Hey there! How was everyone's Labor Day weekend?

Mine was great - considering the awesome protein pancakes recipe I'm about to share with you :) On Friday evening, Michael and I headed up to the Poconos to stay with a couple of our friends at their house. I had never been up there before and it was just beautiful. So peaceful, quiet and we couldn't have gotten more lucky with the weather. I don't have many pictures because I wanted to disconnect a bit this weekend from technology. On Friday night we sat on the porch and had a few too many drinks in the cool weather. We had intentions to get in a workout Saturday morning, but instead we slept in and drove up the road for a diner breakfast - you know, the greasy kind that cures all feelings of a hangover? So great.

After getting some food in our bellies, we geared up for a full day at the lake with a huge cooler filled with LOTS of beer and snacks. We got to the lake and headed into the water for a full day of floating - with our floating cooler. We swam (floated) all the way to the other side of the lake and back, and didn't get out of the water for a good 3-4 hours. 

Obviously in Gator gear for an awesome Gator win on Saturday night! Full of beer and all sunned out, we headed back home to relax and grill a delicious dinner of chicken, asparagus and zucchini. 

We headed back to Philadelphia yesterday late morning. Today has consisted of lots of relaxing! I got in a great workout earlier, mostly because I had all the time in the world and didn't have to rush! I love that, don't you? I'll post my workout later this week - it was a sweaty one! Now we're just enjoying being lazy (aka blogging + watching Arrested Development the rest of the day) before getting back into a busy working routine tomorrow.

Before working out, we woke up slow and I wanted pancakes, but after a weekend full of not the healthiest meals, I wanted a healthier version - cue the homemade protein pancakes! These are easy to make and if you're one of those "ew cottage cheese!" people, I'm sure greek yogurt would work just as well :) 

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It's hump day (YAY two more days until the weekend) and I've got another yummy recipe for you!

I started today bright and early with a 3 mile run. I've been absolutely loving my runs lately, in case you were wondering. I think what has made running so great in the last few weeks is getting to explore a whole new neighborhood. If you're ever in Philadelphia, take a day to explore the Mt. Airy, Chestnut Hill area - it's gorgeous! As much as I love being in the city, the new area that I live in is more suburban, and it's such a breath of fresh air. I don't have to wait to cross the streets in the mornings and the greenery is amazing. It's fun to run past all of the little bakeries, boutiques and little markets. I also like to run down the streets where the "millionaires" live - looking at the big homes takes my mind off of all the HILLS.

After running, I came back to shower real quick and didn't really have time to cook anything for breakfast, so I threw together this easy bowl before catching the train to work. The high-protein main ingredient is...cottage cheese! I didn't want to title this post "Cottage Cheese Bowl" because I have a feeling that a lot of people get grossed out by cottage cheese. You shouldn't be - it's delicious! And super versatile. And packs a punch of protein.

Anyway, I threw together about a cup of cottage cheese, 1/2 a banana, 1 small plum, blueberries, a handful of chopped walnuts, a sprinkle of coconut and a drizzle of honey. It's a refreshing breakfast or snack. I would much rather eat fruit with cottage cheese or ricotta cheese than yogurt - is that weird? Who cares. I LOVE CHEESE.

Okay enjoy :)

-Rach

Cottage cheese - love it or hate it? 

How do you get your protein in the morning?

Happy Monday! I know you need a little extra energy (who doesn't on a Monday afternoon?), so I'm sharing these delicious Trail Mix Energy Muffins. They could also be called "clean out your pantry muffins" because there's a lot of fun add-ins in these. Why skimp on all that goodness? The more the merrier! These are perfect for that pre-workout munch or even as part of your breakfast! They're full of complex carbs, healthy fats and natural sugar.

Here's what you'll need: 

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup regular flour
• 1 cup oats
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 2 oz. dark chocolate or about 1/4-1/3 cup (I used 1/2 of a large hershey's dark chocolate bar and chopped it up)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/3 cup egg whites
• 1/3 cup plain greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup raw honey

Here's what to do: 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
• Mix together all of the dry ingredients
• Add in the greek yogurt, honey and eggs
• Mix together well - the consistency should be thick
• Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray (or line with muffin liners)
• Spoon in the batter to fill the muffin tin about 3/4 the way to the top
• Bake for 18 minutes, or until golden brown

I will definitely be making these again for next week!

Enjoy :)

- Rach