Banana “ice cream” for breakfast?  Um, yes please…

I thought this would make  great pre-run fuel!  After all, it’s just a frozen banana topped with a few almonds.  It was a nice treat to get me going!

And I can’t forget the press…

My running partner wasn’t feeling well today(missed ya Kerry!), so it was just me and the GYMBOSS…

We had a nice 4.1 mile run together.  I really lost myself in the music for a while there and actually ran through one of the intervals.  My music was a little too loud, I think.  Eeek.  Hearing loss is imminent.

After my run, I headed home to a messy house and a growling stomach.  I fixed up a real breakfast…

Sorry.  You had to know that was coming.

But, I did change it up a little, see?

That’s not egg, it’s homemade turkey sausage!  I made some yesterday while pre-grilling turkey burgers to stash in the freezer for future meals.  Yeah, you may be seeing lots of burgers to come.

I used half of the turkey breast and threw together some sausage-like spices to make these.  I think they turned out well. 

Turkey Breakfast Sausage

• 1/2 pound ground turkey breast
• 1 1/4 tsp. poultry seasoning
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes (or more if you like it spicy)
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tbsp. water

Mix spices and water together with turkey breast until fully combined. 

*note: water is for additional moisture since turkey breast tends to be dry.  You can also use regular ground turkey instead of breast.

I shaped them into four thin patties and parked them in the fridge for about 4 hours to firm up and let the flavors develop.  Then, cooked them in a bit of olive oil until golden on each side.  Just needed a quick reheat in the micro this morning for a great breakfast sandwich.

Next up was tackling the house.  Annoying and unsatisfying work, I might add.    In my previous life, I’m pretty sure I had a house cleaner. *sigh*

Lunch did not make an appearance until much later in the day.  That breakfast sandwich really held me over quite a while.

I decided to try this new find because TJ said it was good and I trust her implicitly …

Space travel packaging made me a little nervous…

It heated up in the micro at the speed of light…

It was surprisingly delicious!  It was creamy with a slight hint of smokiness from the cumin, but not spicy.  The mix of lentils and red beans made it a filling meal.

Alongside, I went with carrots and a corn tortilla for scooping up the Madras Lentils and a string cheese because life would suck royally without cheese …

More cleaning in the afternoon.  Gah!

Then, it was time for a pre-dinner snack… and a picture this time!

Cashews and unsweetened dried cherries – a great mix of sweet and salty!

Well, the turkey burger future came quicker than I thought!  I got lazy at dinner time, so it was meatball subs for the family (luckily I always have meatballs made up in the freezer!) and a Grilled Taco Turkey Burger for me…

Grilled Taco Turkey Burgers

• 1/2 pound ground turkey breast
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1/4 tsp. cumin
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder
• 1/8 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. pepper

Mix turkey with spices and a few tablespoons of water for additional moisture.  Coat a preheated grill with oil.  Cook burgers about 3 –4 minutes per side.

I topped mine with lite cheddar and a dollop of organic fresh salsa…

and served it with my new favorite salad:  grape tomatoes, avocado, red onion and cucumber dressed with a drizzle of olive oil and a dash of red wine vinegar…

Epic.

Have a great day, everyone!

What do you grill the most often:  burgers, chicken or seafood?

This weekend’s weather has been gorgeous.  Perfect for dining al fresco.    We love to eat on the deck and take advantage of it for every meal we can.  Even for breakfast!

I’m a little obsessed with egg and cheese on an Ezekiel english muffin…

It’s so good and very filling.  A nice change from my beloved yogurt bowl.

Today was a rest day for exercise.  Can I get a hallelujah?!  I do like to exercise, but a weekly day off is necessary to keep me from burn out.  Especially when I have a long run planned for the next day.  I need to gear up for it!

Lunch was an interesting mix of flavors.  Gardein chicken tenders with tzatziki sauce…

Leftover kale and beans…

and cherries for dessert…

I’ve been feeling hungry all day despite my attempts to drown myself in iced tea.  I loved the Blueberry Iced Tea, but now I have another option, too…

Peach Iced Tea

• heat 4 cups water, add 8 Celestial Seasonings Country Peach Passion tea bags and let steep for 6 minutes
• remove tea bags
• pour brewed tea into a 2 quart pitcher and add 4 cups of cold water
• add sweetener as desired (I used 2 packets NuNaturals White Stevia Powder for the entire 2 quarts)

Enjoy with a sprig of lemon balm…

Drink the entire 2 quarts and spend most of the day in the bathroom.

Which is not too far from the kitchen, so I did have time in between to make a snack…

I had to get the yogurt bowl in somehow!  Topped with a ton of blueberries and burnt up granola bites (which are pretty good minus the burnt part), it filled my hunger.  Finally!

Before dinner, I had some time to play in the kitchen.  I’ve been wanting to make Polenta Chips for quite a while.  I decided to try using a premade polenta roll that I had in the pantry…

I used my mandoline to get the thinnest slices possible…

It did a pretty good job.  A little crumbling here and there, but overall, I got uniformly thin slices…

I baked them on a parchment lined cookie sheet at 450 degrees for about 30 minutes…

They came out crispy and crunchy like a chip!

I wasn’t sure how to store them to keep their crunch.  I experimented with a paper bag method instead of an airtight container…

Did it work?  Dinner time will tell!

Grilled burgers were on the menu for dinner.   No bison today, just regular old beef.  Okay, maybe not totally regular –  it’s natural, hormone and antibiotic free beef.  I try.

I opted for cheesiness sans bun…

Over an amazing grape tomato, cucumber, red onion and avocado salad…

I’ve been a little obsessed over avocado lately, too.

Now, for the Polenta Chips…

There were not so crunchy after sitting in the paper bag.  Could be the humidity was too high, could be that they were not hot or could be that they are just something that needs to be eaten immediately after baking.  I bet a few minutes of reheating in the toaster oven would have re-crisped them.  I’ll have to try it again because they were really good out of the oven!  Back to the drawing board.

Altogether though, a fantastic Saturday night dinner on the deck…

Hope you had one, too!

Have a great day, everyone!

How many days a week do you exercise?  Do you feel it necessary to take a rest day?

Are you tired of seeing my morning press, yet???

Maybe, I’ll get some new mugs to entertain ya!

I’ve been a little tired of pre-run smoothies, so I’m sticking with half a Peanut Butter Cookie Larabar…

It seems to give me enough energy without weighing me down.  I’m pretty sure I won’t get tired of them as it is an exercise in restraint to not eat a box of them!

I met my running partner, Kerry, for a nice run at the paved trail.  We cranked out 3.75 miles in 46 minutes doing a 3:1 interval, which seemed pretty comfortable for both of us.  I talked her into a post-run sweaty pic for the blog so that you guys don’t think I have an “imaginary friend”…

I may talk to myself sometimes, but I draw the line at imaginary friends   Thanks for being a good sport, Kerry!

After running some errands, I headed home for a yogurt bowl breakfast …

• 1 cup nonfat greek yogurt
• 3 drops liquid vanilla Nustevia 
• 1 cup blueberries
• sprinkle of Fruit and Nut Granola

Lunch was a repeat of the other day.  I had salmon on the brain!  More smoked salmon on an Ezekiel english muffin with Laughing Cow cheese and arugula for a twist…

Along with some wilting leftover broccoli slaw and dried cherries salad…

For a drink, I made a pitcher of iced tea.  Not any old iced tea…

I wanted to recreate a Blueberry Iced Tea that I had at a cute tea house with my MIL last year…

• brew 8 tea bags using 4 cups water
• let cool
• pour into a 2 Quart pitcher and add another 4 cups cold water
• sweeten as desired (I used 2 packets of NuStevia white stevia powder for the entire 2 Quarts)

Garnish with fresh blueberries and sprig of lemon balm or mint…

Fruity and refreshing!  It would exceptional with some vodka.  Kidding, kidding

Afternoon snack was crack…ers and hummus…..

I like these Mary’s Gone Crackers a lot, but they are so seedy (in a good way, not a dark back-alley way) and super crunchy that I fear my old, dental work lovin’ teeth cannot withstand its heartiness.  I may need to stop eating these.  That may not be a bad thing.

On to dinner…

Again, I am the leftover sweeper, eating up all that no one else wants.  Salad seemed like the best option for it all…

In the mix…

• baby spinach on its way to veggie heaven
• grape tomatoes
• leftover grilled chicken breast
• 1/4 diced avocado
• 3 big tbsp. organic fresh salsa
• cornbread croutons
• drizzle of olive oil and red vinegar

How’d I do, TJ?!

Today is the final chance to enter the NuNaturals Giveaway!  Winners will be announced tomorrow morning.

Have a great day, everyone!

What’s your favorite summer time drink?