March Madness Challenge

I decreased the size of all the photos for this post in photoshop and saved them for the web. Hopefully this actually does something helpful for load time because it took a good chunk of time. Luckily I didn’t eat a ton today and only had 6 photos to share. On that note, if anyone with a Digital SLR has any tips on what they do with their photos before putting them in their posts, I need some advice. Is there a faster method than formatting each photo individually?

Okay, now to the fun stuff… I had the stove top version of yesterday’s breakfast. Have a mentioned how much I love sliced bananas cooked in with the oats?

And, as it turns out this combo was just as creamy as it’s microwaved counterpart. Take that electromagnetic waves. <– I think I had been slacking on the milk and bananas lately and had forgotten how creamy they make oats.

I walked home for lunch in the damp, cold weather and all I wanted was some warm soup.

Turns out I had a lone can of Progresso High Fiber Tomato Basil waiting in the back of the cabinet. It was actually quite tasty, probably due to the fact that it has 13g of sugar per serving. I wasn’t too excited when I read that. :/

I also had a few crackers topped with left-over tuna salad.

And, drum roll please… I didn’t have a lunch dessert. 1 March Madness Challenge goal met for the day! <–Speaking of which, I am super excited that many of you want to join in on the March Madness Challenge. I would love to hear about your goals so leave a comment or shoot me an email and let me know what your plan is!! Also, it’s not too late to join, hop on board the challenge train today!

No sweet snack right after lunch, however I did however pack this guy for later in the afternoon.

Yum! I’m still loving the chia seeds in these fruition bars.

Isaac picked me up from the office and we hit up the gym a strength training workout – Biceps and Back. We usually both go our separate ways at the gym but it was fun to workout together. It made me workout a bit harder, which is always a good thing, right?

I was starving for dinner – I almost forgot to take a picture! I had the same salad from last night with a bowl of leftover sweet potato lentil chili that had been in the freezer.

The Morningstar veggie chik’n patties I’ve been having in my salads lately are awesome. The ingredient list is a little long but I must say that I’m totally digging them right now! They’re super quick to heat up and the taste is really good – nothing like actual chicken.

Now ladies and gentlemen (yes- I do have a few male readers!!), I give you the latest and greatest feature of EBF – Fridge Finds Wednesday!

Each Wednesday I’m going to feature something about, in, on, or around my fridge – a new product, a photo that hangs on the front of it, or who knows what. I think it will be fun.

And, who better to start off this feature than Mr. Robert Zimmerman aka Bob Dylan.

This a postcard (purchased but never sent to anyone) that is hanging on our fridge with a cool homemade bottle cap magnet. And, since he’s made the blog, here’s a nice little tune for you to enjoy – my favorite Bob Dylan song!

Love, hate or never listened to Dylan? I wanna know!!

It’s now 9PM, which means I’m done with this post just in time for the new episode of Modern Family that’s coming on!! So excited.

- Brittany

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In light of March being National Nutrition Month I’ve decided to take this month to build “Nutrition from the Ground Up” and focus on eating more consciously and healthfully. I know I don’t have the most unhealthy diet, but there’s always room for improvement, right?

Here are a few of my goals for the March Madness Challenge:

Eat most meals at the table with no media distractions (i.e. tv, computer, etc)
Eat only when I’m actually hungry (not because I’m bored)
Have snacks readily available that provide a good combo of protein, fat, and carbs
Ween myself from having to finish both lunch and dinner with something sweet

I am also going to make an effort to capture a photo and post about most of my meals and snacks so you all can see how I’m doing with the new goals. Recently I haven’t been posting my dinner if it wasn’t something super exciting because the photos don’t come out that great with the lighting in my house, however with my new camera I should be able to get some better shots.

On the exercise front, I am running a 10k at the end of the month so I’m going to keep training for that but my goal is to make sure I do 3 strength training workouts a week as well. I’m the cardio queen and often slack on the strength training side of things so I want to try make it a priority this month!

The best part about this plan is that I have a big treat waiting for me at the end… a trip to Los Angeles!! Isaac and I are going out to visit some friends who recently made the move across country. We booked our flights a few weeks ago and we are beyond stoked. Neither of us have ever been to LA and we’re getting to stay in the Hollywood Hills!! The excitement is a little too much to bear.

If you’re interested, you should join in on the March Madness Challenge with me. There’s no specific rules as each person will have different nutritional/fitness goals but it would be fun to have some others challenging themselves in the spirit of National Nutrition Month as well. Who knows maybe I’ll even host a giveaway for those that participate!

Rewinding a bit, I came home on Sunday evening with a belly full of Ethiopian veggies and lentils and went to bed quite early – it had been a crazy weekend and I was in need of some serious beauty sleep. After resting my eyes for a good 8 hours I popped out of bed and started the March Challenge off right with a 20 minute Morning Flow yoga session and some steamy OIAC – Oats in a (Nut Butter) Container.

This TJ’s Valencia Peanut Butter with Roasted Flaxseed had been in the fridge forever. I opened it today to scoop out a spoonful for my oats and realized it was almost empty. Of course, I put the container to good use and filled it with some creamy banana oats! So so so good. I wish I could have this everyday.

Sticking with the ethnic eats, the marketing team went out to eat at one of my favorite restaurants for lunch yesterday – Ginger Thai. I was pumped with this decision because I LOVE Thai food – it’s my favorite ethnic cusinse!! Yesterday, I got my usual.

a.) Shrimp Spring Rolls

b.) Tom Yum Soup with steamed tofu (medium spicy)

The soup was particularly filling today and after eating it all of it, I didn’t have enough space left for my second spring roll. I took one bite, then realized I really wasn’t that hungry so I saved the rest for later and had it as an appetizer before finishing off the last of the Jumble-aya.

This morning I made it to the gym before work. This was great, but I didn’t have a ton of time to eat at home so I ended up packing my breakfast and eating at my desk.

Old fashioned oatmeal, oatbran, chia seeds, banana slices, cinnamon, vanilla, skim milk, and water.

Once at the office I put the oatmeal in a microwavable bowl and heated it up for 2 minutes. It became so voluminous and creamy – I might have to use the microwave method more often! Overall the oatmeal, topped with macadamia butter was amazing, but eating it at my desk doesn’t really align with my goal of eating with no distractions. :/

Lunch time rolled around and I hopped home for a tuna salad on sandwich thins and an apple.

I made the tuna salad on the fly using greek yogurt, spicy mustard, a chopped pickle, and a little S&P. It wasn’t the most exciting lunch, but I made up for it with a tasty dinner.

Spring mix topped with avocado slices, broccoli, a Chik’n Veggie Patty, Annie’s honey mustard dressing, sprouted sunflower seeds, and S&P. Definitely a winner of a dinner!!

To soothe my sweet tooth I indulged in a small mug of Kashi go lean. I’d missed my favorite cereal.