No time for a leisurely breakfast today!  I had an early morning wake- up call to run!  My running partner, Kerry, met me at the paved trail where we knocked out 3.56 miles doing 3:1 intervals a la GYMBOSS…

It was pretty humid out there and my energy took a dip around the 2.5 mile mark.  It was a weird feeling;  one minute I was okay and the next I just felt this drain of energy and kind of weak.  But, I recovered with the next interval, so I’m not sure what was up with that!

The best recovery of all…

Clean Eating Brownie Waffle topped with plain nonfat Chobani and strawberries!  There is a waffle under there…

Most of the day was spent getting ready for vacation!  Part of the “getting ready” process was using up the leftovers.  Grilled Eggplant and Bread Salad with a sprinkle of parmesan for lunch…

Although, I would not recommend making this salad in advance since it tastes best room temperature, I was surprised at how good it was cold and how well the Ezekiel hot dog bun bread cubes held up.  I expected them to be completely soggy, but the weren’t!

Unpictured snacks were the last of the Triscuits and a lite string cheese.  I almost chowed down a 1/4 bag of SunChips to “just get rid of them”, but I stopped myself after a few chips.  I knew I really didn’t want them, so I put them away. 

The interesting thing that I noticed – the act of putting them back was slow and controlled.  Almost as if I was giving myself time to change my mind and dig in the bag.  But, once they were out of my hand, I felt relief.  Major overeating crisis averted.  It showed me that these instances of bingeing do take a concentrated effort , both mentally and physically.  I can’t explain how inane the internal dialogue was that was going on in my head during it.  It was an “angel/devil” type of conversation pinging back and forth – “eat it, don’t…you want it, you don’t.”  But, I couldn’t FULLY talk myself out of it until I made the actual physical motion of putting the bag back.  I know this sounds ridiculous over some stupid SunChips, but it really brought to light that getting over these episodes requires as much of an ACTION as it does a mind shift.  They have to go together;  happen together.  One without the other still leaves you wanting, desiring and having compulsive feelings.  But, the action and the mind shift being cohesive and working together makes it go away.  Hope that makes sense ?!

Anyhoo… dinner.  Digging up the last of what’s in the fridge for a kitchen sink salad…

• romaine lettuce
• diced roasted chicken breast
• red onion
• cukes from the garden
• carrots
• dried cherries
• olive oil and good balsamic vinegar

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

Yep, it’s crunch time!  Gotta get packin’!  See ya at the beach!  Whooo hooo!

Have a great day, everyone!

What are your favorite beach eats?  (so I can glean your ideas )

No better way to start the day than with brownies!  Don’t worry, it wasn’t THAT kind of day!   It’s all good with these…

I saw this recipe on one of my new favorite sites, The Gracious Pantry and I could not wait to try them out!  I made a few minor changes to the recipe based on what I had on hand;  using extra light olive oil instead of canola, 1 cup unsweetened organic applesauce instead of 2 ripe bananas and 3 tbsp. sucanat instead of agave.  They were FABULOUS!  The daughters loved them, too!  I added a small handful of mini chocolate chips to the batter for their waffles and topped them with a dusting of powdered sugar and drizzle of maple syrup.  What a treat!

But, mine were just as amazing with drizzle of PB2…

Seriously, I am in love.  Love, love, love.  Glad the recipe makes 14 waffles because these babies are gonna go fast!

After my lovely breakfast, I kicked my butt to the basement for a 40 minute ride on the stationary bike.  I’m having a rough time getting motivated for these home workouts anymore.  So weird because I had originally begun this whole healthy living journey with home workouts .  It wasn’t until this past September that I started at the gym but, I kind of got used to that routine and miss it.  I just gotta hang in there another week and I should be able to get back to it.

Lunch time rolled around a little later than normal.  I was surprised at how long those waffles held me over!  I decided to continue the food love with my new favorite…

FALAFEL!!!  Same as the other day – with plain yogurt and roasted peppers.  Paired with a simple tomato, cucumber and basil salad…

Headed to my parents house in the late afternoon for a visit and a snack…

Can’t get enough of those Jersey peaches!

We stayed for a delicious dinner prepared by Mom.  I started with a small bowl of rigatoni – a miracle because I can put DOWN some pasta …

Then had roasted chicken with chimichurri sauce and my Grilled Eggplant and Bread Salad…

The salad was a take on Panzanella Salad which is a tomato and bread salad.  In the mix…

• 1 large eggplant, (slice, grill, dice)
• 3 tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 small red onion, sliced thin
• 2 handfuls fresh basil, shredded
• 2 Ezekiel hot dog buns (split and grilled)
• 1 1/2 oz. crumbled lite feta cheese
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• s + p to taste
• 2 tbsp. evoo and 2 tsp. good balsamic vinegar

Note:  Add the bread to the dish right before serving to prevent it from becoming soggy.

A meal in itself! …

Missed my press tonight, but there’s always tomorrow.  There’s also a RUN scheduled tomorrow!  Can’t wait!

Have a great day, everyone! 

Poll:  Pancakes or Waffles?