Happy FRIDAY!! I am kicking off this cloudy Friday morning while watching the sunrise over the lake. I also have ants in my pants about tomorrow because I am participating in a 5K.
The past few months have been a roller coaster ride with my health and one of the things that was brought up was I might never get back to where I was running wise. It was a devastating blow especially after working so hard to build up mileage. After months of being unable to run I started running again, but it became an extremely frustrating task. I couldn't- and still can't- perform at the level I used to and that is a hard pill to swallow. Long story short, I am still nowhere near where I used to be- and yes sometimes I am way too hard on myself about it- but I am not letting the voice in my head get me down. I AM running in this 5K and I won't beat myself up over my time.
I have been working really hard hitting the trails in the mornings to get ready for the 5K tomorrow morning. It hasn't been easy, but I am excited to race tomorrow. Yesterday I ran on the trails around the cabin and besides being eaten alive by mosquitoes I felt surprisingly good.
After I finished, cooled down and stretched I grabbed a quick lunch before heading out to enjoy the lake with some family.
I still had my Michigan Salad leftovers from the other night, so I reheated the grilled chicken in the microwave and added in a hard boiled egg for extra protein. I also had a cup of fresh cherries- they are in season here in Michigan and they are so good! Anyone have any good cherry recipes to share?
A few years back I gave my mom a recipe I had made up. I didn't think she would actually make it, but surprisingly she did- the best part was the recipe not only worked it was delicious!
Fast forward to now and people still ask her for the recipe. One of my neighbors is literally obsessed with the recipe. She is a nurse so she doesn't have a lot of time to sit down and eat a snack, so she will make a batch of my energy balls that she can eat while moving around. The oats and peanut butter pack the balls with protein to keep you full and energized, while the sunflower seeds add a crunch and of course the little bit of chocolate helps satisfy the sweet tooth without over indulging.
No Bake Energy Balls
- 4 cups (GF) oats- steel cut or old fashioned work best
- 1 cup raisins
- 1/2 or 3/4 cup chocolate chips (more or less to your preference)
- 1 cup sunflower seeds
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup organic (melted) honey or agave nectar
- 1 cup organic peanut butter- do not use crunchy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
In a large mixing bowl combine oats, raisins, chocolate chips, sunflower seeds and cinnamon.
After mixing the dry ingredients together add in the wet ingredients: peanut butter, honey and vanilla.
Once a "dough" forms allow mixing bowl to cool in fridge for 30-40 minutes.
After the "dough" has chilled begin rolling balls with your hands. Your hands will be sticky by the end. To make forming the balls easier keep your hands cool by continually running them under cold water and drying. Hot hands will melt the chocolate and make the peanut butter runny making the balls difficult to form. The balls are not easy to form, so be patient.
Depending on how large you make the energy balls you should get 35 and 40 (1.5 inch balls).
Sometimes it's nice to not have to cook, especially when on vacation. I am definitely not someone who frequents restaurants- it's cheaper to prepare and pack food at home and eating healthy (and gluten free) at restaurants can be a challenge.
After spending all afternoon on the lake under the hot sun I was tired and did not feel like cooking. It took awhile, but we finally got everyone to agree to a small family style restaurant. Small towns tend to love their fried foods and "cholesterol clogging breakfasts" as my mom calls them. While it is a challenge eating healthy is not impossible.
I ordered the Michigan Salad with Grilled Chicken. The salad came on a giant plate- it was enough for two meals (leftovers for lunch YAY!) It had iceberg lettuce and a bit of romaine lettuce, dried cherries, slivered pecans, mandarin oranges, red onions and lightly seasoned grilled chicken. It was supposed to be tossed in a raspberry vinaigrette dressing, but I ordered the the salad without the dressing.
The salad was better than I expected! The chicken was grilled perfectly and the manderin oranges were not too sweet. I really enjoyed the salad and plan on making my own version at home with some additional veggies and organic spring mix lettuce.
