Pie for breakfast – it’s possible! Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats are creamy and decadent, yet guilt-free.
I slept 10 hours last night! It was amazing and left me feeling like this:
aka bright eyed and bushy tailed. Also kind of feeling like a sailor in my blue & white stripes and red scarf…or is that Frenchman…either way I feel good. :)
After blogging last night, I laid down to watch a show on English castles (I know) and feel asleep until 8:00. I got up and went straight to bed. Glorious! I didn’t even realize I was that tired until my body literally shut down on the couch – I was asleep in two minutes. It just goes to show you that your body will always tell you what you need – you just have to listen! :D
In breakfast news – I had Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats!
On a placemat that is reminding me of our Spring Break destination…and it’s not the Caribbean. :)
In the mix:
- 1/3 cup old fashioned oats (uncooked)
- 1 fat-free French Vanilla Yogurt
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice
- 1 sliced banana
- sliced almonds
Mix, refrigerate, dine in the a.m.
Seriously – this bowl is HUGE!! It took me almost 30 minutes to eat last time. I am a total volume eater, so this breakfast is just great for me. Tons of food, not a ridiculous amount of calories and hardly any fat (except good fat from the almonds.) Nice!
Lunch is perhaps my craziest Kitchen Sink Salad combo…mmm, ever!
In the mix:
- Romaine lettuce
- Baby carrots
- Roasted asparagus
- Pickles
- Colby jack cheese
Sorry pickle haters – I just can’t get enough of them! So much so, that I have to include them in my salads.
Drizzled with this EVOO Italian Vinaigrette salad dressing – which, on its own, is not that fantastic but when mixed with a splash of balsamic vinegar, is really good! Takes away that “bottled” dressing taste.
Oh, and a Pink Lady Apple that has definitely seen smoother days! ;)
So, a couple of people have asked me recently about my schedule. What time I go to bed, wake up, blog, workout, etc. Well, let me just take you through a typical day in the life of IGE!
Night before: Get lunch ready, pre-make breakfast (if applicable), put gym bag in the car.
Day of:
5:30: Alarm goes off – snooze for 10
5:40 – 6:30: Shower, hair, makeup, dress
6:30 – 7:15: Eat breakfast and blog
7:15 – 7:30: Drive to and arrive at work
12:00: LUNCH! :D
2:00: SNACK! :D (it’s the little things that get you through the day!)
4:05: Head to the gym (I use the one at work) and get changed
4:15 – 5:00: Workout
5:30: Arrive home and shower
5:50 – 6:30: Make dinner and eat with Ben
6:30 – 7:00: Blog while Ben cleans up
7:00: Free time!
8:00 7:45: Snack ;)
9:45: BED
Time Management tips:
- Take an hour or two on Sundays to start preparing dinners for the week by:
- Chopping veggies
- Roasting chicken
- Cooking quinoa/couscous/brown rice type foods
- Making chili/soups
- Getting things out of the freezer to thaw in the fridge
- Multi task! I marinade stuff or roast my veggies/chicken in the oven while I’m taking a shower after working out.
- Do what you can to prepare things ahead of time, like:
- Packing your lunch and pre-making breakfast before bed
- Putting your gym bag in the car the night before
- Picking out your outfit the night before
- Putting your shoes by the door so you don’t have to dig for them in the morning
- Ask for help. If I’m feeling rushed or have all burners going on the stove at once, I have Ben stir one pot while I watch another, etc. Plus, it’s fun to have your mate/kids/friends in the kitchen!
- Go to bed at a reasonable time. You can’t expect to get up early if you don’t go to bed early!
So there you have it – that’s a typical day in the life of IGE. :D What do you think?
Does your schedule look anything like mine?
Where are the biggest differences?
What are some of your favorite time management tips?
TGIAF!
Marisa (Loser for Life) 02.04.2010
Gosh, if 10 hours of sleep could make me look as gorgeous as you..SIGN ME UP! :)
Your kitchen sink salad looks delicious! So colorful!
Wendy 02.04.2010
My schedule is similar to yours in that I do as much prep as possible the night before i.e. lay out clothes, pack backpacks/diaper bags/gym bags/breakfasts/snacks/lunches, etc. I am less likely to forget something if I do it in the evening, and just go on auto-pilot in the morning. In fact, if I forget to do something in the p.m., I’m almost guaranteed to forget in in the a.m.! One of most helpful things I do in the evening is to write down a rough schedule of what’s going on the next day, which helps me plan what bags, food, etc., need to be packed. My schedule is different from day to day, so that really keeps me on my toes. I am also a basically single mom to two preschool-age kids, so I pretty much do ALL the work around here. I’m also terrible at meal planning, and my evening routine always seems to fall apart so that I don’t get any time to unwind before bed. But I DO always make an effort to get to bed at a reasonable time!
AP 02.04.2010
If you’re going to Mexico I am going to die of jealousy. I have been twice but not this year!!
I’m more of a sleep-til-the-last-minute kinda gal. And definitely get ready as much as possible the night before.
Meg @ Be Fit Be Full 02.04.2010
I’m jealous of your work hours! I would love to get to start the day earlier so I could end it earlier. My schedule is actually pretty similar to yours, just push everthing forward 1.5 hours :)
Julie 02.04.2010
You’re totally going to Mexico, I can feel it.
I’d die of starvation if I didn’t eat between bfast and lunch. I’ve tried it before and it didn’t work out. But if it’s good for you man, work it.
Megan @ Megzz Wins At Life 02.04.2010
Great tips!!! Thanks :-)
Lauren @ Eater not a runner 02.04.2010
Oh I am a huge pickle fan ;-) My schedule is very different, I am up and out of the house in 20 minutes in the morning!
Lauryn 02.04.2010
Thanks for the tips girl!!!! By the way, I made some overnight oats for the first time but they are a little too tangy, i think im using not great yougart…what kind do you use? id like something semi cheap that tastes good too.
Carrie 02.04.2010
My schedule looks nothing like yours. There’s no way I could be up at 5:30 everyday unless I absolutely had to, and even then, I’d get up at the last minute possible.
Also, I can’t believe you go almost 5 hours between breakfast and lunch! I have to have a mid-morning snack. I’m very much a 5 mini-meal kind of gal. It keeps me going through the day.
Molly 02.04.2010
OOOOOOOOh, I can’t wait to be back in the U.S….one word- convenience. Here in Japan my schedule is insane. I pack my gym bag, breakfast, lunch and snacks the night before. I catch the train at 7pm to go to the next city for my gym. My night membership is from 6:30p.m.-11p.m. I usually walk 2 miles from the station to the gym. Workout till 10:30pm, shower, walk 2 miles back to my friend’s apt for the night b/c by 11, the trains have stopped. I wake up at 6a.m. to catch the train back to my dinky town by 7:30am, and work starts promptly at 7:50a.m. for our morn. meeting. I have never disliked a routine as much as this, b/c I need my beauty sleep..but I also need to get out of the house once in a while…esp in the wintertime! Can’t wait for spring!!! Yay for running outside!
…And your salad looks yummy!!!!!
Cynthia (It All Changes) 02.04.2010
I never thought to precook the grains like that. Nice idea.
My thing it is to repack my gym bag as soon as I get home from the gym. That way I have no excuse. Also I have meals planned ahead so I know what to do. And if I know I’ll have an especially early morning I shower the night before and pull my hair back to give myself a few more minutes of sleep.
Bridget 02.04.2010
Sleep does a body good! Your schedule looks lovely and exactly like mine did when I was your age. My time management tips are have the kids lay out their school clothes the night before, know what’s for dinner by noon, and always keep your kitchen clean. If the kitchen isn’t clean the rest of the house seems to fall apart. I guess my tips are more random but that’s my stage in life.
Missy 02.04.2010
I wish my schedule could be similar. And to read all these other comments makes me think that children aren’t in the mix. What I struggle with the most is that my 2 boys have swim practice almost every night of the week so I have to rush out of work, get them to practice and we don’t get home till quarter to 8, they go to bed at 8:30 so I have 1/2 hr to get something prepared quickly for them and get them to bed.
I need to change that so I’m wondering if you might have any ideas on what I could make that would be a good healthy option. They are STARVING when they get home after 2 hrs of constant swimming….
Workouts for me are over my lunch hour every day of the week and then I try to do some light walking/pushups/squats during swim practice – I don’t like to sit for long periods of time.
Mara @ What's For Dinner? 02.04.2010
My schedule is similar to yours in that I do pretty much the same thing every day… BUT I’m up at 5:15 and out the door by 6:30, and usually shower at night so my hair is dry in the a.m. and just needs to be straightened. I like cooking big quantities one night a week, then eating the same thing for lunch for a few days…
Jenna 02.04.2010
I wish I had your discipline with the schedule. I throw school into the mix with FT work life, but even so I struggle waking up at 7 and can’t fall asleep until midnight most nights. I need to work on that, but I applaud you for being able to do so.
I also wanted to point out that I’ve become obsessed with making almond butter stars for breakfast. They simple, fast, and easy to make. You’ve turned me into an almond butter/almond milk addict, and I’m very much okay with that.
Have a good day. Cheers!
Maura 02.04.2010
My schedule is kind of similar in the sense that I do the same things as you every day. I work in a hospital so the length of time that I am at work varies from day to day. Sometimes, this means I am there from 7:30-4 PM, other days it means I am at work from 7 AM – 9PM (like this past Tuesday..gahh). Basically, if I have a patient scheduled I am there till they are gone. Gym time can suffer but I try to make up for it on the weekends. In the past, I haven’t been great at preparing food adhead of time but I’m working hard to change that habit.
PS. I wish I wasn’t lactose intolerant bc that Colby Jack cheese looks delish!
Caitlin@TheTwentyFifthYear 02.04.2010
I am big on as much prep the night before as possible, too! My schedule is different every single day every week so it’s really hard for me to get in a solid routine with working out and blogging. I prefer to get as much done in the morning as possible, but when I work until 10 the night before and don’t settle down until midnight it makes it hard. I wish I had a regimented schedule like you!!
OH and Colby Jack is bomb.
Jessica @ How Sweet 02.04.2010
Your tips are GREAT! My day moves simalarly except I get up a little earlier and work out in the am. I am loving that salad because I LOVE colbyjack cheese!!
Freya @ foodfitnessandfreya 02.04.2010
My schedule is very similar, except about 3 hrs later – up later, bed later! But food is always the highlight of my day too :P I like making big volume meals, cos I LOVE sitting down and eating them!! A 1/2hr breakfast sounds delightful to me :P
I definetly agree with the make stuff the night before/at the weekend tip – that’s my saviour. Prep is key!
Have a great day :)
Tina 02.04.2010
I love love love pickles too!!! I’ve never thought of putting them in salads though. May have to try that ;)
And surprisingly I am always able to get the things I need to get done done, but I really have no time management method. Ha!