Happy Wednesday!

I set aside time to write this post yesterday morning, but then something totally unexpected happened that prevented me from doing so.

It’s really not an elaborate story, but I’m going to share it anyways because it explains why I’m posting today–two days later than I’d promised. (Sorry!)

But maybe I’m not sorry, because the end result benefited my belly.

And it might benefit yours too!

Anyways, yesterday I hit the snooze button one too many times, and rolled out of bed much later than I’d hoped, which, let’s be honest, wasn’t totally unexpected. (It happens….A lot. )

After completing a three-minute plyometrics routine (the best way to wake up in the morning!), I realized I was craving a carton of Apple Cinnamon Chobani yogurt. (Again, not totally unexpected.)

Instagram documentation of my first apple cinnamon Chobani discovery in Target

Once in the kitchen, I ravaged through the fridge for that carton of yogurt, only to find a solo carton of 0% Plain staring back at me.

Totally, totally unexpected.

I could have sworn that I had one more container of apple cinnamon in there!

Don’t get my wrong, I love my plain yogurt–in fact I usually prefer it–but I totally wanted apple cinnamon at that moment.

What to do? What to do?

As it turned out, an apple cinnamon pancake—topped with that 0% plain yogurt— was the perfect answer to my dilemma. It’s definitely rivaling the protein pancakes I raved about in my last post!

Apple Cinnamon Coconut ‘Cake’

1/2  apple (about 3 oz)
2 Tablespoons Coconut flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
6 drops liquid stevia (more if you like it sweeter)
2 Tablespoons sugar free vanilla syrup (I used Torani, but you could also try pancake syrup or more stevia)
1/2 cup egg beaters

2 teaspoons Smart Balance Light (or other light butter)
splash of almond milk
cinnamon (as much as you want)

1/3 cup Greek yogurt for topping (optional)

Instructions:

1. In small bowl mix egg beaters, almond milk, sugar free syrup and liquid stevia. Add coconut flour and baking powder. Mix until smooth.

2. Slice your apple into very thin pieces. Set aside.

3. In a small frying pan, melt butter on high heat. Sir in cinnamon. Lay down the sliced apples in the pan and let cook for about 25-30 seconds. Pour in pancake batter and smooth over.  Cover then turn down heat to LOW. Let cook for 3 minutes.

4. Take off lid and flip the pancake. Put cover back on and cook for 1 minute longer. Slide out of pan and top with Greek yogurt.

Servings: 1 (1 pancake topped with 1/3 cup yogurt): Calories: 242 Fat: 4.9 grams; Carbs: 27.1 grams; Fiber: 8.75 grams; Protein: 22.1 grams

In the amount of time it took for me to make and eat my pancake, I probably could have downed 10 cartons of yogurt and written a blog post.

However, it was completely worth the time and extra effort. Plus, creating a new breakfast treat ultimately turned out to be a blog-benefiting decision. 

…A decision that resulted in a delicious morning meal that was reminiscent of my favorite Apple Strudel Muffins. (a must-try recipe that’s not my own).

And since we’re speaking of delicious pancakes and muffins, I feel obligated to mention another muffin.

Tom Brady

Oh, hello, STUD! I believe you’re headed to the Super Bowl in two weeks. Because my 49ers lost Sunday night, I will now be able to devote my full attention towards you. And you know what? You may be married to a gorgeous model, but I bet Gisele doesn’t make you apple cinnamon pancakes when you’re out of your favorite apple cinnamon yogurt.

Just sayin.’

Anyways,  refocusing: I washed my pancake down with my current cocktail of choice…

…And scadaddled out the door to the gym.

By the way, Coconut KevVita was my lifesaver over the weekend. I came down with a pesky flu bug Friday, and stayed in bed all day Saturday.  I swear this stuff made me feel better faster than any ginger ale could have. (When I was young, ginger ale was all I drank when I had the stomach flu; now I can’t help but feel nauseous when I taste it!)

Once my stomach was  again ready for real food, this happened:

Hey now, don’t knock it before you try it. This is more real than most foods that come in a jar.

Ingredient list: winter squash and water. Nada mas.

I accidentally bought this a few months ago, instead of the apple version that is called for in Jamie Eason’s Pumpkin Protein Bars. Ooops! 

But it turned out to be quite a delicious mistake! I added cinnamon, vanilla, liquid stevia and a few shakes of ginger, which transformed a rather tasteless mush into something that tasted like a healthified version of sweet potato casserole.

I may or may not accidentally buy baby food winter squash again.

*******

Alright, enough about tummy troubles and baby food! In my last post, I promised I had some news!

That wasn’t a lie; I do. But first I’m going to share my workout this morning because it was pretty bangin’.

Since I took a few days of much needed rest over the weekend, I wanted to squeeze in both a cardio and strength workout today.  I opted to abandon my Body For Life routine (which I’ve modified quite a bit, and will be explaining in a future post), and instead completed a circuit that looked like this:

(Note: cardio move is followed by strength move in the same row)

Cardio-Strength Circuit (via Oxygen Magazine)

I did three circuits of the entire routine, which left me feeling as though I’d hit nearly every muscle in my body. It was an invigorating workout!

I wish I’d had a Nike + Fuel Band to track my movement. Have you heard about this thing?

source

Looks pretty nifty! Apparently the Fuel Band, which is available for pre-order now, tracks all of your activity over a 24-hour period (including sleep!) and then provides a summary at the end of the day. You simply wear the band on your wrist, and it counts your steps, heart rate, calories burned etc.

Pretty cool, huh?

*******

***The News**

Okay, here it is! *Deep breath*….

After 3+ years of consideration, I’ve made the decision to become a personal trainer.

I have another year of grad school to complete before I take on a real adult job, but I hope to incorporate both nutrition and fitness consulting into my future career. My master’s degree will certify me as a nutritionist (or ‘CNS’–Certified Nutrition Specialist, which is different than a dietician), but if I wish to offer credible fitness advice, more formal training is needed

My only career goal is to use my passion to  inspire and empower others to live healthy lives. Earning a certification through NASM will help me make that dream come true.

I’m so excited about the new information I’ll be learning, and look forward to sharing it with you here! You can expect to see many more workouts and fitness advice in the months to come.

HUGS!!

Questions for you:

What’s your dream job?

If I weren’t in the fitness/nutrition/health industry, I’d be a travel writer! How cool would it be to get paid to review everything from hotels to hiking trails all over the world?

Any football player celebrity crushes?

Have you ever eaten a jar of baby food (past infancy, of course!)?

I blame Jamie Eason’s recipes for turning me onto the stuff!

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