Beat the Heat

Who knew when I moved NORTH that I would be living in 120 degree weather?? Not this girl. I woke up with quite the appetite and was craving oatmeal. Really? When there’s a heat wave outside?? I had to talk myself out of it by promising oats in a different version.

Plain Greek Yogurt with fresh blueberries and Chocolate Almond Butter Granola. I had to make more because I’m now officially obsessed with it. Look how chunky it is, it’s just plain perfect.

I walked to the gym (because I’m crazy) and begged them to give me a free pass (because I’m unemployed and can’t afford $100 a month on a gym membership) so I could take a class. They did. I have a charming smile.

See?

I took a new to me class at said gym. It was a Les Mills class (like body pump, body combat etc) called CX30. Ever heard of it?? CX30 is a 30 minute class that targets your core. You do 6 sets – 2 on the ground, 2 standing and 2 more on the ground. I really liked it and hope to one day (soon) be able to join that gym so I can be a frequent CX30 class taker.

After class I got in a quick 15 minutes of cardio and headed home in the heatwave. I was ready for lunch so I whipped up another no oven necessary meal. A quick salad:

Romaine Lettuce, leftover black bean burger, corn, cottage cheese, cucumber and a slice of avocado.

I need to pack because I leave for vacation tomorrow and I haven’t even pulled out my suitcase! Such the procrastinator. Truth is, I work better under pressure! 🙂

Tonight I have a date at Smith and Wollensky’s to spend some QT with this QT before I leave

But first, for favorite Friday I thought I’d do my favorite ways to beat the heat!!

1.) Make a HEALTHY smoothie – Preferably one that tastes like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup

2. Make s’mores ice cream

3. If I’m too lazy to make my own ice cream – I’ll head to my favorite fro-yo shop.

That’s a small. Don’t judge me.

4. Go bowling

5. Get a pedicure/manicure – Being pampered and staying inside seems like a win/win situation

6. Read Blogs (DUH) – A hilarious one I saw Cara post today on her facebook page about picking your battles. SO TRUE.

7. Read about the 50 fattiest Foods in the States

New Jersey is known for the Fat Darrell. What is your state known for?

8. Pick a fun craft off the Martha Stewart Website. Yes, I said fun.

9. Head to the beach/pool and get your tan on

10. Last but not least – Read a book in the comfort of your Air Conditioned home. Right now I’m working on this one

Let’s hope my ADD doesn’t kick in and I can finish it 🙂

I’m off to get ready for dinner and maybe attempt packing. See ya tomorrow!

QUESTIONS: Whats your favorite way to beat the heat??

Chocolate Blueberry Granola

Clearly Friday didn’t follow my rules because Monday came WAY too fast. The upside of this Monday? It’s 88 degrees!!!! Over the weekend the sun was basically non-existent so today is a real treat!

Saturday morning I woke up early and headed to Washington DC for the Cherry Blossom Festival. I never take advantage of being a tourist in my own city and there is SO much to see. I’ll definitely be taking another trip when it gets warmer!

Look at that sky… Gloomy! After walking around the parade (so we could see it faster) we were frozen cold. So cold that we thought our feet would shatter like glass every time we took another step. (We’re not dramatic or anything) We decided to head into the Smithsonian of Natural History to warm up – which is free = score! I haven’t been here since I was 10 years old so we defrosted in the cafe before choosing what exhibits to explore.

Cherry Blossom Cookies

Umm i forget what type of animal

This was all made from yarn!

How do people survive shark bites!?

Seriously… I want to know how anyone has ever survived a great white shark attack. That mouth is twice the size of my entire body! Our favorite exhibit had to do with diamonds… Diamonds really are a girls best friend 😉

The Hope Diamond – 45.5 Carats.

Hello 1000 diamonds…700 carats! I wonder how much this thing weighs? I would be willing to wear it to test it out 😉

Walking around for 5 hours in Tory Burch flats was a horrible idea. I guess I didn’t learn from my mistake in Boston. Seeing the historic landmarks, cherry blossoms branches, and enjoying my day off from the gym outside was all worth it.

By the way – have you ever been to corner bakery cafe? Apparently I’m the last person to experience it. I’m obsessed. I enjoyed half of a grilled vegetable Panini and a cup of chili. It was realllllly filling but my sweet tooth got a hold of me so I ordered an oatmeal raisin cookie. Sweet tooth 38 Alyssa 0.

Sunday I started my morning with a good sweat from a 60 minute spin class so I could spend the day with my favorite 4-year-old! We got manicures/pedicures, bought new makeup, went to Trader Joe’s, got some new baby doll’s and did lots of snacking! It doesn’t get any better than that 🙂

Seriously, how cute is she!? I hope one day I have a daughter as pretty and fun to be with as her!

When I got home I decided to whip up some granola… This was my first time making my own! I’ve really been moving out of the cookies/cake/cheesecake sweet phase and into the granola, dark chocolate & yogurt covered pretzels stage.  I go through stages of eating the same thing over and over until I get bored and move on to the next thing.

The granola is SO good, SO healthy and SO perfect to use as a topping on anything (like frozen yogurt 🙂 ). Or just to eat handfuls of… I wont judge since I will be doing anything and everything possible with this.

Chocolate Covered Blueberry Granola

Ingredients

• 2.5 cups Rolled Oats
• 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup raw flax seeds
• 2 tbsp ground flax
• 3/4 cup dried blueberries
• 1/2 of a 73% dark chocolate bar chopped
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 4 tbsp brown rice syrup
• 2 tbsp agave nectar
• 1 heaping tbsp of natural peanut butter
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce

Directions

• Combine dry ingredients (first 8) in a bowl

• Combine wet ingredients (last 5) in a sauce pan and simmer until melted

• Pour wet ingredients into dry while still hot and mix well

• Line baking sheet with parchment paper and spread granola mixture evenly across

• Bake in 250 degrees for 60 minutes turning every 15 minutes

I ate a piece straight from the oven and burnt my mouth…i couldn’t resist! I love how crunch this turned out – it’s sweet but not too sweet. Make sense? I also quickly put some in a bowl and poured milk over it (lactose intolerant who?) because it seemed like the right thing to do. I was right…100% the right thing to do.

This made so much I might have to start gifting it! Anyone want some? 🙂 Available to Maryland residents only.

Sorry for the picture overload but some were just too cute not to share – Get out and enjoy an activity outside tonight…Who knows how long Mr. Sun will stay.

 

QUESTIONS: Do you ever play tourist in your own city? Have you ever made your own granola?