Good morning! Happy Monday! I hope you had a fabulous weekend! 
Breakfast
This morning’s breakfast might seem a little random, but you’ve gotta trust me on this one. It was de-lic-ious!
Last night, I baked an acorn squash in the oven (45 minutes at 400*F) with coconut oil. This morning, I added some vanilla cake batter coconut butter to one half and then nuked it in the microwave for 90 seconds. OMG, amazing. This is definitely a keeper for breakfast.
City Sports Giveaway
Thanks to everyone who entered to win a $100 gift card from City Sports! Here’s your winner:
My most fun is at the Air Force Marathon when we go through Fairborn (Ohio) and all the kids and adults are out in full force and all want to give you high fives. Such fun!
Congrats, Jovan! Please email me at tina@carrotsncake.com with your full name and mailing address to claim your prize!
Just a reminder: You can save $5 off your price of registration for the Back in the Day 10K with the promo code XFIT1983. (The code is only valid for 50 uses, so be sure to hop on it!) With your registration, you’ll receive a limited edition race tee, commemorative pint glass, and 80s-style CS shades. Cool!
Question of the Day
I recently wrote a post for The Laughing Cow with some ideas for refreshing your summer workouts. Summer is definitely my favorite time of year to try some new activities. On my list for this summer: trail running, a color run, and paddle boarding on the ocean (I did it once on a nice, calm lake, so it wasn’t super challenging).
What new workouts/outdoor activities/adventures do you want to try this summer?
My new fitness adventure is going to be Crossfit. I made an appointment at a “local” box and am going on Wednesday to check it out. Leaving in rural VA, you have to make an effort to participate in Crossfit but I find anything worth doing takes effort. Can’t wait to try it!
Woohoo! Enjoy! 🙂
I just did the Color Run yesterday and it was INCREDIBLE! So much fun! I just want to keep racing through the summer and have fun with friends and family. 🙂
I’m hoping to get into swimming this summer! I live at the beach and want to do my first Tri this year so it makes sense 🙂
I sometimes have a sweet potato with coconut butter (and cinnamon and ground flax) for breakfast, so I can imagine acorn squash would be good too!
I’ve always wanted to do paddleboarding. Hopefully I will try it this summer!
I plan on hiking a lot this summer to switch up my normal exercise routine
I’d eat squash for breakfast lunch and dinner 🙂 Especially with coconut butter! Wish we could get Acorn Squash in Ireland…
Windsurfing! My boyfriend and I are going down the cape this coming weekend for lessons. I’m so excited!
Wow…that breakfast sounds soooooo good! I need to try that out!
Oh man does that acorn squash look amazing! I just got my bike tuned up & am trying to ride it more this Summer. Happy Monday!
More 5K’s and I want to definitely try standup paddleboarding in the ocean! We have a class starting at my gym soon called floyo with yoga/pilates blend on the SUP, so i want to try that too.
Ooh, yeah! I’d eat that.. It reminds me of having a sweet potato for breakfast, which I definitely have done.
I ran my first 10k this past weekend so that was an adventure! When my family goes somewhere on vacation I really want to go walking/running/hiking in the area we go to. I love running and seeing new places!
It’s not a new workout, but I’d like to go on more hikes this summer.
I’m hoping the Color Run comes to Green Bay, because I really want to run that race! I’m also hoping to try kayaking and a glacier hike when I go to Alaska for vacation.
you and I are on the same coconut kick! My husband thinks I’m going to move to “the islands.” For breakfast three days in a row now, I’ve had warm coconut blueberry flaxseed cereal – gluten free and delish – just 1/2 cup of flaxseed in 1/2 cup coconut milk (from a can, so yummy and healthy) and 1/4 cup coconut flakes – stir together and microwave for 1 minute. So delicious satisfying. I have a hearty appetite, but am full until lunch with this. I think I got the recipe from one of your articles in Health. I use coconut oil in everything – rubbed it all over my salmon last night before baking it, saute my shredded brussel sprouts in it and put it on my face, in my hair and all over my food! And after a work-out, enjoy coconut water to replenish!
I lovvvve anything coconut!
I am going to start training for a tri, so open water swimming, which I am scared to death to do! We trail run once a week, this summer I want to bump it up to at least 2, and I want to do a fun run!
Paddle boarding is a definite this summer.
I would love to try paddle boarding! I would try it in the river buuut I’m scared of the snakes and gators. I am such a wuss. Now that I think about it, I’d be just as scared in a lake (snakes) or the ocean (SHARKS!). I’ve gotta suck it up! haha
I don’t guess it’s really a workout, but I would love to do some paddleboarding and kayaking this summer. I tried both out last year for the first time and had so much fun 🙂
We’re hoping to get in more kayaking and paddleboarding this year!
I went paddleboarding this weekend. It was such an amazing workout! It’s one of my favorite summer sports. I also love kayaking, cycling and tennis! So fun!
My new summer activity is biking! My husband got me into it and we’ve been biking every weekend together. I’d love to start going on some harder trails by the end of summer. And, not a new activity but I can’t wait to go water skiing this year. It’s my favorite summer activity 🙂
I have always wanted to try paddle boarding but it seems like a hard sport to find a way to test out here in North Alabama. (We are going on vacation in Maryland in a few weeks maybe I will seek out a place to rent around there w/ my husband).
We usually just go kayaking – but we want to take that to the next level. Instead of just leisurely floats we’d like to get a bit more rowing in!
Crossfit! I can’t wait to have my beginner session! I also have booked for my husband and I to have our first ever horse riding lesson, something I have always wanted to do.
Fingers crossed we get some summer weather here in Scotland so I can do more outdoor activities – always a bit of a gamble!
Hope you manage to do everything on your summer list!
J x
I want to try a color run too. My friends are trying to encourage me to start training for the tough mudder but I am absolutely terrified of the obstacles and would rather just support them.
Okay breakfast sounds amazing! I have been loving coconut oil on sweet potatoes. Squash and sweet potatoes go so well with coconut.
First half marathon! 😀 Also weekly spin and teaching yoga… all hail cross training!
What a creative breakfast! I’m a huge fan of squash so I may be trying it sometime.
I hadn’t thought about refreshing my summer workouts beyond the circuit training I’m trying to incorporate, but now that I think about it, I need to also include some outdoor activities. I hope to get in more hikes this summer and also tackle the kayak! My boyfriend and I went kayaking in the ocean on vacation and with the big waves it was rather…challenging. In other words, he paddled away while I flopped in circles. I’d like to try it on a calmer lake around us with not so much of a current and see how I do.
I have a dumb question. What is coconut butter? Is it like a regular cow butter and used the same way? I am guessing no because I wouldn’t eat butter out of the jar! Is it more like a frosting? Just trying to figure out how to use it. It sounds yummy!
It’s actually made from coconut. Check out this post from CCK: http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/06/30/coconut-butter-and-coconut-oil/ It’s really helpful!
What a great explanation that web-site gave. I understand what coconut butter is now. Thanks!
Great! Glad it was helpful! 🙂
Stand up paddle boarding, tennis (I LOVE it), kayaking and golf. I’m also hoping to add some daily swims..no excuses when you live across the street from the ocean. PS I eat squash often for breakfast! Mine never looks as good as yours does though….
I want to go hiking more! I LOVE hiking but I can never convince my boyfriend to wake up before 11 am 😉
Paddle boarding would be so much fun! I’m not sure I’d be able to do it on an ocean though!
Like many of the commenters here, I’m doing a Color Run next weekend! Being in Dallas, the summers are SO hot that running kind of slows down for me, so it’s important to do things like this to keep it fun! I also LOVE stand-up paddleboarding as a summer activity, though it’s a little tough here in TX!
You look fabulous in the paddle board picture!!!!
🙂
Aww, thank you! 🙂
I love to eat sweet potatoes for breakfast (with nut butter), but I have never though to eat squash for breakfast. I will definitely have to give that a try. Maybe with kabocha squash! Yum :).
Would really like to try the stand up paddleboarding…I love being out on the water, and think I would really enjoy it!
I’m anxious to try crossfit. I found a box, I’m just waiting for a month where we’ll be in town all month.
I am dying to try paddle boarding! Hopefully I’ll make it happen this summer 🙂
I would love to try paddleboarding! I also really want to get into biking, but I’m a bit nervous of traffic… and hills….
I am hoping to do Color run in Cologne this summer. It would be really fun to give it a try!
I always forget about acorn squash. I love them though, and cake batter coconut butter? Sounds delicious.