Beach Day!

This morning I woke up bright and early as usual. I tried to sleep in, really I did, but I just couldn't for some reason. I guess I was rested enough. My bed felt so amazing though...but when I'm awake I can't just lay in bed. I find it such a waste of time. I wanna get up and get my day going. Today, I started my day with a new recipe. Raw buckwheat porridge.

Raw Buckwheat Porridge

Ingredients:

Serves 1

1/2 cup raw buckwheat groats, not kasha (soaked in water overnight)

1/8-1/4 cup almond milk or milk of choice

1 tbsp liquid sweetener (I used agave)

1/2 tbsp chia seeds

1/4-1/2 tsp vanilla extract

cinnaninamin

Instructions:

1. Rinse the soaked buckwheat groats.

2. Put groats into food processor or blender, reserve 2 tbsp for later.

3. Blend all ingredients until desired consistency is met.

4. Let sit for 5 minutes. The chia seeds will soak up the liquid and make a thicker porridge over time.

5. Top with berries, nuts, granola, nut butter, etc...

A little side note: chia seeds are great for hydration. They soak up the liquids in your stomach and since the water is difficult to remove it takes the body a long time to break down the soluble fibre. When moving through your colon it acts as a sweeper, allowing the food to move through and keeping the colon nice and clean. Thanks chia seeds, you're a pal!

After breakfast, and driving Francis to school to study (YUCK) I went and got a few groceries. I bought some organic almonds, which I dug into at about 11:30 (always hungry at this time when I eat breaky at 7 am). Almonds are such a great, nutritious snack. 

please ignore the nice wound on my hand :) I may or may not have had an embarrassing accident last weekend...

After I got home and put the groceries away I put together a quick and easy lunch. Silver Hills, Steady Eddy bread with light herb cream cheese, tomatoes and spinach. Grilled on my George Forman Grill. I had an all natural pop on the side. Black Cherry, sweetened with stevia leaf.

When I first poured it out of the can I was shocked. It wasn't dark like regular cola. It had a little colour to it but was almond clear. I felt a lot better about drinking it. I didn't feel like it was eating away at my insides after I was finished. Always a bonus!

It tasted fantastic. Just like cherries with a whole lot of fizz. Mmmmm. The grilled sammie was awesome too!

I also had a few carrots and a protein bar before I hit the beach! Is there any better way to spend a gorgeous summer day then lazing around at the beach? For me, there isn't. 

After the beach I made my way out to Elk Lake for a run. When I got there I was tempted to skip the run completely and just work on my tan a little bit more, but I started thinking about how great I always feel after a run. This was an instant motivator! I quickly changed and was on my way. It was hot. I ended up running an 8 k loop rather than my usual 10 k. It was good enough for me today.

I got home around 6 pm. Perfect time to start making dinner. I made Bean Potato Burgers with fresh basil.

Mama Peas Bean Potato Burgers:

Ingredients:

Makes 4 large patties

1/2 lb potatoes of choice (I used new potatoes)

1 can white beans

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

2 cloves minced garlic

1/2 tsp salt

pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Directions:

1. Put cooked potatoes, rinsed beans, nutritional yeast, garlic, salt and pepper into a medium size bowl. Mash with a large fork or potato masher until smooth.

2. Add chopped basil, mix until just combined. 

3. In a medium sized frying pan, heat oil of choice over medium heat.

4. Fry burgers for 5-6 minutes per side.

5. Put on a burger bun and top with whatever you desire.

I didn't have any burger buns so I had it without. I topped mine with salsa and avocado. I had about a half of another one too ;) I wasn't that hungry by the time they were done because I was snacking on delicious rice crackers while I was impatiently waiting for them to cook!

DESSERT!

During my grocery shop today I picked up some of these bad boys. I have been wanting to try these for a long time but they were always so pricey. Today was my lucky day. They were on sale. I grabbed them right away and waited ALL day to try them. Will power I tell ya. They are everything I wanted them to be and more.

They are slightly sweet and creamy and taste like a coconut dream. If you love coconut like I do, this is the perfect summer dessert for you. When you get to the bottom of the bar (in my case after about 3 bites...) you are in for a little surprise. chunks of coconut. MMMM! SO GOOD! I can't wait for tomorrow so I can have another one!

I am also impressed by the nutritional profile. 90 calories per bar, 3.5 grams of fat (good fat), 0 saturated. They are also fairly low in sugar, which is great! AND they're pretty big! I was expecting them to be a lot smaller but was pleasantly surprised. 

Okay, off to bed now, I'm tired and American Pie 2 is on. Always funny. 90's teen movies = guilty pleasure...one that I'm not really guilty of :)

Night!

Amy