5 easy & clean breakfast options

I've been back on the eating clean train for about 2 weeks now.  Choo choo!  I had been in a rut of eating whatever drive thru crap I could get my hands on before and after clinical but finally forced myself to grocery shop for some decent food.  There's no way I can do everything I need to do without putting good fuel in the tank.  

Here are some easy, clean eating breakfast options I've been doing lately.  
Note: I try to stay gluten-free and dairy-free since my digestive track seems to appreciate it. I realize that may not be suitable for everyone out there. To each her own!

1 - Cereal

When I went gluten-free and dairy-free, I realized that I missed cereal.  It's a great breakfast but also makes a good study snack.  I buy Unweetened Almond Milk and pour it over a bowl of Nature's Path Organic Sunrise Crunchy Maple with banana slices on top.  This cereal is awesome. Not some cardboard tasting junk.

2 - Smoothie

My girl Jesi recently posted on her new blog (hey girl!) about the benefits of cherries in smoothies.  As intelligent as I may be, I never thought about adding cherries.  But now I've been experimenting with frozen, pitted cherries and I like what I'm tasting! Plus, smoothies are pretty much idiot proof and I appreciate that.  Combine almond milk, handful of spinach leaves, hefty scoop of chia seeds, frozen fruit (blackberries, cherries and strawberries are my fav) and one banana in a blender. Blend until smooth. The Magic Bullet is my favorite blender because you blend in the cup you drink from which means less clean up!

3 - Eggs & Beans

Last week I youtube'd how to fry an egg.  I wish I was kidding.  Turns out, the trick is to use low heat and a little butter in the pan. Now I am an egg-frying machine.  Except I use coconut oil in the pan (just a smidge).  Here, I fried two eggs together - time saver! - and then served it with black beans and salsa.  I happen to think black beans are one of the tastiest things on Earth so the more the merrier.  I often use black beans at dinner and then put the rest in the fridge.  Super easy to heat up in the microwave.  Then smash up the runny yolks and eat the salsa/beans/eggs all together.  Delish!

4 - Waffles

I don't have the time to do made-from-scratch waffles healthy so I substitute with Van's Gluten-Free Frozen Waffles.  Instead of syrup, I top them with fresh fruit preserves or jam and a sprinkling of chia seeds.  Serve with whatever fresh fruit you have or a scrambled egg and voila!

5 - Toast Two Ways

Toast is often underrated, in my opinion.  It is easy to fix and there are a million ways you can dress it up. One of my current faves is toast is with poached eggs and avocado slices.  If you have the Salton Great Eggs Cooker, then poached and hard boiled eggs are a snap.  B makes fun of me for it but it is painless! Another way I fix toast is with PB2, banana slices, and chia seeds with a side of scrambled eggs topped with salsa.  Bonus: our Oster toaster has a retractable cord which makes me love it even more!  

Check out Jesi's suggestions for 5 Healthy Fast Food Options!

What do you eat for breakfast?  I'm always looking for new ideas so I don't get burnt out and return to fast food!

xoxo,

Cait

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Don't forget about the giveaway I'm participating in at Just Jacq! Head on over and enter to win:

Tea & Crumpet size ad space from Amanda at Rhyme & Ribbons 

200x200 ad space and a guest post spot from Danielle at A Writer in Love 

200x200 ad space from Ginny at A Modern Commonplace Book 

200x200 ad space and a $10 Starbucks giftcard from Caitlin at Your Favorite Girlfriend (that's me!)

Ad space and sunglasses from Raewyn at Be a Warrior Queen 

Small November ad space and earrings from Jacquelyn at JustJacq

Giveaway runs through November 3rd. Tweet about it daily for extra entries!

(Half) Marathon Monday #3

Before we get into the nitty gritty of training, I have some questions for all you athletic, healthy people out there.  How do you fuel when running?

 Do you eat before a run?

If so, what do you eat and how far in advance?

Do you eat while you run?

At what distance did you start eating while you run or carrying water or wearing a hydration belt/vest?

I feel pretty clueless about these things.  They seem to be the details that people don't really get into, but as a new runner, I need to know! And I get the whole listen to your body thing.  The thing is, my body is not and never has been a runner and yet here I am, trying to make it be a runner. So it is screaming and crying and pitching a fit the entire time.  I'm having a hard time deciphering what is my body just whining about being pushed and what is actual hey, give me some water and food you crazy lady!

So really, any advice you have is appreciated. No matter how small or insignificant you may think it is - I want to hear it all!

Shall we see how I did this week?

Week 2

Monday // 3 miles // 3.01 miles (11:24 pace)
Tuesday // 2 miles or cross // Pure Barre
Wednesday // 3 miles + strength // Pure Barre
Thursday // rest // Pure Barre
Friday // 30 min cross // Pure Barre
Saturday // 4 miles // Rest
Sunday // stretch & strengthen // 4.04 miles (12:52 pace)
Scheduled workout is in gray and actual workout is in pink.  Rest days are orange.

Just so you know, I killed that first mile on Monday's run.  Murdered it.  Ran it in 9:17.  Then I almost collapsed and my other 2 miles required short periods of walking (about 1/4 mile each).  But hey-yo, that's a pretty fast mile for me!

After that, my knee was killing me so I ended up taking a few days off running. As you can tell. I made sure to make it to Pure Barre on those days off. Pure Barre is a barre workout that is focuses on strengthening and toning muscle groups to the point of fatigue through small, isometric movements.

You can read more about it here or check out the great review The Southern Wife wrote about her visit to Ballet Physique while in Denver. Both should give you a good idea of what you're getting into with a barre workout. And The Southern Wife is one of my favorite bloggers to follow!

As for Sunday's run, I got it in at midday which is not ideal here in Houston. But I was coming off of an overnight babysitting gig which happens to be near Rice (hello, shaded running path) so I just went for it.  We also do Sunday family dinners every week with B's family so I know I couldn't have run after that.  I was scheduled for 4 miles and ran it in just under 52 minutes. I tried to run negative splits but that didn't happen. Despite making an effort to take the first two miles at a comfortable pace, I was still feeling worn out by the third mile. It was battle of mind over matter just to run that third mile and I ended up walking for a quarter mile once I hit the 3.25 mile mark. I wanted so badly to run the entire 4 miles without stopping to walk but I just couldn't do it. The worst part? After I got in my car and just sat in the A/C for a few minutes I totally felt like I could have finished it without walking.  Ugh!

I promise I wear other running clothes! It just seems like this tank comes up in rotation on my weekend runs. I gotta rep ND all the time {Go Irish!}. And this Tervis tumbler is the bomb. I'm smiling because I finished and because that A/C felt damn god, not because of my pace. Next time I WILL run the whole thing.

 Check in tomorrow for a few extras I'm planning in my race training and later this week for an outfit remix! Hope you all had a restful weekend!

xoxo,

Cait

Linking up with JustJacq and In the Kitch with Kaara for the Move It! Challenge. You can win a 10 Day Advocare Cleanse and lots of other goodies just by linking up!

And with Ashley at Coffee & Macarons

sunday social: foooood

Another week, another link up with Ashley and Neely for The Sunday Social.  This week's topic is one of my favorites... food!

1. If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?

For a girl who loves food, this one is pretty hard to answer. For the rest of my life? Uhhh... fruit.  I know, I know, it's kind of cheating but it's my blog and I make the rules.  Haha! 

Seriously thought, I could do a lot with fruit and it would satisfy my sweet tooth. Kind of.

2. What's your guilty pleasure/comfort food?

Dr. Pepper fountain drink with crushed/Sonic ice (not from a can, eww)

huge caramel Frappucinos from Starbs

candy

If you can get it at a movie theater, I'm all over that.

3. What's the weirdest/craziest thing you've ever eaten?

Rattlesnake.  I don't recommend it and I have an intense phobia of snakes.  

 

Sidenote: If you live in Austin or plan on visiting, go visit Hudson's on the Bend.  The food is excellent, they love wine, and they're always cooking up interesting meats.

4. What foods do you avoid at all costs?

Really fatty cuts of red meat. I love steak.  I crave red meat. But I like it medium rare and super lean.  I know that the fat gives it flavor, but I cannot stomach chewing on it.  B on the other hand will gladly eat the chunks of fat that I cut off from my steaks.

5. What meal reminds you of your childhood?

Mustgoes! At our grandmother's house, whenever she needed the fridge cleaned out of leftovers and small amounts of food, it all got heated up and set out. We filled our plates with whatever was there because Grandmother said, "It must go!" Whatever wasn't eaten that night was thrown out.

Or breakfast for dinner. Always a winner in our house!

6. Share one of your favorite recipes and the story behind it.

Confession: I don't cook really.  I can grill up some veggies or make a mean quesadilla, but I just don't have a huge interest in cooking. Plus, B and I have pretty opposite schedules during the school year (i.e. he is teaching and coaching until 9pm).  I don't know about you guys, but I think it's hard to cook for just yourself and I usually buy more food than I need so it gets thrown out before I can use it. And that is money in the garbage.

via

Cait's Famous Bomb Ass Salad

spinach leaves

feta cheese or blue cheese

hardboiled eggs (sliced)

craisins

sunflower seeds

cherry tomatoes

carrots (sliced, shredded, or baby)

avocado, cubed

strawberries, sliced

celery, sliced

red pepper, sliced

Briannas Blush Wine Vinaigrette

Make sure everything is washed. Slice and dice things to your pleasing. Toss in a bowl. Drizzle with Briannas Blush Wine Vinaigrette.  Impress everyone you know.

You can also add shredded chicken, if you're feeling adventurous.

Can't wait to see what delicious recipes you've all got!

xoxo, 

Cait