Hey guys!!
I hope that you’re having a great Saturday and I hope that all my friends back home (we’re in Springfield for the weekend) go and enjoy the Ice Carnival this weekend.
I’ll be here, enjoying some time with friends and family that we don’t get to see very often.
Actually, in about two hours I’ll be off getting my jacked up do repaired. It’s in desperate need!
This morning Regan decided that I needed to be up watching Winnie the Pooh with her at 5:30. Surprisingly it wasn’t hard to wake up because I would normally be up. The only trouble was my body wanted to be working out (who am I??) but everyone else was asleep. So I spent some time playing on twitter and facebook until about 7:00.
Once everyone was up and moving around I made the girls some breakfast (toast and scrambled eggs) then convinced Jason to join me in the fitness room of his parents apartment complex. I totally forgot to bring my 30 Day Shred DVD (epic fail!) but figured one day isn’t going to kill me. Besides, hanging out with Jason while we both did our own thing on the treadmill was much nicer anyway.

I happen to be one of those odd ducks that actually LOVES running on a treadmill. I love the fact that I can set my pace, my incline and just go. I can also be running with other people who may be faster or slower than me and we all stay together. Watching any one of Andy Cohen’s shows is always a plus!!

(photo source)
I got in a really lovely run!! It was slow, but steady and at a fairly high incline. I walked for five minutes at a two percent incline, then bumped it up to a five percent incline and jogged for 40 minutes and dropped it back down to a two percent incline for a five minute cool down.
WAHOO!!
When we got back to the house I pulled out the overnight oats I had stuck in the refrigerator for us. In the bowl was:
- 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1 small banana sliced
- 1 scoop of nutella
And slammed my second cup of coffee!!

Thursday morning we woke up to the first snow fall of the year (and winter!).

While we only got about an inch or so, combined with plummeting temperatures (27 degrees down to 19 degrees in about three hours) and untreated roadways, the morning commute was a MASSIVE pain in the ass with drive times doubling and tripling for many residents of the St Louis area. I heard stories of people being stuck in the same spot on the highway for 2 to 3 hours!
The cold weather makes me want thick socks, an entire day in my pajamas and pancakes. Well… one out of three was the best I could do! So after my workout I got some protein pancake batter ready to be cooked after I took my shower.
I tweeted and facebooked (is that a word?) how yummy they were and got many people asking me how I made them so I figured I would give away my little “secret” which probably is no secret at all, but it was something I stumbled onto and fell in love with.
Chocolate Banana Protein Pancakes:
- 4 large egg whites
- 1/3 cup old fashioned oats
- 1 scoop of chocolate protein powder
- 1 frozen banana chopped

Mix all the ingredients into a bowl and then let sit for 30 minutes or so (or long enough to take a shower and get dressed).

Scoop out with a ladle onto a preheated, nonstick skillet. Cook just like you would regular pancakes.

Finally – top with maple syrup, almond butter or your favorite fruit preserve. This mixture makes 3-4 good sized pancakes, but I could only finish three of them. I topped mine with a smear of almond butter and a drizzle of maple syrup. YUM!

I’m off to take a shower so I don’t smell like massive B.O. while I’m getting my hair done later today.
I’m excited because Jason and I get to hang out tonight with two of our very best friends who have recently reunited (like we always hoped they would) after years of bad relationships AND my sister in law, Theresa, is going to baby sit the girls!! It’s a win/win situation because she loves the girls and the girls WORSHIP her.
HAPPY SATURDAY…
…I’m thankful for never ending supplies of coffee
…I’m thankful for having a best friend be a professional hair stylist
…I’m thankful for in laws with a fitness center
…I’m thankful for a sister in law who loves her nieces (and will baby sit!)
…I’m thankful for a mother who will dog sit while we’re out of town
~ Maria