February Challenge- Week 4 (Overnight Oats)

Another victorious week over here.  A great way to end the month even if Week 2 was a total fail.  Well victorious might be a little bit too strong of a word because I had Tostada Cubana on Wednesday morning. Breakfast was at home but it was not exactly healthy. 

I attribute this week's victory to overnight oats.  Typically, I make overnight oats in the summertime when I want a cold but healthy breakfast.  This week, I decided that having my oats prepared the night before makes the morning a lot more goof proof.  If I want them warmed up I can put them in the microwave for less than a minute, but there's no mixing or stiring involved.  (This is not the lazyness talking but rather the tiredness.) I can also make a couple of servings because depending what type of liquid you use, it can last 2-3 days in the refrigerator. 

There are lots of recipes for overnight oats.  I usually just follow the liquid to oat ratio on the box and substitute juice or almond milk for water and then add fresh or dried fruit and sometimes nuts or seeds.  Then I combine the ingrediants and put them in a sealed container.  Voila, overnight oats!


Ordinarily I would just leave them overnight in a plastic container but the Mason Jar looks so much cuter.

February Challenge: Week 3 (A Cold Weather Shake)

This week was so much better!  Order was restored to our lives (well as much order as you can expect with a 7 month old).  And I met my breakfast goal each day (even on President's Day).

This week I tried a warm Chai Gingerbread shake that I found on Goop.  Now I know there are a lot of Goop critics out there.  Yes some of the ideas that come out of there are unattainable but I don't think attainability is what Goop is about.  How many of us are tall, thin, and blond movie stars married to hot rock stars and shuttle between London, L.A., and East Hampton?  If that was me I would probably consider a $300 a day meal plan and give my friends $500 dollar pajamas.

But I digress.  Here is the recipe.  I will definitely drink this a few times a week until the weather calls for a colder food.

Goop's Chai Gingerbread Shake

Ingredients (Makes 1 Serving)

• 1 cup warm brewed rooibos chai tea (Note: I could not find this so I purchased regular Chai Spiced Tea)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice (I did not have allspice on hand so I sprinkled in some nutmeg)
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 cup almond or coconut milk (I used almond milk)
• 2 tablespoons almond butter
• Coconut nectar, raw honey or stevia to taste (I used vanilla instead)
• Optional: 1 scoop protein powder of your choice (I used this powder)

February Challenge: Week 2 (Life Gets in the Way)

Life:1 February Challenge:0

That just about sums things up.  We were living in a hotel this week and the snow has delayed our return home.  

Since I could not make myself breakfast I agreed that I would eat things like oatmeal, fruit, and hard boiled eggs.  My initial thoughts about spending a week in a hotel were: room service, a freshly made bed every morning, gym and pool at the ready.  I didn't factor in that a certain seven-month old would not enjoy hotel living.

And because I was sleep deprived I "deserved" cherry ricotta pancakes, baked apple and lemon pancakes, eggs Florentine (with extra sauce).  So there you have it.  My week in regression.  Here is to a better week next week.

February Challenge

This year, I'm trying to challenge to develop better habits each month.  While I hope to meet each challenge 100% perfection is not the goal.  The goal is to try to do better.  

This month I've challenged myself to eating breakfast at home every weekday.  Weekends will not be part of this challenge because brunch is my favorite meal, and also because having a six month old means that daytime socializing is where it is at. In the mornings I'm in a rush I find myself going to Starbucks or my building cafeteria to get fueled up.  I rarely make a healthy choice and I always end up spending more money than I would if I stayed at home.

I did pretty well this week considering it was the busiest week since I returned from maternity leave.  I bought a bagel on Thursday morning and considering my track record these past few months I consider that to be a victory.

What types of good habits would you like to embrace?