Sentiments by Denise: Another Lazy Day

Since we were "snowed in" today, it was a lazy kind of day. Ed was up early, using his snow blower to plow out our driveway and both of our neighbors. He also picked up Emilee and took her to work since she didn't want to drive in all the snow.

I got up around 6am (that's sleeping in for me since I'm usually up at 4am through the work week) and made a couple breakfast cookies - one for Ed to take to Emilee so she would have a healthy start to her day. I puttered around the kitchen, then finished up the laundry I started yesterday, read some blogs, caught up on email and Facebook, and had a great breakfast of steel cut oats.

Here's a sample of some toppings that I enjoy on my oats.

This bowl has a sliced banana (medium-sized), a dollop of almond butter (so awesome!), and a splash of vanilla almond milk (I use either vanilla almond or soy milk on my oats).

The little black seeds you see are Chia Seeds! I've mentioned them a few times - they are a wonderful, healthy addition to morning oats or muffins and even great when added to pancake or waffle batter.

Ed & I napped this afternoon (actually I curled up in bed to read where it was warm and dozed a bit while he did a full-out nap!). We decided to venture out to the grocery store this evening, knowing that the crowd would be crazy with everyone doing their big game shopping (this IS Indianapolis, after all!). We braved the crowds and got everything done, came home, and made dinner. I fixed one of my favorite quick meals - Beans & Rice.

I usually make a pot of these and refrigerate the leftovers - they are great to take for lunch during the week. A great vegetarian source, loaded with good proteins.

I mix a can of black beans, 1-1/2 cups of brown rice (cooked), can of whole kernel corn, 1/4 cup or so of salsa, toss in some jalapeno slices, and season with chili powder and cayenne pepper! It certainly has a kick - just the way I like it!

Plain Greek yogurt is a good substitute for sour cream, so I add a spoonful of that and dig in!

It's very filling - a serving size is usually about one cup of the beans and rice combination.

I love the spicy flavor and I think the corn kernels are a great addition.

I think I've mentioned that I try to eat 5-6 small meals throughout the day. The mid morning and mid afternoon "meals" I would call more of a snack. This is when I work in my extra fruits and vegetables throughout the day. Some of my favorite snacks are:

raw veggies & hummus
Greek yogurt with fresh fruit
Greek yogurt with homemade granola
apple slices with almond butter
handful of raw nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans)
raw veggies & guacamole (made fresh)
plain fruit (I'm loving all the winter citrus right now)
breakfast cookie (see link above)
half of a Luna bar
frozen grapes (you have to eat them slowly!)

Water is almost always my drink of choice- I carry a stainless steel water bottle with me wherever I go to keep me hydrated. I also drink several cups of hot tea each day (always one in the morning and one at night before bed - often working a cup or two more in throughout the day). I purposely try to drink one or two cups of green tea each day.

What are some good healthy snacks that you enjoy?