Favorite Raw or Overnight Oatmeal Recipe

I figure once I know how to make something well enough without the recipe, it must be a favorite for me. This is a recipe I've been making for the last several months and can't get enough...neither can my kids.

 

6-8 cups of old fashioned oats

1 cup of wheat germ or flax seed or both

Nuts any kind (I've been using walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds)

2 tsp of cinnamon

1/3 cup of local honey

1/3 brown sugar

1/3 cup of olive oil or coconut oil

1/3 cup of water

Tsp of salt

 

First, I add my oatmeal to a bowl then start adding all the dry ingredients. Mix these well. Normally, I will food process my nuts so they aren't as big but this isn't necessary. Then I pour the oil, water and honey into the center and start stirring with a fork. Mix very well.

Next, I put these in mason jars( this amount fills 2 quart jars) and store in the fridge (because of the wheat germ). You could even freeze it if you don't think you will be using it for a while.

 

I usually make a bowl of it at night (ok, every.single.night) and add vanilla almond milk and dried cranberries or blueberries. I will leave it to soak for about 15 minutes. Yum!

Other uses: top plain Greek yogurt with it and the cranberries, you could bake it and have crunchy granola, or you could pour some in a bowl with milk. Let it soak it over night in the fridge. This is one of my favorite treats. I make it about once a week for our family. I know every ingredient that is in it and I can pronounce all of them. My kids approve, which says a lot for my picky bunch!

 

If you try it, let me know what you think and if you've made any tweaks of your own.

 

 

Gate River Run -Two weeks later

It's been two and a half weeks since the Gate River run. I intended to blog about it right after but it was a crazy weekend visiting family while in Florida.

We arrived in Jacksonville on Wednesday night. I was ready to get that 10 hour drive out of my system on Thursday morning. I was also excited to run somewhere different than my neighborhood for a change. It was hot but I was looking forward to running in shorts and a tank, not that we've had too many cold days here.

It was only about 80 degrees on Thursday. I was thinking that it would not be too hot...what was I thinking? I forgot how hot the Florida sun can be even on a pleasant day. Well, by the time I got back to my sister's house, I was dripping and it was HOT!!! It was a good run though! I ran about three miles that day.

I came back, got showered and headed to the running expo with my dad. We picked up my packet and saw all the fun things that a new runner would want to see. There were lots of fun giveaways, discounted running gear, and tasty protein treats to try. I was excited to try the different products but became quickly disappointed in everything I tasted. The protein shakes either had Splenda in them or just tasted ick! I'll just stick with my regular protein smoothies!

By the time we left it was looking dark and stormy outside. It was a great outing with my Dad. I don't get to hang with him much anymore since we live in separate states. I only ended up buying a pair of green Nike running shorts and a cool bondi type sweat headband.

Friday was a good day of rest and visiting with family.

Saturday, I had to get up at about 5:45 even though the race wasn't until 8:30. They suggested you arrive an hour before the race. We thought if we left by 6:30 that morning we would have plenty of time. I don't know what we were thinking. We should have just spent the night there. Traffic was awful. Normally it would have taken at most 30 min to get to downtown. But it took us at least an hour and a half. Even at that, my Dad and I hopped out of the car while we we waiting in bumper to bumper traffic and walked about a mile from the interstate to the startng line. It was insane. My sister was driving so she finally found a place to park and made it to watch the race.

Did I mention this race had over 20,000 runners. It was insane...insane!!! After the starting gun went off it took me 10 min to actually start running. It was shoulder to shoulder packed. I looked up while we were waiting to start to see my dad snapping pictures of me. I teared up as I watched him. It made me feel like a little girl having my Daddy there cheering me on in a big adventure. I caught myself crying then I said to myself..."there is no crying in running...what are you doing? Get it together girl!"

I wore my earphones but I don't know why. I never heard anything out of them.

I had a plan to run the Galloway method but soon realized that I was running so slow there was no point in trying to walk and run. It took me about a mile to figure out a strategy. I ended up running with the pack then when I found an open spot I'd run as fast as I could till I got caught up in another pack. I was so busy doing that and listening to the cool bands along the run that I had no idea how far I'd run. At one point I heard someone say we were at mile 5. I couldn't believe it five miles already. By about mile seven I was feeling it but it wasn't bad. I even got to see on old high school friend for a brief moment around mile seven.

Then we came around a corner and the green monster awaited us. A huge bridge. I thought I might blow off if I had been a kid. It was tough and I wantd to rest but we were so close to the finish. It felt like the longest mile I had run yet...but I made it. The rest was gravy...I cruised in the finish line and felt great.

I ran through and saw my family: Chad, my sister, Courtney and my Dad. It was so great to have them waiting on me at the finish line. I went through received my medal and we walked a good cool down mile to the car. I didn't do as much stretching as I normally do which accounted for the soreness I felt the rest of the day and Sunday but it was a great day and a great run! The temps could not have more perfect. It was cool and breezy!

 

 

The rest of the day I spent visiting my dads family. I had a great time seeing family I have not had much contact with over the last few years. I'm always reminded when I am with them how much God loves us and our family. I often wonder why I let time and distance separate us so easily. It was good to reconnect.

 

 

 

Sunday, we went to my sister's church. It was great. We hung out at my dad's house playing out side and going on a walk. It was a great trip to Florida. We were so blessed to get to go and enjoy our family while making it an active trip. Lots of fun memories were made.

 

So, now I'm signed up for a half marathon this May. Teri and I ran 10 miles last Saturday. It was tough. I felt it all over Sunday. I'm pretty excited about a goal that I know I'm incapable of reaching on my own. It leaves it all up to God and Him working though me. I am so thankful He has given me a great running partner to share this journey. I can't wait to see where it takes us!!!

 

 

Eating while traveling

Eating while traveling freaks me out the most since I've been on this healthy food and fitness journey.

We cook so much at home now. We try to buy what we can afford when it comes to healthy foods. We buy organic when possible. One grocery buggy is usually not more than half full for a weeks worth of food and it costs more than when I had an overflowing buggy. Is this easy? NO!!! Our groceries run out by Wednesday and we usually shop on Fridays. Sigh....it's not easy but it is doable.

Why is my buggy half full? One of my best friends and I were talking about this the other day. You know what makes the buggy full? All the boxes that processed foods come in. Interesting. It makes you think you have lots of food but in reality you have lots of boxes and little nutritional value. Fruits take up much less space. The challenging part is that they cost more and go faster once I get them home.

So onto my fears while traveling. We don't travel too much so I am used to having my certain foods at home that we eat on a regular rotation. So, instead of enjoying the food we eat at restaurants while traveling, all I can do is think of what disgusting things I'm putting into my body. We don't really have funds to eat at health food places all the time. What's a girl to do?

I packed a few peanut butter and jelly sandwiches but the lure of fast food still sucks my family in big time. I wish they could be as grossed out as I am with it but one step at a time. We've pretty much banned McDonald's and Taco Bell but I know there are other icky..icky places that we probably will stop at on our travels...

I did pack lots of healthy snacks and hopefully the kiddos will be satisfied with apples and bananas over Slim Jim's and Little Debbie's.

The other things that is scary is not having control over the foods we will eating while away. Are you sensing my anxiety? It's not that it will be awful. I know it will be really yummy, tasting food. The kind I grew up eating. It's just that I've changed so much in the way I eat and it's easier to do that when you are at home versus a guest in someone's home even if it is your sweet, sweet family!!!

On our way...

Today we are traveling to Florida! I'm so excited for several reasons. I haven't seen some of my family in over a year. It seems crazy that it has been that long but it has. Im also super excited about running in the largest 15K in the US, the Gate River Run!!! Not exactly sure how I feel about it being the biggest but super excited about being able to run 9 miles in my hometown!!! The forecast calls for rain but I'm hoping it will hold out at least until after the run. I have yet to train in any kind of rain so it should be interesting.

Last week, my running partner and I ran 10 miles on the treadmill. I added some hills in the run to hopefully prepare for the bridge ill be running over. We've been training in very hilly neighborhoods. We will have to see if they compare to the bridge experience.

I haven't decided whether or not I'll use my tunes while I run. Normally when I run with Teri, I don't use music but I won't have her to chat with while I run this time. Yet, I know the adrenaline might give me enough juice to run without my tunes...but they are my security so I just might use them. I'll also be doing a run/walk combo. I know I can run the whole time but I find it more enjoyable to run for a while then walk for about 30 to 45 secs then run again. That little break gives me the fuel I need to keep going.

9 miles !!!! Today, it seems like its really not that far. Well until I'm into about mile 2 and begin thinking I'm insane to attempt to run this far. That is where having a running partner is soooo very helpful. It just reminds me of how we need relationships in life to keep going when the journey looks too difficult to accomplish. We all need different kinds of people in our sphere of influence. We need those people who will be our cheerleaders, that tell us to keep going even though we don't think we can make it. We need people who will give us a difference perspective on things. We need people who will be real and raw with us. We need people who need us and we need people who can serve us. These are people we need in our life.

I am so blessed to have each of these kinds of friends. Sometimes I get discouraged that I can't be all things to all my friends...but is that what Christ really wants us to be? Can't we be who we need to be for a particular person in a certain time in each of their lives?

I am sooo thankful for the relationships God has given me in this season of my life. Sometimes I feel like I take too much from others or give too much of myself. But it all evens out. God is sooo good.

I look back on my life and see different place He has taken me or allowed me to go. I can see sometimes, how the failures brought me to the place I am today. I can see how his miracles in my life were just that..miracles. There was nothing I could do to deserve the blessings He has given me. There are times I haven't understood how my relationships with other people would affect my future. But everything I have gone through in this life has brought me to the place I am now.

I'm excited about how God is revealing Himself to me. He speaks so gently whispering in my ear as I run or loudly though me as I testify to His goodness to those he has entrusted to be in my sphere while I teach or just be a listening ear.
I am resting in the fact that I don't have to know what tomorrow holds...even though I want to have that control.

So I am excited about Saturday...because everything that is my past has brought me here...to this day...it hasn't been easy....I've wanted to quit...I have quit...but I'm back...I'm a fighter. I'm fighting cancer, diabetes, obesity, and the demons that want me to fail but it's going to be better than I've ever dreamed!!! Why? Because that is how outrageous God is...

So yep...I'm on my way....