Another long run is officially on the books!

Yippee skippy! I had another 9 miles to tackle today and I made it happen. I headed out a bit earlier than normal and visited an area of roads I haven’t run in awhile. The hills! Oh, the hills!!! Including the hill I so lovingly reference as the “hill of death”. You see it there? The entire mile of hill between miles one and two? I loathe you hill of death.

Let’s just say I played it smart making it at the start of my run so I had a nice downhill slope at the end of my run. I’m glad I managed to push through this run on my own because earlier this week I had considered meeting up with a local running group to face the run. Too bad when I looked at my schedule I realized the timing wouldn’t work.

This morning I had to get out the door, complete my run, and book it home immediately to shower and eat before some plans today. I  know the first time I go with the running group I want the time to actually meet and talk to other runners in my area. You know. Be friendly. So – giving the running group a shot will just have to wait.

What shouldn’t wait? making this for breakfast. Or snack. Or dessert.

I had it for a snack the other day and determined it would make a perfect post-run treat this morning. I was right. I’m all sorts of refreshed now…just in time to go spend a couple hours with more toddlers than I can count. Jealous, no?

Tropical Soft Serve

• 1 container pineapple Chobani, frozen and thawed enough to scoop out
• 1 frozen banana
• 1/2 cup frozen mango chunks
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum

Toss all in a food processor and let it whirl away until it creates that glorious soft-serve consistency. Garnish with your favorite toppings. I opted for Love Grown Simply Oats granola and some chopped mixed nuts.

Fall in love and eat it every day to hold onto the last weeks of summer…or to cool down enough to lessen the increasing desires for fall to arrive. Whichever.

• Are you holding onto summer for dear life or ready to kick it out the door and welcome fall instead?
• How are you getting active today?

Earlier this week a certain someone (cough Katy cough cough) divulged that you can now find fall candy in stores. That means candy corn, people. I’m not a huge candy eater. I will occasionally nab a box of Hot Tamales when going to a movie in the theater. And I won’t turn down a good piece of chocolate if its around. Nevertheless, I will still choose a mountain of ice cream, a hunk of frosting, or a slab of brownie over candy. Except for candy corn. It does something to me. It triggers this monster of a sweet tooth and I can visualize my hand trying to grasp as many of those smooth little triangles as possible to nibble away on until I reach the oblivion of sugar ecstasy. Yea, Katy. Look what you did. 😉

Despite my appreciation love preference full-blown-obsession with the stuff, I know I can’t gobble candy corn to my heart’s content and honor my health in the process. So instead of hunting down a bag in early August (stores just turn stuff out earlier and earlier, huh?!), I decided to ease my candy woes with healthier choices to dull the longing. Who says healthy eating can’t be fun and taste like candy? Okay, the tasting like candy thing may be a bit of a stretch…but healthy food sure can taste amazing and satisfy just as much as candy in its own right. I present you with  my healthy “candy” filled day!

Breakfast: Mounds / Raisinets / Reese’s Oatmeal

Or, more simply, chocolate oats with some coconut, raisins, and peanut butter tossed on top. 😉 I don’t care what you say, though. This bowl was epic! And I would probably choose it over the above in candy form.

To make the oats chocolate, I used unsweetened chocolate almond milk instead of vanilla and added a spoonful of cocoa powder to the oats. Other than that, I prepared them as normal and piled on the coconut, raisin, peanut butter goodness when done. It’s a new obsession.

Lunch: Starbursts

Fruit = nature’s candy. Perfect mango chunks and grapes = better than any Starburst I’ve ever tasted candy. Each bite bursts with such juicy, fresh flavor. Y-U-M. Oh – there was a sandwich and some carrots there too. They were good…but they weren’t starbursts.

Snack: Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Would you believe me if I told you that the above chocolate pudding look-alike actually contains spinach? That it’s actually a green smoothie masquerading as pure decadence? Well, it is. Trust me. This Chocolate Covered Strawberry green smoothie started as a bunch of things thrown in a blender -

• 1 cup unsweetened chocolate almond breeze
• 2 handfuls spinach
• 1 frozen banana
• a few large frozen strawberries
• a spoonful of cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum

Then, it became the best green smoothie I have ever tasted. I discovered the one and only downfall to smoothies in a wine glass with this blend – you can’t lick a wine glass clean.

Dinner: Errrm…Green M&Ms???

Alright…dinner doesn’t really have anything I can call candy. But I do love me some Brussels sprouts (favorite veggie besides spinach in smoothie form) and so I shall call them Green M & Ms. Work with me. We can’t allow an entire post’s theme to fall in a shambles now ,can we?

Dinner brought back one of my favorites – BBQ Tofu Wraps! These make healthy eating fun and irresistible…like Ryan Reynolds. Hey, what do you know? I did find a way to tie in the candy theme. Eye candy at its best!

Oops. How did that get in there? So – dinner. BBQ Tofu Wraps with a side of Brussels sprouts. There’s your description of dinner. I’m currently mildly distracted and have no more words. Plus, I don’t want to short circuit my keyboard with my drool. Purely from my candy delicious eats today. Purely. Happy What I Ate Wednesday, friends!

• Are you a candy fan? Any healthier options you use to satisfy cravings?
• Who would be your eye candy?