Goooood Monday morning to you all! Hope your weekend was faaaantastic! Did-ya’ do anything crazy?
First things first – some housekeeping:
- I heard commenting wasn’t working for some people, but I think it’s fixed! If you continue to have problems, shoot me an email @ IowaGirlEats@hotmail.com.
- I also got messages that some people aren’t even able to see the site. If this happens again, try going to your Internet Options and clearing your cookies. If you’re still having troubles, shoot me an email.
- If you’re signed up for my RSS feed, just make sure it’s http://feeds.feedburner.com/iowagirleats and NOT http://iowagirleats.com/feed.
I promise I’ll get this stuff figured out eventually…or die trying! Thanks for sticking with me in the meantime 
Well we’re finally getting some rain moving in our area. It’s been 24 days, or something crazy like that, since our last rainfall!! My Mom and I did manage to squeak in a morning walk, but it’s lookin’ pa-retty dark out there!
So dark in fact, that my pictures are halo’d in the harsh glare of florescent light. Good thing it didn’t affect the taste of my breakfast – Banana & Almond Butter English Muffins!
These are Thomas Hearty-Grain English Muffins and they are wonderfully soft and pillowy.
Almond butter + bananas = no fail combo. Delicious, nutritious and keeps me full all morning long!
And remember when I was telling you how one of my favorite things about Fall was all the apple varieties trickling into the grocery stores? Well, the KING has arrived – Honeycrisp! These babies were only $1.99/lb at the store yesterday…are you joking me?! You better believe I snatched up my fair share
Crisp, sweet, crunchy…Honeycrisp apples are the perfect apples, if you ask me. I sliced one up for my breakfast! What’s your favorite apple variety?
Lunch will be pure deliciousness: Chopped Mango, Cottage Cheese & a CherryCashew PURE Bar.
Eating mangoes makes me giddy – seriously! They are SO tropical and such a treat
And I splurged at the grocery store this weekend and bought AE Cottage Cheese. This cottage cheese is like ice cream – so creamy, so cold and almost decadent. Can you call your cottage cheese decadent!? 
To finish things off, a CherryCashew PURE Bar. One of my faves 
So I read an interesting article last week called “8 Reasons to Hit the Gym – Why We Work Out.” It contains reasons why everyday people continually get their booties to the gym, and here they are:
- To battle depression when dealing with a deployed husband or wife, sick relative, etc.
- To feel sexy(ier!) by taking unconventional fitness classes like pole dancing.
- To stay healthy in order to get off certain medications and/or to prevent having to take them in the future.
- For the kids, parents wanting to be healthy role models for their children and making sure they’re around in the future.
- To achieve new goals such as increasing running mileage, being able to lift more weight, becoming more flexible in yoga, etc.
- To feel happier and get those endorphins flowing.
- To build stamina in order to bike longer, run harder, etc.
- To have your cake and eat it too – literally, so you can eat lots of cake!
Do you identify with any of the points above?
I identify most with #8. Unfortunately, as short as I am – I don’t require a lot of calories everyday, but I LOVE to taste and eat. Therefore, in order to keep eating and tasting – I have to workout. It’s as simple, and hard, as that.
Have a fabulous Monday everyone!
ditto on number 8!!!!!! i definitely like to eat and taste, so i do have to workout! but it’s also for number 3 — i want to be as healthy as i can be! and i really don’t want to be on cholesterol medication, so working out seems to be one of the key factors in keeping my cholesterol somewhat lower.
Your philosophy about working out is spot on with mine. I am short too so in order to try all the foods that I love, I have to keep active. I also relate to #3, I want to live to be able to see my great grandkids grow up!! which means staying active and eating well.
Definitely #8! But I also think for me that staying healthy and feeling happier rank up there too
Yay! I cleared my cookies and lo and behold…I can comment! I love Harrelson apples (spelling?) and honeycrisp are delicious too! I am contemplating apple picking this weekend – excited like a small child!
I identify with #5 for setting and achieving new goals – mainly outdoors with running but also now in yoga too.
#6 is another one. I definitely need those endorphins – I truly do!
and #8 – hell yeah of course!
Have a great Monday!
Honeycrisps are like dessert in a self contained package… I love them. Add a little almond butter or some greek yogurt and I’m in Heaven.
I can totally identify with the going to the gym for health reasons. I was about 100 pounds heavier than I am now and I worked to get it off and now I’m keeping it off. Because of the Weight Loss I don’t have any meds or any out of control high conditions. And it prevents me from more back surgery and needing higher doses of some meds for conditions that I have from birth. It is great for me. Plus for some reason I feel sexier when I’ve gotten in a great workout. I enjoy the endorphins I guess.
I tried a honey crisp, but I’m still a Red Delicious fan myself
All of those are great reasons for the gym
mmmmmm that breakfast looks scrumptious. I almost ate that this morning with an Ezekial english muffin, but went the smoked salmon route instead. I love honey crisp apples sooo fricken much. I have one in my purse right now that I am about to munch on.
Cottage cheese is my ultimate favorite. I eat it almost every day whether at breakfast, lunch or as a snack. Try mixing it with flax seed. I’m sure you’ll love it!
You should try a little dibble of mustard (the plain ole yellow kind) mixed in with the cottage cheese. I know it doesn’t sound very good…but it IS good!
I identify with most of them becauase thats how I grew up! My mom was really healthy and watching her I knew what I was going to be like: a runner and healthy eater!
Still jealous of your cottage cheese!
Honey crisps are my favorite right now too!
My favorite apples are definitely pink ladies. I refuse to eat any other kinds!
Love that Pure bar, they’re all so decadent.
I think I can identify with the achieving new goals one. I like to do new things. I also feel happier and better when I work out. I’m sure that the role model issue will come into play later in my life as I start a family.
I haven’t ever tried PURE bars, but I love homemade energy bars. My friend Dan makes the best pumpkin energy bars: http://healthnut-em.blogspot.com/2009/09/that-guy-who-makes-energy-bars-dans.html
Your breakfast looks like little English Muffin Flowers!
Had a great weekend! Ran my first half marathon! Hope you had a great one too!
8 is my big one, but I always go (secretly) for number 2 as well
One fall, my husband and I did a taste-test of apples and wrote down our impressions of each so we knew which we liked best for lunches. We’re nerdy like that.
We both really liked Honeycrisp, but also Gala, which were only 99c per pound at Target this week. Bonus!
LOVE apple season. have you ever tried a pink lady? trust me go out and get one if you haven’t, but with a apple lady like yourself i’m sure you have!
hope your having an awesome day girl!
Your pics are so pretty! I love the look of that mango. Delicious! I definitely workout for many of those points. Probably all of them (except the kids one obviously) at some points or another!
I definitely feel so much better after I work out – mood booster for sure. And, I agree, I do it because I like to eat and want to be able to enjoy the food I love but still feel good!
#8 is a big motivator right now because I really want to shed some weight and not have to be horribly restrictive, but in general I identify with a lot them! except the kids, working out does great things for me
You’re making me crave HoneyCrisp apples like crazy!
I eat cottage cheese almost daily – no joke! I LOVE it, but I have always gotten Roberts just because it’s always been my favorite. Now, I’m an Iowa girl too, so I know about AE but I haven’t always lived in Iowa so I didn’t always have their products available to me…. today I bought AE cottage cheese because of your post and… omg, you are right. It is really, really good! I’m pretty sure I have converted from Roberts to AE officially.
So, thanks! Err, uh, maybe AE should thank you?