Good morning! Happy Monday!

Steel cut oats and I have a love-hate relationship. After eating and loving the steel cut oats at La Pain Quotidien, I went out and bought some to make at home. It’s been about a month since I bought the canister of steel cut oats, but I still haven’t made them. The main reason: they’re a lot of work to cook!

The recommended preparation for steel cut oats is boiling water (or milk) in a saucepan, adding the oats, and letting them simmer for 25-30 minutes until all of the liquid is absorbed and the oats are tender. In the past, I’ve made steel cut oats this way, and they usually turn out great, but I don’t always want to wait that long for my breakfast to cook. I’m all about convenience, especially when I’m starving in the morning!

I know there are other methods of cooking steel cut oats, so I tried the microwave preparation on the back of the Whole Foods 365 Organic Steel Cut Oats canister:

Mix 1/2 cup of steel cut oats with 2 cups of water in a microwave safe 8 cup bowl (the size of the bowl is important as it must be large enough to allow the oats to bubble up without spilling over). Cover and microwave at full power for 5 minutes. Stir and finish cooking for another 5 minutes (as microwaves vary in size and power, cooking times may need to be adjusted).

It sounded easy enough and only required 10 minutes of my time, so I gave it a try this morning. I had a large Pyrex bowl with a lid that I thought would be perfect for cooking steel cut oats, so I added them and popped the whole thing in the microwave for 5 minutes.

GAH! Explosion! Apparently, my bowl wasn’t big enough.

I cleaned up the mess, added some canned pumpkin, and microwaved the oats for another 5 minutes. I didn’t think it would bubble over again since so much of the liquid was absorbed/lost in the explosion, so I didn’t try a bigger bowl. Unfortunately, the oats exploded again, but they turned out really well (tender and chewy), so I guess the mess was worth it in the end.

There are also soaking overnight and crockpot methods, so I’m going to attempt those next—unless I can find a bigger bowl to cook my steel cut oats in the microwave. The microwave method did seem really easy. I guess I just need to get it right.

Breakfast

My breakfast this morning was steel cut oats with pumpkin, chia seeds, and a big scoop of peanut butter. I also had a glass of iced coffee with eggnog.

Mmmmm! So good. They’re a lot of work, but steel cut oats are so delicious. I love how chewy and tender they get.

Dinner

Last night’s dinner was courtesy of the Whole Foods salad and hot bars. Mal and I needed to go grocery shopping for the week, so Whole Foods made perfect sense. Two birds, one stone.

Plus, after feeling crappy all day, I wanted something healthy and delicious for dinner.

Just what I wanted!

While shopping at Whole Foods, Mal and I stumbled upon some White Chocolate & Peppermint Pretzel Crisps. Holy yum.

We only planned to eat a few of them to satisfy our sweet tooth.

Pug creeper.

But we ended up finishing the bag! Holy crap, they are awesome.

Weekly Workouts

Mal and I are heading out to Oregon on Thursday afternoon, so my workouts are frontloaded this week.

• Sunday: Off
• Monday: 4 miles + Crossfit (!!!)
• Tuesday: 2-mile walk + CrossFit
• Wednesday: 3 miles + 15 min. elliptical
• Thursday: Off
• Friday: Off
• Saturday: Off

Question of the Day

What food(s) do you have a love-hate relationship with?

Along with steel cut oats, I’d also add granola to my love-hate list— for a different reason, of course. I love it becaus it’s delicious, but I hate it because I eat it ALL when it’s around!

P.S. Here’s an adorable pic for the pug lovers!

It was a two-cup-of-coffee with Bailey’s morning for a good reason: I was plowing through my To Do list. The caffeine kept me buzzing right along. I also ended up skipping Pilates in order to capitalize on my productivity, but it was worth it since I got so much accomplished.

Lunch

Around noon, I took a break from working to make my favorite new salad for lunch. Three of the ingredients come from cans, but I swear it’s delicious!

I also ate an Apple Cinnamon & Pecan KIND bar and drank some water with lunch.

After lunch, I headed to Boston Sports Club to cash in my Groupon for a 30-day membership. Remember how I mentioned that I was bored with my workouts? Well, this is one of things I’m trying to spice up my exercise routine.

Hello, BSC!

This location is a lot nicer than my current gym. It has brand new equipment, fancy treadmills with TVs, towel service, and other nice amenities. It’s no Equinox (< — I’m obsessed), but it has a lot going for it. I’m excited to workout there for the next 29 days.

Workout

At the gym, I ran 3.3 miles on the treadmill and then hit the weight room for a workout, which was inspired by my NASM textbook. Ok, ready for another interesting exercise science term? Peripheral Heart Action.

Peripheral Heart Action is a type of strength training that alternates upper and lower body exercises throughout a circuit. This type of training forces blood flow away from the heart to the upper and lower body, which results in a more demanding cardiovascular workout. However, because you alternate upper and lower body exercises, your muscles don’t fatigue as quickly, so you can keep up a good pace moving from exercise to exercise, which leads to a greater caloric burn while building muscle at the same time.

I’ve done workouts like this before, but I never realized it was a specific type of training with a name. It sounded challenging and like a good way to shake up my workouts, so I created the following workout and did it at the gym this afternoon:

I planned to do three sets of this circuit, but it ended up taking longer than expected, so I called quits after the second set. I liked this workout a lot, so I’ll definitely do three sets next time.

If you’re wondering what the Standing Scaption is all about, here’s a video. At the NASM Live Workshop, I learned that this shoulder exercise strengthens both the front and middle part of the shoulder and the motion is a safe alternative for people with shoulder pain or who are susceptible to shoulder injuries.

Snack

Just now, I ate two three bowls of granola with soy milk. Granola is one of those foods that I shouldn’t keep in the house. I want to eat it ALL! Why is it so delicious!?!

Time to walk the pug!

Well, guys, our experience at the gym this morning can be summed-up in three words: inexpensive, outdated, and filthy. The cost of the monthly membership was cheap (about a 1/3 of the cost of Healthworks), but the equipment was in rough shape. The gym had a TON of equipment, but the majority of it wasn’t well-maintained. Many of the dumbbells were mismatched and quite a few of the seats on the Nautilus equipment were ripped and falling apart. Plus, most of it looked like it hadn’t been updated in decades! The cardio equipment, in particular, seemed like it had never ever been cleaned– grime covered the foot plates on the elliptical and random debris (i.e. trash and snot rags) was shoved into the holders on the sides of the treadmills. Gross! (The women’s locker room was dirty, too!) I admit that I am a bit of a gym snob, especially after being a member at amazing healthclubs, like Healthworks and Mount Auburn Club, so it’s hard for me not to compare. But, honestly, this gym was pretty bad. I guess you get what you pay for! 

Even though I won’t be joining this gym anytime soon, I did have a decent workout. I did 30 minutes on the Arc Trainer, followed by 20 minutes on the bike, and finished up with about 15 minutes of abs. 

Lunch

This afternoon’s lunch was very satisfying with all of its different flavors and textures. I started with veggie and wild rice soup that I plumped-up with 1/4 cup of wheat berries. 

On the side, I had some TJ’s crackers and cottage cheese with granola mixed in. 

It’s still snowing quite a lot here in Boston, so I’m not sure if Mal and I are going to venture out to a football get-together this afternoon or just stay put at home. Snow always kills my motivation.

I felt like I needed to jazz-up my oats this morning. I wanted something new and different, but also hearty and filling. I mentally inventoried the ingredients in our cupboards and refrigerator, and what I came up with was liquid egg whites!

When the blog first started, I used to add egg whites to my oatmeal every morning for some extra protein and staying-power. I’m not sure why I nixed this addition, but I’m glad it’s back!

In the mix:

• 1/3 cup dry oats
• 1/4 cup liquid egg whites
• 1/2 cup Zoe’s granola
• 1 cup vanilla soy milk
• 2 scoops of Barney Butter

I’d love to hear what you guys add to your oats. What are your favorite oatmeal ingredients and add-ins?

Treadmill Rut

The other day, I received a question from a reader about my treadmill runs; I thought I should share my response on the blog.

Q: “How do you run on the treadmill for so long and not get bored? I would get bored so easily!”

A: I rarely get bored on the treadmill. To keep me interested while running/walking, a few things come to mind…

• Have a plan: I almost always utilize some sort of cardio workout to guide my treadmlll run. I use fitness magazine workouts all of the time. Of course, running/walking workouts work best, but other cardio workouts work well, too. Some of my favorites: 
  • 45-Minute Treadmill Workout
  • Not a Boring Treadmill Workout
  • 3-Mile Challenge
  • 30-Minute Treadmill Run
  • Fitness NYC’s 3′s and 5′s Treadmill Challenge

  
  

• Interval workouts! Similar to above, change-up speeds and inclines to keep it interesting! Interval workouts also increase your caloric burn!




• Play games: You can assign a distance, time, intensity, or speed to just about anything. For instance:
  • Try rolling a dice before heading to the gym; the number you roll is the number of miles you run/walk.
  • Base your run/walk duration on the time you arrive at the gym or begin your workout. For example, if you start exercising at 5:47 PM, your workout will be 52 minutes (5+47). (Of course, this game doesn’t always work, but it’s fun when it does!)
  • If you have access to a TV while on the treadmill, pick up the pace during commercials with music, a jingle, or theme song.

    
    

    
    

    
    

• Schedule your workout around your favorite TV show: Set a specific time to hop on the treadmill to watch your favorite TV drama or sitcom. Television shows work great because they are 30 or 60 minutes– the perfect amount of time for a treadmill workout! 

  
  

Boy, did I miss my morning bowl of oats! It’s so weird that I crave eggs on the weekend (and days off), but during the work week, I want oatmeal. They both keep me satisfied for hours, so I wonder why that is?

In the mix:

• 1/3 cup dry oats
• 1/3 cup Zoe’s Cranberry Currant Granola
• 1/2 cup vanilla soy milk
• 1 small banana
• 1 tbsp ground flaxseed meal 

Oh, how I miss you, oats! I’m so glad that you’re back in my life again!

Workout

I had planned to run this morning, but my body had a totally different idea about it. I didn’t sleep well last night, and my body was pooped. Instead, I did this 45-minute walking workout on the treadmill, followed by 3 sets of renegade rows with 8 lbs dumbbells.

Walk stats:

• Distance: 3.30
• Time: 45:00
• Pace: 13:38 min/mile 
• Calories: 318 

Balanced Eating

Health columnist Bethenny Frankel recently had an article in the Jan/Feb 2009 issue about her no-diet tricks to getting (and staying) slim from her new book Naturally Thin: Unleash Your SkinnyGirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting. 

Her #1 rule, Your diet is your bank account, especially hit home for me because it explains how I eat and it is the main premise for Carrots ‘N’ Cake. Bethenny says, “I consider this the mother of all the other rules. It’s the first thing I tell people when they ask me how I stay naturally thin.”

Bethenny explains rule #1 like this: “Just as you balance your spending and savings, you must balance your food choices. Don’t eat too much of any one thing, balance starches with proteins, vegetables and fruits with sweets, and always balance a splurge with a save.” Right on, sister! Bethenny further explains this strategy: “Most of the time, make smart investments in healthful foods that fill you up. Then, when you really want to splurge, go ahead. You aren’t dieting, remember. You are living. However, a splurge comes with a price. You have to balance that splurge by cutting back a little afterward…” She gives this scenario as an example for balanced eating: “Let’s say you have pancakes for breakfast. They’re fine– and starchy and sweet. So what do you have for lunch? Pasta? Of course not. That’s more starch. Because you had starch and sugar earlier in the day, you now need protein and vegetables.”  I love the way she thinks! This is how I incorporate balanced eating into my diet each and every day.

What are your feelings on balanced eating and splurges? 

I had a feeling that I already used this post title. I used it on the morning of Wednesday, February 6, 2008, just a few days after I started the blog. I love looking back at old posts and seeing how far I’ve come with my blogging skillz (writing, content, photography, etc.) and food choices (I eat less artificial stuff now).

Anyway, I had a slow start to my morning. I seriously struggled to get out of bed. Plus, I was having some strange and interesting dreams, and I wanted to know how things turned out!

Workout

After slowly getting out of bed and dressed for the gym, I miraculously had a great workout. I ran for 40 minutes on the treadmill, followed by 25 minutes of upper body free weights.

Run Stats:

• Distance: 4.47
• Time: 40:02
• Pace: 8:57 min/mile
• Calories: 438

Breakfast

Mmmmm… Zoe’s! I put a good 1/3 cup of Zoe’s granola on top of my oats this morning. The crunchy nuggets are so delicious with the mushy oats. I love the combo of crunch + mush! Also in this morning’s oats: dried cranberries and almond milk. Now that I am in the office, I am sipping on Sumatra coffee with vanilla hemp milk, which doesn’t blend well at all with coffee… oh well, I just keep stirring.

Blog for Your Health

From Self magazine, December 2008

Blogging may be good for your health!!!

• Sound Slumber: Blogging about your feelings can bring on relaxation, which helps usher in sleep.
• Improved Immunity: Expressive writing may encourage growth of white blood cells, which fight off infection, research shows.
• A Hardy Heart: Writing about emotional topics may lower blood pressure and heart rate, keeping your ticker in better shape.

Question of the Day