Good morning :) Just some #MondayMotivation for ya...I started off today by teaching a 6 a.m. spin class and now I'm waiting for the train to work! A 5 a.m. alarm every Monday morning might make ya cringe, but teaching this class is one of my favorite parts of the week. There's something about starting the week off by putting smiles on other's faces and being the reason why they get out of bed to start the day. I wouldn't trade it for the world. Find what it is you're passionate about and get after it. 

Want a healthy snack that tastes like cookie dough? Don't we all! This is a really easy no-bake protein recipe that you can throw together in just a few minutes! Each bite has 135 calories, 5 grams of protein and 9 grams of healthy fat. 

These protein bites are perfect before or after a workout - they're easy to grab on the go. There's also something about pecans that always give a dish - sweet or savory - a decadent touch. Do you agree? Maybe this it's because I worked in a fish market/dessert counter (yes fish & dessert in the same vicinity) at a restaurant all through high school and whenever I would grab a new pecan pie from the freezer, I would grab any pecan scraps that were left in the box after I sliced it. And oh my goodness - that pie was incredibly rich. Isn't it funny how different foods or smells can bring back such distinct memories?

Anyway, the pecans in this recipe do add a nice touch and complement the banana quite nicely! 

 

[yumprint-recipe id='8']Now I'm spending the rest of this lovely Sunday afternoon working on some bloggy stuff, watching football, getting some things ready for the busy week ahead and studying my ACE personal training manual book!

I hope you had a great weekend!

XO- Rach

Let's chat...

What did you do this weekend?

If you have gotten your personal trainers certification, do you have any study tips?

What's your favorite nut?

Is there a food, flavor, smell, etc. that brings up a distinct memory for you?

Good morning! How's everyone's week going? Mine seems to be flying by like crazy - I think it's a mixture between being consistently busy at work and not getting home until 8 every night due to teaching or working out after work. Busy is GOOD. Do you agree? A quick catch up before I share a Fluffy Chocolate Chip Muffin recipe!

Last night I taught my first spin class in a while at FitLife, which is conveniently located right near my apartment. It was a lot of fun - spin is definitely one of my favorites to teach.

As far as half marathon training goes, I've ran once this week and it was a disgusting, humid run. My right shin is acting up a bit, so I've been focusing on cross training and strength this week - I'll get back to it next week. I was going to taper off and do a shorter long run this weekend anyway, so I am still on track.

NOW, let's get to the fun part, shall we? Maybe you've noticed that a lot of my baked goods on the blog lately have been muffins. This is because 1. I love muffins. 2. The only type of pan I have is a muffin tin since I moved. I don't have a loaf pan or brownie pan yet to make bars or blondies - so muffins it is!

I wanted to whip up a light snack or desert I could have on hand for the week and these came out perfect. I hate when baked goods are just way too sweet and these are a great level of sweetness.

Here's what you'll need: 

• 1 cup oat flour (blended up oats!)
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (or more, this is when less is NOT more)

Here's what to do:

• Pre-heat the oven to 350
• Mix together all of the dry ingredients (except the sugar) in a medium bowl
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, vanilla, sour cream, milk and brown sugar
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until smooth
• Fold in the chocolate chips
• Grease a muffin tin and fill with batter a third of the way
• Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops are just golden brown - let them cool

The recipe yields 12 small muffins.

The sour cream in these gives them a rich feeling, almost like pound cake, but the oat flour keeps them nice and light. I love using sour cream in baked goods - it really adds a lot. If you don't believe me, check out this article.

Have a good THURSDAY! Almost the long weekend :)

XO - Rach

What's your favorite kind of muffin?

Long weekend plans?

Scared of sour cream in baked goods?

Good morning! I have a recipe to share with you along with some more weekend pics and a workout. Last night I came home from work and felt inspired to make a quick grab and go snack. I eyeballed a lot of this recipe so these are very rough measurements!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup vanilla protein powder
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp rolled oats
• Roughly 1 cup almond butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 2 tbsp coconut flakes
• Water - as needed for consistency

Directions:

• Mix everything together besides water
• Add in water until mixture can easily be rolled into balls without falling apart

This is a super easy snack to make to have on hand and perfect for before or after a workout. I ate one after my early morning workout this morning. I tried a new gym only a couple blocks away from our new apartment. I wasn't feeling very creative in making up my own workout so I did this workout from one of my favorite bloggers, Jen at peanutbutterrunner.com. I switched the chest flies to pushups and added in 45 seconds of a cardio exercise after each round (burpees, skaters and jumping jacks.)

When I can get myself out of bed real early, I like to workout before hopping on the train to work because it gives me the freedom to come home and relax after work.

Before I go I wanted to share a couple more photos from last weekend. On Sunday we had brunch at Toast and it was delicious! I ordered the smoked salmon egg toasts. Such a perfect brunch meal. Michael ordered banana french toast and an egg sandwich. His french toast was definitely the best.

I also finally found a winter coat to help me survive when it gets cold...

In all seriousness though this is a SUPER warm down jacket that I got at Burlington for such a good price. And with that I'll leave you with:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4y3815zqDHQ

- Rach