Easy Post-workout Breakfast & Summer Salad!

It has been super hot in Santa Cruz lately! So when it comes to food, something cool and refreshing is where it's at! 

After this morning's kickboxing class I was hot and hungry! 

Here's a great cool combo that took no effort at all!

I previously hard boiled eggs for the week and had them stashed in the fridge (makes things so easy)!

The yogurt I had was Non-Fat Greek by Oikos.

I hadn't tried this brand yet, but it was on sale this week so I decided to try them out! The black cherry flavor was super yummy and perfect for a summer morning.

This breakfast provided me with good protein for recovery after my workout. 

Then on to lunch! Nothing says summer like a crisp, refreshing salad!

Today I used simple mixed greens with fresh cut tomatoes, topped with a tuna salad:

 

This totally hit the spot! 

For the tuna salad I used yellow mustard (good low cal alternative to mayo), diced pickles, diced red peppers (right from the pickle jar), and diced jalapeños!

I lightly dressed the mixed greens with some olive oil, but it didn't need a lot since the tuna would add great flavor.

The jalapeños were the perfect addition to the tuna and gave some nice spice!

What are your go to cool meals!?

Summertime Snacking & Yummy Breakfast of the week!

I love how much yummy produce becomes available in the summertime! 

Some of my favorite snacks right now....

A half avocado (or a whole!) sprinkled with sea salt and fresh ground pepper! Sometimes I add hot sauce too :)

Avocados are filled with healthy fats that take longer for your body to digest, therefore keeping you fuller, longer.  

Also right now:

Fresh fruit!! I have already professed my love for berry season, I could snack on them all day!

Peaches and nectarine are also some of my summer favorites.

Snacking on fruits provides you with antioxidants, vitamins, and dietary fiber!

Yummy breakfast of the week...

Egg white omelette stuffed with 2% provolone and fresh tomatoes, topped with home made guacamole! We had made the guacamole the night before with a bunch of bacon avocados given to us by a dear friend and owner of Hunter Hill Winery! We used about 5 avocados, fresh minced garlic, diced jalapeños, lemon juice, sea salt and pepper.

The guacamole is the perfect way to spice up lots of dishes!

What are your summertime snacks?!

Baked Salmon Dinner

Here's a Salmon dish I whipped up, and this time instead of pan frying the Salmon, I tried baking it!

I lined a Pyrex dish with some tin foil and placed the salmon filets side by side. 

Next, drizzled olive oil on top and sprinkled sea salt, cracked black pepper, and minced garlic.

I then wrapped the foil around the salmon and popped the Pyrex dish in the oven at 350F.

Artichokes are a great summer time addition, so while the salmon was baking I boiled up some jumbo artichokes:

The artichokes were pretty big, so I started them early for full cooking.

I let the salmon bake for about 30-40 minutes.

I also sautéed up some fresh kale with a little olive oil and garlic.

Dinner is served!

This is a great summer time dish!

What's one of your favorite summer dishes?!

Sunday Runday & Scramble

Happy Sunday Runday! And Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!

It was a beautiful morning for a run, so I got up and headed to The Point!

 

Such a nice spot to get my stretch on! I worked my way down the stairs and got some strides down on the beach as I headed back home!

I got in just under 5 miles ( I was aiming for 5, but I guess I turned around a little too early!)

After I made a yummy veggie scramble for me and the man:

Today's was filled with LOTS of left over broccoli from this week! I also added starburst cherry tomatoes and some Lite Sharp White Cheddar cheese from Trader Joes! I used two full eggs and then the rest was just egg whites. 

I of course added a little Tapatio for some punch!

Hope you can get out there and enjoy this day! 

Sunday Runday: Classic Car Show!

Hope you had a happy Sunday Runday! This past week housed national run day and national donut day! Kind of ironic I thought...

Anyway, I did not run on national run day since I taught a Circuit Training class instead, but still lots of cardio! 

This weekend was the Classic Car Show in the Capitola Village. It definitely provided some great scenery on my Sunday run!

We've been having some light drizzles in the mornings so I wore a hat to stay dry. The air actually felt great on my run and kept me nice and cool! 

Here's my classic car pick: 

Yes please! 

After the run I made a batch of my oatmeal protein powder blueberry pancakes :)

Did you run this week!?

Spinach and Kale Raviolis!

We had an Italian inspired dinner last night! 

Spinach and Kale Raviolis, with chopped tomatoes and artichoke hearts in garlic and basil tomato sauce:

This was super easy to make! I found these raviolis pre made:

They had kale, spinach and cheese inside, and the dough was also made out of spinach.

While they were cooking I sautéed some cherry tomatoes with artichoke hearts:

Once those were cooking up I added some garlic and basil tomato sauce to the pan to bring it all together:

And that's all it takes to make a quick, filling, and veggie filled meal!

Don't forget the Parmesan!

What do you make for Italian night?!

Sunday Runday: Ocean View Bike Path Run!

Happy Sunday Runday! Hope you can find time to get out there today! 

I set out to do a light run today since I've had some big workouts this week. So, I took a little different route and ended up on a bike path overlooking the ocean!

The great views  lured me over and then I stumbled on some awesome bike jumps!

I was stoked to do a little "par-core" running and mix things up! No one was around so I used the bike jumps to work on some speed and balance. I felt like I was on American Ninja Warrior! 

I didn't do any jumping to save my knees, but it was cool running back and forth quickly and testing my agility! 

Well, and the view didn't suck...

Once I was home I made up a quick breakfast:

1/2 Whole Wheat English Muffin

1 cooked egg

1 slice 2% Provolone Cheese

1/2 local bacon avocado ( given to me yesterday by a friend of mine who grows them on her vineyard!)

 It was super yummy post run food and filled me up! 

Avocados are great because they provide healthy fats, which fill us up, and take longer to digest, so we stay full and satisfied longer!

I had never had a "bacon" avocado either! Hass is usually the brand available in stores, so I was eager to see how these were. The skin is much thinner and smoother, but they taste great! Theres nothing like local produce :)

Have you ever had a "bacon" avocado?

What other types have you tried?