On the Run: fitness made simple

Pomegranate-Persimmon Holiday Pancakes

• Vegan, Gluten-free, sugar-free option, yummy, and look how cute they are! =) 

Happy Holidays everyone! I am alive, well, and sleeping A LOT this week. I’m on winter break and planning to do lots of blogging =) First off, here’s a recipe I made for breakfast. 

1. 1/2 cup Wholesome Chow all-purpose gluten-free baking mix 
2. 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk 
3. 1 persimmon
4. Seeds of 1 pomegranate 
5. Water
6. Cooking Spray
7. Brown sugar (sprinkled on top as an optional topping).

I had a sample of pumpkin pancakes made with Wholesome Chow’s baking mix at New Leaf Grocery stores (alternative Whole Foods in northern California) and thought it was really tasty and handy. All you really need to do is add almond milk to make some pancakes! Also, my new favorite Almond Milk brand is Califia Farms. They use pretty much all the same ingredients and preservatives as Silk, Almond Breeze, and Trader Joes, but it somehow it tastes smoother and fresher. It was on sale one day at Andronico’s (reason why I’m broke) and I decided to try it…needless to say I fell for the gimmick and now I’m hooked. I buy it even when it’s full priced for $4.49! -___- 

I love this recipe because the persimmons add natural, understated sweetness and a soft texture. Therefore, you don’t need to add any sugar or butter to make delicious, fluffy pancakes! I haven’t been eating much dairy so I appreciate simple recipes like this that doesn’t use fake butter or margarine (exceptions for dairy & eggs for my friends’ home-made baked goods infused with love and the amazing ice cream I just tried from Bi-Rite Creamery omgodddzz…good thing this place practices moderation through expensive prices and small scoops!).

TIP: Open pomegranates in a big bowl of water. The seeds will sink and the outside bits will float to the top! Learned this from my roomie!

I miss you guys, talk to me! I have lots of ideas and too little time. But, try this recipe out…persimmons and pomegranates are in season! They look festive and I’m sure the whole family will enjoy them. 

Merry Christmas my lovely friends. Let me know what’s challenging for you during the holidays and we can write a post about it! 

<3 Geralds 

Fall Breakfast on-the-go:

• 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
• 1/2 cup butternut squash
• 1 banana
• sliced almonds
• PB2 + cinnamon +almond milk dressing

Taken with Instagram

Hello oatmeal with white beans/pear/almond/cinnamon! I was thinking about you all 16 miles this morning <3 #food #love #running #healthy #fitness (Taken with Instagram)

Who here doesn’t like protein powder? I kind of hate it…but still want to add protein to my meals that aren’t so loaded. For example: oatmeal. Oats are like a blank canvas. The possibilities are endless. Try adding chickpeas/garbanzo beans or white beans to morning bowl of oats for more natural, whole protein and fiber. These mildly flavored beans blend right into the oats and you don’t even taste them! 

My Powered up Back-to-School Oatmeal: 

• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
• 1 cup water 
• 1 apple, pear, or banana
• 1/2 cup white beans 
• dashes of cinnamon 

Try it and tell me if you like or dislike the beans!

Geraldine 

Broccoli Banana Smoothie: 

• 1 banana
• 1 apple
• 3/4 cup broccoli 
• 1/2 cup soy milk
• 1/4 avocado 
• 2 cups ice

This is quite a luxurious and rich smoothie. It’s perfect as a stand-alone breakfast-on-the-go option since it contains ~300 calories, but fills you up an incredible amount. If you want to also eat something else for breakfast, consider using unsweetened almond milk instead of soy. If you’re really hardcore, just use water, but I don’t think I can handle this recipe without something smoother. For me, I had 75% of this recipe, toast + avocado, and decaf coffee + soy milk for breakfast. 

Also, also! If you are trying to increase your calorie intake & and gain needed weight, avocado smoothies are great for giving you calories and nutrition without bloating!  

Hi everyone, this was one of my first Green smoothies I made with my new Vitamix 5200 the wonderful sales people at Costco convinced my mom to buy with just one taste of a smoothie. Very simple fruit and spinach recipe from Vitamix’s Whole Food recipe book! I enjoy having a green smoothie and cereal for breakfast! Next, I’ll share one with broccoli and cucumber :D

Hi everyone! I’m excited to host a Siggi’s Skyr Giveaway! The bundle comes with a cute tote bag and 5 gift certificates for free yogurt! Please follow the guidelines in the photo, which includes making a post of your own and tagging it at #givemesiggis. I’ll be going through all the posts and selecting the 3 posts which effectively communicate a message about how yogurt/skyr/siggi’s helps a healthy lifestyle. Winners and Honorable Mentions will also be reblogged on my tumblr. Reply/Message/Comment if you have questions. I look forward to seeing your posts! 

“Like” Siggi’s  and my blog, a healthy balance on facebook too! 

P.S. I can only ship to USA addresses.

Easy eggs with tomato, green onion, avocado, salt & pepper. Paired with wheatberry and soy milk…tea and an orange. A complete breakfast for me has protein, fiber, vitamin C, and calcium.

Oatmeal is great, but it doesn’t have much protein. But for just another 100 calories, you can get a whopping 14g of protein from Siggi’s skyr (Icelandic style yogurt) or even 17g from plain Greek yogurt!

Try making Overnight Oats using greek yogurt to power up your breakfast!

• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/3 cup milk/milk substitute (I use almond milk)
• Ideas for Mix-in’s: berries, bananas, chia seeds (helps soak up liquid for a thicker oatmeal too), cinnamon
• Mix and leave in fridge overnight and enjoy in the morning!

PS: And I don’t go an buy oatmeal from Whole Foods on a daily basis…This was on an interview trip! (Whole Foods in Washington D.C.’s Foggy Bottom is beautiful btw!)  

Breakfast Menu at Affinia Dumont Manhattan

I stayed at this hotel during my NYC trip and it was super fitness friendly! Some of the great things they had were: 

• Personal Fitness Kit (if you want to workout in your room) 
• 24 hr gym with  bikes, treadmills, elliptical trainers, free weights & machines 
• Helpful Breakfast menu  
• Walking distance to downtown attractions 
• Amazing city-view of Empire State building 

Maybe this menu will give you some breakfast & exercise ideas! I especially like the 3-egg white omelet meal. 

Back in California,

Geraldine 

I just tried this new blend of oats and I really like it! It’s thick and flavorful because of the different mix of grains.

Better Oats Raw Pure and Simple contains:

• Organic whole grains: Oats, Barley, Quinoa, Rye, Wheat
• Organic whole flaxseeds
• Good source of Fiber
• 0 g of sugar!

I’ve eaten it for breakfast, part of lunch (paired with lean protein and vegetables), and as a snack =).

Looking for a fast, filling, flavorful way to start your day? Swap your bowl of oatmeal and brown sugar for a protein-packed, savory bowl of oatmeal, eggs, and spinach! This is modified from a recipe from Women’s Health Magazine Dec 2011. I used grated Parmesan instead of a slice of Swiss cheese

Directions:

• Mix oats and water
• Microwave for 1 minute 
• add spinach, stir
• Microwave for another 30 seconds (spinach should be wilted now) 
• Spray pan with cooking spray & fry one egg 
• Top oatmeal+spinach with egg, Parmesan cheese, & black pepper

Why I love this recipe:

• Fast <3333
• Flavorful without salt 
• 10 g of protein
• 5-6g of fiber 
• VEGETABLES for breakfast!! 
• Curbs sugar cravings for rest of the day 
• Warm breakfast for chilly mornings 

You can use oatmeal as an alternative for any grains. I eat oatmeal instead of rice porridge sometimes. (Rice porridge is big in Vietnamese cuisine.) 

I know it sounds weird to have spinach in your oatmeal, but give it a try! 

Happy December!

~Geri

Butternut Breakfast!

• 1/2 cup canned butternut squash (or pumpkin)
• 1/2 cup of rolled oatmeal  
• pumpkin pie spice 
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 2 tablespoons of almond milk 
• toppings & mix-in’s: raisins, cashews, PB2 powder sounds like it would be good 

Cook the oatmeal with 1 cup of water and microwave for 2 minutes. Then, stir in butternut squash until blended. Add your spices, almond milk, and toppings! This is a great and tasty way to add a vegetable in during breakfast. It’s oh-so-filling and fluffy <333 makes me feel all warm & cozy inside =) 

PS: first time eating raw cashews! Definitely not as addicting as salted/roasted ones. 

I’ve been jetsetting all over the country lately, and it can be hard/annoying to find foods similar to what I eat at home. But this is the most exciting part of my life so far!! This is what I normally try and get:  

1) Breakfast: keeping it simple with oatmeal, fruit, milk, coffee (isn’t the dishware cute?!) No-fail places would be commercial coffee shops (Caribou, Pete’s, Starbucks) or Jamba Juice. I normally ate at my hotel, where I would avoid the pastries like the plague. 

2) Lunch: It’s actually hard to find something without many simple carbohydrates. I found the best healthy restaurant in Madison, Wisconsin (Fit 2 Eat) where I got chicken, roasted vegetables, and a quinoa salad. Check their menu http://www.fit2eatmadison.com/ for ideas! 

3) Dinner: Grilled salmon and some savory vegetables. 

4) Chocolate Chip cookie I walked 2 miles round trip for. You know you want a cookie when you’re willing to walk 20 minutes to Whole Foods to get and 20 minutes home. Note to self: too crunchy, blehhh. 

Travel  Tips 

• search “healthy food” or “healthy restaurant” on yelp 
• be willing to walk to your destinations 
• head to a nearby grocery store to get meals from the deli or hot foods bar
• Really try to stay away from breakfast pastries and muffins which are EVERYWHERE I’ve discovered. If you really want that chocolate marble muffin, then just tell yourself to wait until the last day of your trip to get it. At least that way, you practice going without unhealthy, sugary foods for sometime and exercising a little will power. 
• Don’t be too picky, it will just stress you out more. 
• Enjoy and explore! 
• Try decadent desserts or dishes only if you absolutely cannot get them in your hometown. 

Honestly…there have been dinners comprised of almonds, carrots, and hummus but for the most part, I put in the effort to get something healthy. Also, purchasing most, if not all, of your meals gets pricey. However, sometimes convenience is better than stressing over rationing meals, hoarding food at the breakfast buffet for lunch, and dealing with leftovers. 

Do you have any advice on staying fit and energized while travelling? I could also use some packing advice (especially for shoes!)