Thank you for all of the encouraging comments about my desire for direction in my life and with my blog. I thought about what ya’ll had to say; since blogging is still a young hobby in my life, I feel like all I can do at the moment is keep putting one foot post in front of the other. Good things come with persistence, practice, and patience…

So… what have I been eating lately?

Steel Cut Oats

Apple Raisin Walnut Honey

Banana Brown Sugar Coconut Pecan

Do you see why I loveee mornings so so much? I go to bed dreaming about diving into another bowl of creamy, chewy, healthy steel cut oats… so maybe it’s a tad weird, but that’s how foodies roll, right?

Sweet Potatoes

The other night when I realized I had all four of the ingredients to make Caitlin’s Sweet Tater + Black Beans Balls, I got super excited. They were ridiculously easy to prepare, and ridiculously delicious to eat.

Sweet Tater + Black Bean Balls

• 1/2 sweet potato, mashed
• 1/2 c. black beans, rinsed + drained
• 3 T organic medium-heat salsa
• ground flax

To cook the potato, pierce with a fork and then microwave for appox. 6 minutes until tender. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350*. Combine the mashed potato, black beans, and salsa in a small bowl. Roll into balls [should make between 6-8]. Spread the flax onto a flat surface and roll each ball in the seeds, to coat. Place on a greased baking sheet + let cook for about 20-30 minutes, depending on size. Enjoy with sour cream or Greek yogurt – yum!

Salads

After the sweatiest 1-hour spin class tonight + 1/2-mile jog, I came home stoked for sweet taters: round 2. I’ve made renditions of this salad quite a few times before, substituting the potatoes for squash, and either way, it’s quite the taste bud pleaser.

To make: Peel 1 large sweet tater + chop into bite-sized pieces. Place in a small bowl, drizzle with real maple syrup, ground flax, cinnamon + coarse sea salt. Mix to coat. Spray baking sheet with chlorofluorocarbon free canola [or olive] oil and bake in a preheated 350* for appox. 30 minutes. Then place your hot taters atop a hefty portion of organic spinach, creamy avocado, chevre, and red onion. Finish it off with a drizzle of olive oil + balsamic and fresh black pepper.

* * *

So… what have I been doing lately? Well, let’s see… soakin’ up the sun + sweating a ton!

I may be a California girl, but that does not mean I’m necessarily a summer/sun lovin’ girl. Perhaps a shock to some, but my body was raised in a climate that rarely exceeds 60* F, where rain is the norm most of the year, blue sky is received with a celebration, and you wear your winter coat to the windy beach.

circa 2007

That’s to say, I don’t know what to do with myself when I wake up in the morning to an apartment that’s a whopping 82*! So far I’ve figured out to stock my fridge with a huge pitcher of ice-cold green tea… and forget about doing laundry; there’s no way I’m putting on any real clothes – swim suit + shorts is all I need.

Hope your week is off to a spectacular start!

With much appreciation,

The Nutrition Nut

Humboldt County Readers: If ya’ll would like anything from the beloved Trader Joe’s, let me know by tomorrow night. I’d be happy to pick up your favorite product for you : )