Morning Run Recap

Mondays are my fresh starts! This morning I woke up at 7:00am to go for a run and was completely dark outside. The spring forward time change has really messed with me.

None the less, I had a banana, laced up my shoes, and was on my way. Today was an uptempo run of about 4.5 miles, and the weather was perfect. It's the kind runners dream about.



This sign caught my eye, and the sun peeking through the trees was picture perfect. Life slowed down a bit, but my pace sure didn't. Pure serendipity!

I couldn't resist stopping off half way through my run to walk down by the water as the sun came up. And the sun wasn't the only thing coming up this morning. There were all of these fish jumping up and then belly flopping back down into the water. It made me laugh; I had never seen anything like it. It sure was a surprise waking up to darkness, but well worth it in the end.

Once I was finished with my run I walked about a half a mile to cool down and was completely amazed at how still the water was and at the reflection of the clouds. It was a lovely morning! Once I got home I made some steel cut oats with fresh berries! It's my new favorite breakfast! 

Let me know in the comments what your favorite workout and breakfast is!

Happy Monday friends!

Mondays Are For Fresh Starts: Healthy Steel Cut Oatmeal

Morning friends! 

Being stuck in the house due to the weather the past week has definitely given me cabin fever. However, it was beautiful to look at and perfect for hot cocoa and blanket snuggles! 

Luckily I was able to make a trip out to the grocery store before the weather got bad. Also our friends gave us a special surprise of steel cut oats from the Amish and fresh eggs from their chickens, Nugget & Asian Zing! 

I took advantage of not having to be anywhere this week and had lots of cooking time. I've been wanting to post the recipes I've made this week but just haven't gotten everything together. So I thought I'd post a simple healthy breakfast recipe for steel cut oats. 

Servings:

2-3 bowls

Ingredients:

1 cup steel cut oats

3 cups water/almond milk

1 tbs honey

1/2 a peach

1/2 an apple

1 banana

1-2 tbs chia seeds (optional)

I added the oats and water/almond milk into a pot and let it come to a boil. For this I used 1 cup almond milk and 2 cups of water just because I was running low on almond milk but you can also use regular milk if you prefer. 

Once it came to a boil I covered it and turned it down to a simmer. They take about 20 min to cook but if you don't have a lot of time in the morning you can also add the oats and your liquid into a pot, bring it to a boil then turn the stove off, cover it, and leave it over night. In the morning it will all be ready!

While that was cooking, I let the chia seeds soak in water. I prefer them that way.

When I cook the oats in the morning I like to stir them a bit every 5 minutes or so. Plus I just get so excited to seek a peak and see them cooking! 

After that I cut up the fruit to add on top. I always add fruit to my oatmeal, it's my favorite part! This is also optional and totally up to you what you add on top. You can also eat it plain but you're definitely missing out on a whole lot of deliciousness if you do. 

Then I just mixed in my chia seeds, which again are totally optional. They are however, a great source of calcium, iron, potassium, and vitamin C, and they are high in fiber, protein, omega 3's, and antioxidants. 

After dishing up my portion I added some honey to sweeten it a bit before adding the fruit. 

I love seeing it all come together at the end! It was delicious! Definitely one of my favorite breakfasts! 

Hope this was helpful or just an enjoyable read! I'd love to know what your favorite breakfast is! Let me know in the comments. 

Happy Monday friends!

My Thoughts On Hearts Day

You either love it or you hate it.

Out of all the holidays I'm sure this would either be a least favourite, or an all time favourite. 

I don't know if it's just me, but I am a huge sucker for anything red & pink or heart shaped, or beautifully decorated cupcakes, or those cheesy but cute valentine puns. Donut you know that I love you a hole bunch ;) I just appreciate cute things!

However, I do think we're doing Hearts Day wrong. It is simply just a day for us to remind the ones we love, that we love them. Whether that be a friend, sibling, him/her, parent, or a relative.

I remember Hearts Day in elementary school was my favourite day. I would get so excited when the teacher would pass out the paper with everyone's name on it so we could make valentines for each other. I would go home and get my crafts out and make a valentine box, along with the valentines for my classmates. It was so much fun for me and a fun day for everyone!

On that note, I heard someone on the radio the other day complaining about Valentines day. They said, "it's just a day where some people get sent flowers and chocolate and others get nothing and have to sit and watch." Sadly, this is kind of true, however, I think there's a solution. Like I said before, it should just be a day to let others know you love and appreciate them. What if we all just made simple and sweet valentines and gave them out to those around us. Even if it's just a note that says, "I think you're dandy, and I'm not lion."(with a drawing of a dandelion) or "Whale you be mine? I whale!"(with a drawing of two whales). Feel free to choose according to your artistic abilities ;)

For breakfast I made a Strawberry Banana & Oat Smoothie. I needed something cute and pink!

    Seriously though, who doesn't love a heart shaped cookie?!

To top things off, my sister and I went on a coffee date to celebrate. We like to call them, seester dates. Thank you Starbucks for appreciating heart things as much as I do!

Anyway, that sums up my day and thoughts. I'd love to hear yours. Let me know what you're doing for Hearts Day and what you think of it.

Happy Hearts Day friends!

My Fresh Fit Tips

1. Accept that it won't be easy. 

This is probably one of the hardest things to do when it comes to becoming healthy and fit. In all honesty, it won't be easy at all. There will be days we don't feel as motivated. Days we would much rather kick back and drown ourselves in our favorite "comfort" foods. We expect it to be no problem, easy breezy, a piece of cake. When in reality, starting a healthy lifestyle will push your self control and self motivation to the limit. 

Now that we got the bad news out of the way, it's time for the good news! It-does-get-easier. What?!?! Yes, it's true! As it is for most things in life, we start out a beginner, and it's hard work, like learning to swim or ride a bike. But along the way we learn a few tricks here and there and before we know it we're riding with no training wheels, taking on every hill in sight! In a nut shell, we must be willing to initially do something poorly to eventually do something excellently. 

2. Getcha some H2O!

This one is SO SO important. I think it's one we tend to overlook the most. Drinking water! Typically we don't think much about drinking water. Sure we'll drink something when we're thirsty or with a meal, but more often than not it isn't water. It's important to stay hydrated, and even more important to drink water when starting to eat clean and exercise, to help flush out bad toxins. So bottoms up friends!

3. Clean up your plate. 

Ironically enough, this one takes the cake for the most important/challenging change. Clean eating is key to becoming fit. Its hard at first but just like everything else, it's a process, and it gets easier. Start by making a list of all the healthy foods you like, be aware of what to avoid, and practice self and portion control. 

4. Move. 

Swim. Dance. Bike. Run. Surf. Kickbox. Do yoga. Play volleyball or soccer. Walk.  It all counts, just move and work up a sweat. Simple as that.

5. Find encouragement. 

We all need some encouragement. So find a friend, a motivation partner, a supporter, someone who's got your back and will encourage you and be honest. And be that person for someone else. Its ok to be tough on each other, just do it with a smile and their best interest in mind. 

6. Catch some zzzz...

I don't know about you but I'm sensing a trend of importance here.....(makes 'maybe, maybe not' shoulder shrug) but our bodies need sleep. Esspecially when we start exercising, because our bodies need time to recover and build muscle. We often make the poor choice of staying up too late and it can be quite harmful to the body. It's good to shoot for 8-10 hours of sleep each night. 

7. Don't be too hard on yourself. 

It can be easy to get upset with ourselves if we see no progress or if we've eaten a cheat meal. But the truth is, these things are going to happen. We may go through a phase with no noticeable progress, and that's ok, natural even. But you will win, not immediately, but definitely. And it is ABSOLUTELY ok to have a cheat meal every now and again, especially if you've earned it. Part of that is what keeps us sane in this tough process. 

One thing that is vital to remember is that numbers don't matter, but smiles do! Be content with where you are, happy about how far you've come, and excited to take on the next challenge that comes your way! Remember, scales are for fish(does cheesy fish lips)!

8. Cute workout clothes. 

Invest in some cute athletic clothes. You'll be excited to put them on and workout. Plus they are CaRaZy comfy! You can even reward yourself after workouts/a series of workouts with a new pair of shorts or a cute tank or an awesome sports bra!

9. Set goals. 

Sit down and write out everything you'd like to accomplish. Then write out how you plan to accomplish these goals. Be thourough and detailed. And most importantly set a deadline. It will put the pressure on a bit, and make you work harder for it!

10. Strive for happiness!

Above all else, go for happiness! Don't look down on yourself or put yourself down, mentally or verbally. You are your unique, authentic self and you have no competition! So choose joy!

Comment to let me know if this helped you in any way or if you just simply enjoyed it! 

Happy reading friends!

Butternut Squash & Quinoa Kale Salad

The other day I had my friend Alex over for a girls day of cooking. We pulled a recipe from my new favorite cook book The Real Girl's Kitchen by Haylie Duff. We went for a bit of a brunch dish and it was a huge hit!

Ingredients: 

Serves 1-2

1 cup quinoa

1 butternut squash 

Avocado (optional)

Olive oil

Cayenne 

Nutmeg 

Cinnamon 

3 leaves julienned kale

2 eggs

Sea salt & black pepper 

We preped the butternut squash first by peeling and cubing it. Then we preheated our oven to 375°. 

This will really give you an arm workout. Just as an added bonus, while you're having fun cooking or baking you're also burning calories. The trick is to make sure you don't consume them back while making your delicious dish. Hence the apple in the picture; we needed something to snack on. 

Next came time for my favorite; preping the kale! We julienned the kale and then massaged it with a bit of olive oil. This helps to take some of that bitterness away. 

Also a good trick to keep in mind is to break apart the kale with your hands instead of cutting it with a knife. Especially if you are planning on leftovers with this dish. It helps prevent the leaves from wilting. 

Then it was time for the quinoa. We chose to mix red and brown quinoa just for a bit more color. You can soak the quinoa overnight or just cook it on the stove as we did. 

The nice thing about quinoa is that it can be dressed up many different ways to compliment almost any dish. It has qualities similar to rice but has more than double the amount of protein. 

Before tossing the butternut squash into the oven for about 40 minutes, we drizzled it with a bit of olive oil. Followed by a pinch of cayenne, cinnamon, and nutmeg. 

We bought extra kale to make kale chips. I'll post our recipe for that as well if you guys are interested.

One of our favorite things about cooking with squash or pumpkin is the seeds inside. We always bake them for a lovely snack later.

Alex and I have a huge thing for kale, hummus, and avocados, so it was only fitting that we added our own little touch avocado to spice up our plate. It was a delicious addition and a great source of healthy fats, protein, and color. 

Finally we tossed everything into a bowl and fried up two eggs in a skillet over medium heat to top it all off. Feel free to add salt & pepper on top to taste. We made quite a few servings because we wanted lots of leftovers. 

One of my favorite things about Haylie's cookbook is her added little tips & tricks, personal stories and colorful photos. She really made it her own and you can really learn a lot about food and cooking from her book. Personally, I think all cookbooks should be like this. You should be able to learn about what you're making not just how to make it. 

Anyways, hope you enjoy this recipe friends! Let me know if you try it or have any suggestions to make it even yummier! 

Happy reading friends!

Friday Fitness & Saturday Breakfast

Now that my belly is full from a delicious breakfast, I'm happy to be able to sit down and blog some, and share a little update with you guys. 

I'm super excited because yesterday I finally got my Planet Fitness membership! I've been wanting to do more strength training to improve my running and overall health. I love all the different options they offer, and I'm excited to dive in and try it out. 

This morning I was eager to get into the kitchen and whip of something for breakfast. I wanted to start the weekend off on a refreshing note, so I went for lots of fruit and some plain Greek yogurt with honey, topped with flaxseed. Along with a cup of tea. This breakfast is one of my favorites. 

This afternoon I'm going to pop out and get a new pair of training shoes. I love when it's time for a new pair of shoes. They give me even more motivation to workout because I get to put them on every time. 

Hope everyone is having a lovely Saturday morning! Let me know what you had for breakfast. 

Happy reading friends!

Happy Healthy

Hello Everyone!

My name is Jordyn, as you can see this is my first ever blog post. I'm not too sure what this blog has in store for me but I know I'm excited and eager to find out! Hopefully this is the beginning of a wonderful journey! 

I hope to blog about healthly happy things, anywhere from food to just the simple joys of life. Here's to a leap of faith!

This is a picture of me(right) and one of my best friends, Alex(left), who inspired me to start blogging!