Ch..ch...ch...ch...ch...CHIA

Recently I've discovered so many new foods! Some have just been veggies that I had overlooked, but some have been ingredients I never would have thought to add. The craziest sounding? Chia seeds. We all know the 'as seen on tv" jingle that goes along with the ceramic pets. While they do sprout nicely into fun shapes, they are also a powerhouse of nutrition! They have been compared to flax seeds, but offer a completely different texture. They contain a ton of fiber as well as essential fatty acids. They also have this neat ability to absorb ten times their weight in water. This makes them the perfect pre-race snack. Not only can they help to hydrate you over a long stretch of time, the little gels also form a barrier between your digestive tract and carbohydrates making you digest slower and maintain a more balanced blood sugar level.


Ever since a coworker mentioned them a few months ago, I am constantly hearing about these little seeds! They were in the last book I read, a blog I follow, and this months issue of Clean Eating Magazine. I've been adding these to my oatmeal almost every morning. They make it really fluffy and nice. You can also add them to lemonade and drink them, which is apparently a popular drink south of the border called, "Chia Fresca." This is me recommending them and also giving you a heads up if you are wondering what those little black dots in my breakfast are.


This week and especially today has taught me that I need a meal plan. Last week was a success because I always had an idea of what to eat even when I didn't stick with it. Sometimes when I'm hungry I sort of give up and cave to less than awesome food choices. I also need a list when I grocery shop and while I'm at the grocery store I need to not buy cookies....

Oats in a sunshine bowl!

I used to never eat breakfast, but I've learned  to embrace the most important meal of the day... sometimes twice! I eat first thing when I wake up, right around 5 am, by the time 9 am rolls around I'm ready for round two. I kept it small with berries, a dollop of NF greek yogurt and flax seed granola.

Sometimes I can't even last until lunch at 12:30... I think I was more bored than hungry. At least it was a healthy choice!

Tuna, brown rice, spinach, tomatoes and slice of whole wheat bread. Carbs-double check, veggies-check, protein-check.

After work I met up for happy hour and Europe planning with my friend Jessica. This was my first experience taking out my camera at a restaurant! This looks like a dessert, but it is actually crunchy potatoes in a spicy tomato and aioli sauce from the tapas bar downtown. I might get my definition a bit wrong here...In Spain, tapas are small plates served with a drink. Like most of my pictures, this was actually a really small portion, just enough for a mid-afternoon snack. Since we are planning a Spain/Italy trip this locale seemed perfect for our brainstorming.

 My friend Jessica! We need to work on our self portrait if we are going to be traveling together! 

Pre-run snack.
My run was far from spiritual today. My calves/shins were feeling the effects of so many consecutive road runs so it turned into a 2.5 mile run/walk. The weather was wonderful but I couldn't recapture last nights magic. Tomorrow I think I'll cross-train... maybe some 30 day shred or the eliptical machine? I need to be better about getting a full body workout.

 I almost thought about skipping dinner, until 7pm hit and I realized I couldn't do it. So Here is another mishmash dinner. 1/3 C whole wheat macaroni pasta, sauteed spinach and tomato with peas. Really light and delicious. I hadn't had pasta in a while, so it really hit the spot.

The cookies I am not aloud to buy anymore! It is tough finding delicious gluten free cookies but these are some of the best packaged cookies I've ever found! Not too much of a sugary taste. Lately I've been obsessed with peanut/almond butter... I can't get enough! My next challenge will be to make my own from scratch! Put that food processor to work!