Good morning! I've got an eggselent frittata recipe to share. This is perfect to make ahead of time and have for breakfast for a few days or a great brunch recipe! It's easy like this wonderful Saturday morning.

I'll admit I got a little heavy handed with the cheese! Eggs and cheese are a match made in heaven, though, so I can't be blamed. Worth it. This tastes heavenly. P.S. you could make it a little lighter by substituting some of the eggs for egg whites or cutting out some of the cheese. Ingredients:

• 5 eggs
• 2 tbsp ricotta cheese + 1 Laughing Cow creamy swiss wedge
• 4 maple chicken sausage links diced thin (I used Trader Joe's brand)
• 1/2-1 cup chopped spinach
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup Mozzarella cheese
• 1-2 tbsp goat cheese crumbles
• Teaspoon each of kosher salt and pepper

Directions: 

• In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, ricotta cheese and laughing cow cheese
• Add in chopped spinach, sausage, green onion and seasonings
• Preheat a small skillet on low-medium heat and spray with cooking spray
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Pour egg mixture in skillet and let cook until the edges are set
• Sprinkle Mozzarella and goat cheese on top and place in oven
• Bake until the top of the frittata is set and edges are golden brown (should be about 15 to 20 minutes)
• Let cool and serve!

Now I am trying to convince myself to go to the stadium for a workout, but my bed is feeling really inviting right now. The weather today is gorgeous though so I really want to take advantage of it!

What's everyone up to this weekend?

Rach

Recipe coming at you for and oven baked crispy fish! This is a really easy and simple dish that can be thrown together on a week night. I used cod but really any mild white fish will work. Tilapia would be really good. Ingredients: 

• 2 small cod filets (I used one big one, cut in half)
• 3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
•  1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dill
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon each of garlic and onion powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. Pat the filets of fish dry with a paper towel
3. Season both sides with salt and pepper
4. On a plate, mix together the rest of the seasonings and bread crumbs
5. Whisk the egg in a bowl
6. Dip each of the fish filets in the egg and place onto bread crumb mixture and fully coat
7. Place filets on a pan greased with cooking spray and into the oven
8. Bake for five minutes, flip, and bake for another five minutes
9. Turn oven to broil and broil for about one minute or until golden brown

I served mine with roasted vegetables, tomato slices and a dollop of tzaziki.

Enjoy!

Rach

Happy Friday!! Yet again, this week absolutely flew by. It was full of the usual intern, work, class, teach and repeat schedule. On Wednesday night, I went with some friends to try the new Blaze Pizza that just opened and it was AWESOME. You can customize all the toppings on your pizza and the best part is that they don't even charge for extra toppings.

This morning I attempted to go to a 6:15 a.m. cycle class, but it was completely full! I used to be a lot better about signing up for early morning classes and I've been a bit slack about it lately, so I wanted to share a few tips to help you if you are trying to switch your workout routine to the morning. Unfortunately, I couldn't do cycle, but I ended up still getting a great workout, which I'll share in my next post! And came home to make a delicious smoothie:

Spinach, banana, strawberries, pineapple, Sunbutter, vanilla protein, coconut water & honey!

How to become an early riser:

Getting a workout in first thing in the morning sounds so great, doesn't it? You get it out of the way, it wakes you up and you have the whole entire rest of the day to be productive, but I know that it is not as easy as it sounds. However, working out early in the morning jump starts your metabolism, energizes you and even helps your brainpower.

1. You need to get a good night sleep. This is the absolute most important thing for me when it comes to hearing my alarm go off at 5:30 a.m. I know that this can sometimes be hard with school, work and all of the other obligations that we have going on, but if you can promise yourself throughout the day that you will be in bed by at least 10:30 p.m., that gives you a solid seven hours.

2. Lay your gym clothes out the night before. When you turn your alarm clock off and open your eyes to see your gym clothes ready for you, it makes it a bit harder to just roll over and go back to bed. It is motivating to know that you were so ready for an early workout the night before, so why back out at this point?

3. Plan your workout the night before.Whether that means signing up for a fitness class or having a workout written out, already having a game plan takes the thinking out of it. Chances are you might still be half asleep when you get to the gym!

4. Eat something small before. Although this really is a personal preference, I find that if I eat a small something before an early morning workout, I get a lot more out of it. I'll eat half of a banana and some peanut butter and it's not enough to weigh me down, but enough to give me a burst of energy that I need! This definitely takes some trial and error. I used to refuse eating that early because I just couldn't really stomach it, but I would find that 15 minutes into my workout, I felt ready to fall right back asleep! Again, this is totally personal preference and you will find what works for you!

5. Ease into it. This is crucial. It's not easy to jump right out of bed and get a solid workout, but like anything, practice makes perfect! Start out doing one or two early morning workouts per week and see how you feel throughout the day. I bet you that your energy levels will be a lot higher than if you didn't rise and grind.

It's all a process! These are just some things that help me a lot when I know I want to get in my workout before the sun. There's no right or wrong way or time to workout and it's all about what works best for you and your schedule.

Rach