I got my day started with a quick, yet effective, workout incorporating the treadmill and some free weights:

• Free weight circuit with 15 reps of each exercise
• 10 minutes treadmill @ 6.5 mph
• Free weight circuit with 15 reps of each exercise
• 10 minutes treadmill @ 7.0 mph
• Free weight circuit with 15 reps of each exercise
• 5 minutes treadmill @ 4.0 mph and 8% incline
• Total: 40 minutes

I upped the number of reps in my free weight circuit from 12 to 15, because the 5lb weights are a little too easy, but the 8lb weights (which is the next heaviest at my gym) are a little too hard right now. I can totally tell the difference when adding those extra three reps in. It was a struggle on my last circuit – but a good struggle, you know? Oh, and let me just tell you, inclines are where it’s at! After 5 minutes at an 8% incline, I was breathing just as hard as my 10  minute run at 7mph! Wheee! Do you ever play around with inclines on the treadmill?

I created a Frankenstein-esque breakfast today by combining two of my favorite things – overnight oats and pumpkin pie yogurt to make one stellar combo: Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats!

God bless food blogs. I honestly don’t think I would have ever eaten as much of the awesome orange stuff without them to provide so much pumpkin creation inspiration! Between yogurt, pancakes, pie, oatmeal, butter - the pumpkin possibilities are endless, people!

In this morning’s PPOO mix:

• 1/4 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup pumpkin
• 1 French Vanilla fat-free yogurt
• cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice
• Sliced banana
• Sliced almonds

Combine all the ingredients, stash in the fridge overnight and devour in the sweet, sweet morning.

Totally loving adding pumpkin to overnight oats, to yogurt, to oatmeal, to…anything! It adds a ton of “girth” without adding a lot of calories. Very nutrient dense, to boot!

This was so yummy and perfect for a post-workout breakfast. Creamy, chewy, VOLUMINOUS and perfectly sweet. We’ve got a repeater on our hands!

Lunch today is a complete mish-mash of items – which happens to be one of my favorite types of lunches. All kinds of textures and flavors…fun.

I’ll be starting with an almond butter and thin bun sandwich. Thin bun? Nice name!

Perfectly swirled with almond butter, obviously.

These “thin buns” go by many names depending on the brand. Thin buns, deli thin, sandwich thin – no matter what they’re called though, they’re all really, really good.

At first glance you might think they’re dry little pathetic excuses for bread or buns – but they’re actually super moist and great for a variety of eats. Ben and I both LOVED them with our BBQ Bacon Burgers last night!

Eek – doesn’t this kind of look like a one eyed rattle snake?!

I also packed some leftover roasted asparagus from last night. Misted with olive oil, sprinkled with garlic salt and roasted for 13 minutes at 400 degrees. Tender and flavorful as can be!

Rounding out the mish-mash is a grape & kiwi salad.

Super summery, no? Kiwis always make me think of fruity, fresh, summery salads – and these babies were 5/$1 at the store this weekend. Sweet!

Mixed with some grapes – this is a perfect little fruit salad.

To be eaten in shifts, for sure. Awesome!  

In other news – I’m fortunate to be the lucky lady featured in Refrigerator Soup’s “Twenty Questions with our Favorite Food Bloggers” feature this week! Refrigerator Soup doles out the yummiest, most delectable food blog creations on the web, all in one place. Super great. Check out my twenty answers if you get a chance!

Have a supah Tuesday!

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Taken from the Twenty Questions feature, because it made me laugh:

If you could banish just one food from the earth, what would it be?

I cheated and banished three: cooked carrots, bell peppers and mushrooms. Iiiiiiiick!

Related posts:

1. A Feast for the Eyes and Stomach
2. See ya’, Salt!
3. This is My Mad Face

I walked out my door this morning and gasped! I thought it was blizzarding! It took me a couple seconds to realize the whiteout I was seeing was actually FOG. Fog so thick, I couldn’t see past my neighbor’s house. Nevertheless, I ventured out and drove to the gym for another morning workout!

Last night I found this great 500 Calorie Burning Treadmill Workout via FitnessMagazine.com, but I knew I wouldn’t have an hour in the morning to complete the whole thing. So, I modified it for time, upped the speeeed a little and created this 45 Minute Treadmill Workout!

I wrote the intervals down on the back of an empty address label sheet (reduce, reuse!) to place on the treadmill and follow along.

This was challenging! Especially the 7.5 sprint at the end – I was doing the audible “heeeee” “whoooo” to get me through. I ended up at 4.6 miles on the nose and was very pleased. This treadmill interval workout kept my brain occupied and my body challenged. And now I’ve got the main portion of my exercise done for the day – sweet!

Still need more convincing to tackle that workout in the morning? Check out my workout when you wake up post for a few more reasons why you should give it a try.

Ok…breakfast was epic. I told you I’d do it… Vanilla Pumpkin Overnight Oats!

omg. OMG. This was like a creamy, pumpkiny, vanilla custard. For breakfast!

In the mix:

• 1 Vanilla AE yogurt
• 1/4 old fashioned oats
• 1 Tablespoon pumpkin butter
• 1 banana
• dash of pumpkin pie spice
• sprinkle of sliced almonds

Last night I combined all the ingredients (even the banana) and let it all meld and soften overnight.

All I had to do this morning was grab a spoon and devour! I have been having some really good breakfasts lately, but I think this one might top them all. Seriously…decadent…you must try!

Lunch is big, Kitchen Sink Salad.

In the mix:

• Steamed broccoli
• Pumpkin seeds & dried cranberries
• Chopped celery
• Baby carrots

FYI – I love adding steamed broccoli to salads. Eating raw brocc is not my favorite thing in the world, but when you microwave them with a splash of water for 2 minutes, and then add them – they are fantastic

I’m also saving this ginormous Honeycrisp for 2:00pm snackeage.

In other news, and in case you didn’t know, Thanksgiving is officially ONE WEEK AWAY!!! In honor, I have devised a Thanksgiving This or That Three Question Thursday Series. This is a tough one – but you must decide!

1. Stuffing or Rolls?

2. Pecan Pie or Pumpkin Pie?

3. Mashed white potatoes or Sweet potatoes (any form)?

My answers:

1. Giiiiiirl – STUFFING! It has to be the cheap Stovetop kind too. I actually don’t like homemade stuffing!

2. Pumpkin

3. My Mom’s baked apples stuffed with sweet potatoes and topped with marshmallows, which are then broiled to golden perfection, are literally then end all and be all. Seriously.

Related posts:

1. Tuesday Mornings Don’t Get Better Than This
2. Bringing More Than My Appetite
3. Wake Up, Sleepy Head!