Good morning! Happy Friday! I’m a day behind on my blogging, so here’s a recap of yesterday’s eats and adventures!
Breakfast
I woke up bright and early yesterday morning to dominate my To Do list, which sort of got out-of-control in recent days. I made myself My Favorite Breakfast Pancake with sliced strawberries and Teddie Peanut Butter and then got right to work. I ended up getting a ridiculous amount of stuff done in the morning, which was awesome. My brain functions so much more efficiently first thing in the day than late at night.
Instead of my usual homemade iced coffee, I tried some Chameleon Cold-Brew that the company sent me to try last week.
Four bottles arrived at our house on Wednesday afternoon, and when I returned from California on Monday night, only one bottle remained. I guess Mal really liked it. He said he would have drank them all, but he saved one for me. What a guy.
Each 16-ounce bottle contains four servings. You just need to mix the cold-brewed stuff with cold water or milk. I opted for almond milk and, holy goodness, it was DELICIOUS. It’s bold, flavorful, and so, so, so smooth (cold brew coffees are typically less acidic than traditional hot-brewed coffees). Of course, if you don’t like super strong coffee, you can water it down even more. But, for me, when it comes to iced coffee, it’s the stronger, the better!
As soon as I had my first sip, I told Mal the last bottle was all mine!
Lunch
After breakfast, I plowed through work and then took a break for lunch, which was a big salad topped with sliced deli turkey and a scoop of roasted red pepper hummus, which I used as āsalad dressing.āĀ
After lunch, I headed to the dog park with Mal and Murphy. It felt great to get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather.
Snack
After our trip to the park, I was hungry again, so I ate an Oikos plain Greek yogurt with sliced cherries and almonds. Mmm!
Snack
I worked for a few more hours and then ate a sliced banana with peanut butter before heading to CrossFit. I always need a little something in my stomach before a workout. Otherwise, I feel tired and weak.
Workout
Last night’s workout was ridiculous. It was one of the hardest CrossFit WODs I’ve ever done (and one I will never forget).
WOD:
For time:
1 mile Farmers Walk (heaviest)
Basically, you carry the heaviest weight you can handle for one mile. We used kettlebells last night, but you can also do a Farmer’s Walk with dumbbells or any other heavy thing you want to carry. It looks like this:
For the first 800 meters, I used a 35-pound kettlebell in one hand and a 53-pound kettlebell in the other (I switched hands at 400 meters). It was challenging, but on the final 800 meters, I turned into a crazy person and decided to carry two 53-pound kettlebells. Holy crap, it was hard, but I somehow managed to do it. I finished in just over 32 minutes. Longest mile of my life.
Dinner
After CrossFit, I came home, showered up, and made dinner, which was another salad topped with chicken, roasted red hummus, and Annie’s balsamic dressing.
After dinner, I did a little baking. I was really in the mood for a cookies!
Coconut Almond Cookies
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1/3 cup shredded coconut
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- Prune puree (1/2 cup dried prunes + 1 tbsp water)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 eggs
- Pinch of salt
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350* F.
- Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Using a tablespoon portion batter onto a prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes.
- Allow to cool before serving.
I enjoyed three of these cookies before passing out on the couch. I was exhausted after last night’s workout!
Wellness by the Water Retreat Giveaway
Thanks to everyone who entered the Wellness by the Water Retreat giveaway! Here’s your winner:
Katelyn
I would LOVE to win this retreat sooo much!! I have been meaning to spoil my mom for so long with a day just like this. We’ve both had a tough year and together, this is exactly what we need
Congrats, Katelyn! Please email me at tina@carrotsncake.com to claim your prize.
Question of the Day
The other day, I received an email from a reader asking me what are the food staples in my diet. Here are the foods you can almost always find me eating (or drinking):
- Bananas
- Sweet potatoes
- Nut butter (usually almond & peanut)
- Iced coffee
- Almond milk
- Greek yogurt
- Eggs
- Chicken
- Salad greens
What are the food staples in your diet? What do you buy every week at the grocery store?
P.S. This has nothing to do with anything, but I thought it was hilarious: DJ CatĀ Scratching Pad. I think my mom’s cats need one of these! Haha!
118 Comments
owww where do I order a cold brew!! I love my coffee extra strong
Holy damn, that IS an insane WOD!! Hell yeah for adding more weight though – you rockstar š
Way to dominate that WOD! I often do that do when I want to go all out at the end. Woohoo!
Staples for me are almond milk, nut butter, bananas, spinach, sweet potatoes and cucumbers. Year round those are on my list.
I was wondering how long before your workout do you eat. I used to just wake up and go workout but I’ve heard maybe that’s not the best thing to do. I know I need eat cause if I’m in the middle of a workout and I get hungry I’m done for.
Usually, 1-2 hours before a workout.
Dang look at your arms! So defined! These cookies look yum, anything with coconut is good with me š
Holy CRAP that workout sounds hard!
Staples for me are definitely bananas, cereal, milk, peanut butter, and chocolate of some kind!
Walking a mile carrying over 80 pounds? Dayumm! I seriously don’t think I could do that – or not with 80 pounds anyway. Congrats!
I don’t think I’ve ever said this but I LOVE Murphy, he’s so cute!
It was actually over 100 pounds! š
@Tina: ahhh I see now, 106 for the last half mile! Makes me tired just thinking about it!
That workout doesn’t look bad it first, but carrying 100 lbs for a mile would be brutal?
My food staples are: broccoli, bananas, chicken, feta and parmesan, brown rice and field greens. I always buy these things when I get groceries.
That WOD sounds intense! Yay for pushing through!
The staples that we always have are: bananas, spinach, almond milk, oatmeal, greek yogurt, eggs, and granola. š
Definitely trying that WOD. It sounds killer!
My staples:
Bananas
Eggs
Salad Greens
Chicken
Deli Meats
Almond Milk
Cereal (Its too hard to kick the cereal eating habit. There’s just something so comforting about it. I have to have a small bowl before bed.)
Ezekiel English Muffins (love this)
Almond/Peanut Butter
Oranges (I get the flu/cold often)
Grapes
Greek Yogurt/Cottage Cheese
Zucchini (crack)
Flavored Coffee (more crack)
Rolled Oats
Pickles (It’s a Texas thing)
I love seeing pictures of Murphy! He looks just like my pug. Pugs are so photogenic.
My food staples that I have to buy every week at the grocery store are almonds, peanut butter, and green apples!
Those cookies sound so good!
wow, what an insane WOD! way to go! those cookies were definitely earned!
I have a lot of those same ‘food staples’….apples, bananas, strawberries (during the summer, then they’re always in the fridge), peanut butter, carrots, oatmeal, spinach for smoothies, and some sort of wheat bread or tortillas
I always buy salad veggies, oatmeal, and greek yogurt. Now that summer’s here, I’ve been buying lots of fruit too.
Kudos to the 1mi Farmers Walk!!!! That’s a nasty mile. I’ve done it! Murphy is looking handsome. š I have a big dog who turned 13 last week.
Foods I love and eat daily: natty peanut butter, eggs, bananas, lean meats, whole grain flatbreads, almonds, greek yogurt (that’s the only dairy I eat), avocados, quinoa, salads (green salads, homemade coleslaw), balsamic dressing, Thinbars, Kindbars…..
@Miriam Valkenburg: Oh and a big one, my favorite drink: COFFEE!!!
My staples include almond milk, blueberries, cereal and grapes!
I know that WOD, but I call it grocery shopping, tehee. I live in a city about 1km from the store. I’m not the beast you are by any means (53lbs go you!), but a giant 6L pack of milk in one hand and a massive and awkwardly shaped bag of groceries in the other is a serious workout (especially if you’re competing for time with an impending rain storm – a common occurrence in Brussels). Staples that are always in my cart include chicken breast, bananas, peanuts (I make my own nut butter – unfortunately peanut butter isn’t very popular here) and yoghurt.
@Jessi: Ha, you made me laugh! I absolutely count that as a WOD! š
My staples for each week are greek yogurt, grapes, strawberries, veggies for salads (carrots, cucumbers, peppers) and whole wheat bagel thins =)
I love Chameleon cold brew !!!! I mix it with the dark chocolate Almond Breeze and a splash of Coconut milk and it is sooooooo good!!! I would be really mad at Mal for drinking the other 3 bottles, if I were you š
@Annette: whoaa that combo sounds amazing! I’ll def. take that idea sometime in the future š
Summer staples are always Chobani plain, berries, Bare Naked fit granola, Almond Breeze plain vanilla, spinach, and mixed greens. I purchase those items like clockwork every Sunday.
A lot of my staple foods are the same as yours, but I’d add loads of fresh fruit, ricotta cheese and stevia to the mix.
Your food staples look exactly like mine. Those coconut cookies look yummy!!
Bananas are definitely a staple for me and lots of frozen broccoli. I go through bags of frozen broccoli like a champ.
The Coconut Almond Cookies sound delicious! I will have to give them a try. My staples are bananas & peanut butter!
Cold brewed coffee is crazy easy to make. You can find recipes online but you just mix roughly 1 part coffee grounds to 3 or 4 parts water. I let it steep for 24 hours, and shake it every few hours, but you can get a decent concentrate by letting it steep for 12 hours. Strain with a coffee filter, and voila! Works great with cheap coffee too.
That iced coffee sounds delicious! I love coffee! My food staples are oatmeal, almond milk, quinoa, spinach, apples, bananas, coffee, eggs, goat cheese, shredded carrots, tomatoes, soy chorizo & tempeh. Always have them in my fridge.
I always buy bananas, berries, cukes, spinach, almonds, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, nut butter, veggie burgers, and whole grains.
I’ve done Farmer’s walks before but never for a mile. That’s crazy awesome and impressive!!!
Your staples look delish!!! I want to come to your house to eat!!
OooO I hope to find that iced coffee somewhere! I love strong coffee~but not when it tastes “burnt”. And my staples are bananas, oats, almond/soymilk, cheese, greens, pb or sunflower butter, ezekiel bread, broccoli, eggs, coffee, tea, avocado, fish, greek yogurt, and coconut in many forms!
I was curious if walking with that much weight makes your arms stronger if they’re only holding on or moreso for you legs?
Both! More so upper body, but legs too!
Those cookies really sound amazing! I’ve been trying to bake with coconut flour more as of late. Do you think I can substitute prunes with something else, like dates?
My staples are very similar to yours. Bananas, quinoa, Greek Yogurt, eggs, bread, almond milk, sweet potatoes, Stacy’s pita chips, dark chocolate.
Sure! I’ve only made them once, but I bet dates would work!
My staples are yogurt, frozen bananas, navel oranges, green tea, tofu, chocolate (lately I use
raw cacao powder for smoothies), peanut butter, soba noodles. Need to work the salads more often, like you do.
I can not imagine doing a Farmer’s Walk for 1 mile…it kills me just doing a lap around our gym! WOW! Impressed to the max over here!
Food Staples for Me:
Coffee
Eggs
Apples
Peaches (especially in the summer time)
Berries
Almond Cheese
Chicken and Salmon (my 2 FAVORITE protein sources)
Coconut Butter
Almond Butter
Salad Greens
Protein Powder
I want to try that cold brew it looks delish!
Ugg, I also have a to-do list that I’ve been meaning to tackle since a week & a half ago…and am finally getting to today. Blech. Hate that!
I eat healthy most of the times but I don’t think I can handle a day without meat, the taste that keeps coming back to my mouth when I eat veggies. How do you do it? Oh and where can I buy that bottled coffee?
My staples:
Greek yogurt
Nut butter
Greens (Spinach, Romain Lettuce, or Arugula)
Chicken Sausage
Marinara sauce
Deli Meats
Wheat Bread
Milk
Cereal
Red Peppers
Onions
Chicken