Surprisingly, it wasn’t Waffle Wednesday around here. It was OIAJ Day. An empty almond butter jar is just too hard too resist, don’t you agree? It was screaming for some oat lovin’.

Into the oatmeal pan [you know you have a designated pot for oats too]:

• 1 c. water
• 1/3 c. rolled oats
• 1 itty bitty banana
• later [to avoid browning]… a dash of cinnamon

Bubble. Whip. Bubble. Fluff.

Into the empty jar it went with ~1T of creamy salted almond buttah remnants. I’m so glad I acquired a taste for oats + nut butter – what was I thinking?

This 160z. jar of nut butter disappeared rather quickly – oopsie.

Decreased Weight of Oats = Increased Creaminess of Oatmeal

* * *

Rewind to yesterday, Tuesday 5.25.10: I had a lot of fun with Molly and her boyfriend. It was awesome to catch up with her while having no other responsibilities – school, work, etc. Even though the wet weather put a bit of a damper on our day, but we still had a great time together… strolling around town, watching movies, and EATING! Although somewhat alike, Molly and I do not have the same appetite/diet – never have, never will. Nor do I have the metabolism of her 6’4” boyfriend; that being said, by the night’s end, I was less than happy about my day’s eats. It didn’t help that I had the Case of the Mondays the day before, resulting in two days of zero exercise.

What do you do when you can’t completely control what you eat? Do your friends’ unhealthy appetites affect you?

Today was a new day though, a new day to gobble up my greens. For lunch, leftover roasted potatoes and a colorful salad.

Organic Lettuce, Strawberries, BIG Blueberries +

A Drizzle of Honey, Olive Oil, Balsamic & Fresh Black Pepper

I was in the mood to bake this afternoon – oh, the freedom of summer – so I decided to finally cross Mama Pea’s KIND Bars off my To-Bake List.

VS.

There’s no competition whatsoever. Mama P’s recipe has the win in the bag! Have you had a KIND Bar? Don’t bother… instead, make these!

Be KIND [to your body] Bars

• 1 c. organic almonds
• 1 c. unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 c. chopped dried apricots
• 1/4 c. agave-honey blend
• 1/4 c. brown rice syrup
• 2T ground flax
• salt

Preheat oven to 350*. Toast almonds until fragrant, about 10 minutes. Then coarsely chop. Add to a medium bowl with coconut and chopped apricots. In a smaller bowl, mix together sweetener, flax and salt. Pour over fruit ‘n’ nut mixture – combine thoroughly. Pat into an 8×8 in. square pat that’s been coated with [chlorofluorocarbon-free] canola oil spray. Bake for ~18 minutes, or until golden brown and edges are slightly crisp. Let cool before digging in with hungry hands cutting into bars.

Goodness, Mama Pea – these aren’t going to be so kind to my waistline after eating the entire batch.

They may be a bit crumbly, but I promise that won’t phase ya. Crumble over 2% Fage and you’ll be one happy snacker. Then nibble on one after dinner as a dessert. I didn’t do this; it’s just a suggestion ; )

After my kind high-fat snack, I finally got in much-needed movement at the g.y.m.

60 minutes elliptical

• 10 min. @ 10 [resistance: 3/6]
• 10 min. @ 15 [resistance: 6]
• 10 min. @ 5 [resistance: 6] – reverse stride

repeat set.

20 minutes treadmill [1.0 incline]

• 5 min.@ 4.2mph
• 10 min. @ 6.2mph
• 5 min. @ 4.2mph

It was either an 80-minute workout, or 8 more KIND Bars.

I would write about my protein-packed dinner of quinoa – it’s love – and edamame , but my word bank is almost spent for the day, and the pictures aren’t so pretty. Here are a couple bonus items in lue of my abrupt closure.

1. My first post as a CL intern is UP: Spring Clean Your College Lifestyle Diet

2. … as is my Profile of a Healthy Eater interview @ YourNutritionista.com 

Night, friends!

Hillary