Easy Quick Oatmeal

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Heard that before? That's because it's true in many ways. You should eat within 30 minutes to an hour of waking up to jump start and maximize your metabolism for the day. Throughout the day you should be eating small meals and snacks every 3 to 5 hours. Portion control people. Portion control. This does not mean a Thanksgiving meal every 3 hours. 

Shape Magazine explains the importance of eating breakfast: "Skipping breakfast or eating too little forces your body to switch into conservation mode and burn fewer calories, which means you're more likely to hang onto body fat."

Higher protein breakfast leads to reductions in hunger and less eating later in the day. SOOO here's where I come in!

I have an easy peasy oatmeal recipe for you!

Here's what I used:

{keep in mind I'm bad at remembering to measure}

100% Whole Grain Oats (amount you want to make)
Whole Flax Seeds (hand full)
Sliced Almonds (about 1/2 cup)

Organic Seedless Raisins (amount is your preference)

Ground Cinnamon (guesstimate- you can add more later)

Put it all in a large canister/storage container and give it a shake. Work those biceps! Shake, shake, shake... shake your boootayyy. Wait. What?

Focus. You can also put this in individual baggies to take to work.

Scoop desired amount into a mug (remember portion control!)

I added a little water and then a little almond milk. 

Pop it into the microwave for about 40 seconds {in reality I did 37 seconds because I'm weird and everything has to end in a 7 or 1}

ENJOY!

Oats= Dietary Fiber & Protein

Flax Seeds= Omega-3, Legnans & Dietary Fiber

Almonds= Fiber, Protein, Vitamins & Minerals

Raisins= Antioxidants & Vitamins

Trying New Recipes

Here are some recent recipes I have tried. Oh, and BTW I'm pretty convinced that Skinnytaste has the best recipes!

Smoky Spice Rubbed Grilled Salmon with Black Beans Corn Recipe

Baby Red Potato Salad Recipe    Buffalo Turkey Burgers with Blue Cheese Slaw

Summer Macaroni Salad Recipe

Summertime Pasta

Here in Kentucky it went from Winter to Summer...I mean 30 degrees to 80 degrees. No wonder everyone has either allergies, a cold or the flu. Our bodies are so confused! So, I decided to roll with it and make a summertime pasta to go with our grilled BBQ chicken last night. 

{Recipe Source}

Ingredients:

14.5 oz uncooked elbows

1 10oz package grape tomatoes, cut in half

1 small to medium zucchini quartered

1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped

7 tbsp light mayonnaise (I used Kraft with Olive Oil)

2 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tbsp fat free Greek yogurt

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1/4 tsp oregano (I honestly don't measure)

1/4 tsp garlic powder (Again, I don't really measure)

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook pasta in generously salted water according to package directions. Drain 

and rinse with cold water.

In a medium bowl, combine onions, mayonnaise, vinegar, yogurt, mustard, oregano, garlic powder; mix well. Add tomatoes (and any juice) and zucchini (I added a little salt and pepper too) then toss well.

Pour cooked pasta into a large bowl and add your sauce, tomato and zucchini mixture. Mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste.

After eating some for dinner, I found myself adding a squirt of the mayo, mustard and vinegar to just keep moist. 

ENJOY!