes, please.

I only needed three ingredients to make the ‘cakes.

Cottage Cheese + Egg Whites + Chocolate Protein Powder

I blended 1/8 c. cottage cheese, 2 egg whites and a scoop and a half of All the Whey chocolate peanut butter cup protein powder with my immersion blender until I had a smooth batter.

After cooking the pancakes on the griddle (two minutes per side), I was ready to diiiig in.

Cookin' 'Cakes

Aaaalmost Done

Ready!

I topped my pancakes with sliced strawberries and syrup and enjoyed them with a hot mug of tea.

Chocolate Protein Pancakes with Strawberries and Syrup

St. Patty's Day Breakfast

The pancakes were absolutely delicious!

I think they would also be yummy dipped in Greek yogurt. Somethin’ to think about for the future…

Workout

Today’s workout was a goodie! I took a BodyPump class and followed it up with 25 minutes of light cardio on the elliptical.

Great way to start St. Patty’s Day!

Hope the luck of the Irish is with you today!😀

Waffle Sandwich

My egg-topped waffles were so darn delicious last night, that I decided to enjoy another egg + waffle combo for breakfast this morning.

Egg 'n' Waffle Sandwich

I made a simple breakfast sandwich using two Eggo Nutrigrain waffles as my “bread.” I smeared a Laughing Cow light Swiss cheese wedge on one waffle before topping it with a slice of Canadian bacon. I added two egg whites to the other waffle half and voilà!

Friday's Breakfast

The waffles added a little extra spunk and were a neat change from the typical English muffin or bagel-based breakfast sandwich.

Workout

I got a late jump on today’s workout, but it was intentional. It’s amazing how waking up at 6:30 a.m. feels like a treat! I guess when you’re used to hoping out of bed at 5:30 a.m. every morning, that extra hour makes a difference.

What time do you wake up in the morning?

Though I’m tempted to go to BodyPump three days a week as my only form of strength training, I am trying to go two times and do my own total-body weights routine one day to keep the ol’ bod guessing. Today my workout looked like this:

• 25 min. cardio (10 min. run, 5 min. incline walking, 10 min. stair master)
• Hamstring curls
• Leg press
• Leg extensions
• Deadlifts
• Bicep curls
• Tricep extensions
• Shoulder raises
• Ab work on exercise ball

Unfortunately my extra sleep time cut into Sadie’s walk time a little bit, but Ryan and I have plans to take her to the dog park tonight to expend some of her never-ending energy.

Happy Friday! 😀

Taffy Tongue

Sometimes we let Sadie sleep in the bed when it’s extra chilly in the apartment. To say Sadie is a cuddly sleeper would be the understatement of the year.

This morning I awoke with her puppy body pressed against my back and her left paw draped around my chest. My dog was spooning with me! 

After layering our clothes, Ryan and I took Sadie for a walk around the lake before heading off to the grocery store. Ryan picked up a pack of salt water taffy as a little treat. We both enjoyed a couple pieces and shared one with Sadie when we arrived home. She loved it and we could not stop laughing at her struggle with the thick and chewy candy.

Taffy Mouth!

She struggled more with the taffy than she does when she eats peanut butter. After she finally finished her taffy she immediately wagged her tail and wanted more. Silly dog.

What treats does your pet enjoy?

Sadie loves any kind of meat, Snausages, peanut butter, yogurt and cheese. With the exception of the Snausages, it seems like we have similar tastes. 😉

Breakfast

Breakfast this morning was an egg white scramble with spinach and portobello mushrooms.

Egg White Scramble

I love the meaty flavor of portobello mushrooms. I can’t believe I used to hate mushrooms!

I also enjoyed half a pint of fresh blueberries (on sale!).

Fresh Blueberries

When Ryan leaves for soccer practice soon I’ll be hittin’ ze gym for a nice cardio sweat session. I like working out after a day off. My energy feels renewed!

Onion Bagel Sammie

My tongue did flavor flips when I first tried the Alternative Bagel onion bagel. So stinkin’ delicious.

When I was packing my lunch this morning, I wasn’t craving anything cold… I wanted a hot sandwich! I figured a toasty onion bagel would be a perfect base.

Onion Bagel Sandwich

I topped the toasted bagel with a wedge of Laughing Cow light Swiss cheese, two egg whites and a slice of Canadian bacon. Quite the breakfast-inspired lunch, huh?

Breakfast for Lunch!

I love breakfast foods like eggs and toast, but typically crave sweeter breakfasts in the morning like yogurt, French toast or oatmeal with sweet toppings. Eggs and scrambles always intrigue me later in the day. I adore breakfast for dinner!

What is your favorite meal of the day?

Hey La, Hey La, My Boyfriend’s Back!

I’m SO excited because Ryan returns today! He’s been hiking the Appalachian Trail with two friends since Saturday and I can’t wait to see him.

Welcome Home Signs for Ryan

He made me promise not to mention that he was gone on this blog for fear that someone would know he wasn’t at our apartment and abduct me. 🙂 Now  that he’s en route for Orlando (currently taking a pit stop at McDonald’s for hot cakes and hot chocolate), I am anxious for this work day to be over so I can give my fiance a big ol’ hug. I’m sure Sadie will beat me to the kisses though…

Elevator Talk

I never know what to expect when I’m riding up the elevator to my office in the morning. People often just sigh and play with their coffee cups or make some comment about the weather (it’s hot… always hot).

I love when I get to ride with a true character. Today a red-faced man stepped in after me, dressed all spiffy in a pin-stripe suit. He turned to me and shook his head saying, “I’m gonna have to get angry and make some people cry today.”

Well now that was unexpected. I gave him the obligatory “Aw, that’s too bad,” and wished him luck in his tear-filled day.

Breakfast

My pumpkin obsession lives on! Today I was feelin’ pancakes so I cooked up pumpkin protein pancakes for a little fall flava.

Pumpkin Protein Pancakes

The mix of the pumpkin, cinnamon protein powder and egg whites created flavorful lil ‘cakes.

Yummy, Yummy

These pancakes are delicious and full of satiating protein. This entire batch had a little less than 200 calories (before the syrup) and almost 35 grams of protein. Not too shabby!

When I typically eat the big, fluffy pancakes made with white flour or pancake mix I often end up feeling sleepy and overly stuffed afterward. These pancakes are filling but do not induce food cramps! 🙂

Question: What’s your favorite way to eat pancakes?