Hodge Podge

So...I don't really have any true dietitian content to post this week.

Am I going to let that stop me?

NoooOOOOOoooo.

Are you going to keep reading anyway?

...hello?

Things that have happened lately include a sip 'n' see party my mom and mother in law threw for their friends. Let's all get champagned up and hold some babieeeeees!

Annika, ya got 17 years 'til senior photos to GET IT TOGETHER.

In other news, this is what happens when you're lazy (and also weak) and don't poke deep enough fork holes in your squash before you microwave it.

Aaaaaaand, since I'm now (a girl trying to get used to being) on a tight budget, I'm considering skipping the salon highlights and going with this:

I have two competing voices in my head about this.

1. If it was good enough for me in college, it's good enough for me now.

But also-

2. DON'T DO IT GURRRRRRL!

I intend to make a post related to this freaky looking thingy next week, IF it turns out. Exciiiiiiiting!

And if I end up using the box hair dye, you'll probably not see any pictures of me, haha.

With you as my witness, I'll work on my fitness

When I learned that I was pregnant with twins in our last round of IVF, I was of course beyond excited and grateful...but...also concerned about how my body would handle it.

I'll admit that I was nervous for every.potential.bad.outcome. I had a major bleed around 13 weeks which was the result of a intrauterine blood clot. That put a stop to the little bit of exercise I had been doing at that point (walking at a moderate pace). I was so fearful of miscarrying that in fact I was as inactive as possible, even though there really isn't any evidence that exercise is associated with poor outcomes.

Fast forward to delivery. I lost all but five pounds in the first two weeks. Helloooooo water weight! Even though I'm currently at a comfortable weight, I am craving the feeling of being fit and strong.

I've been walking a lot of course- either with all four kids during the day (yes, I have a four kid stroller and pushing it is harder than anything you've ever done at CrossFit), or my littlest buddies in the evening. Check mark for cardio, but I need some strength work.

Sunday night I wrote down my starting plan. Nothing huge and time consuming- I wanted to be able to do it in under 10 minutes.

The 20 burpees? I wish I had written NONE BURPEES.

I end up breaking up each exercise into chunks- like I'll do 30 seconds of plank, then 10 push ups, then 10 burpees, etc.

We have TRX straps in our basement and since I literally do at least one load of laundry every day, it's easy for me to do some quick chest presses or something on them.

So yeah. Putting this out here for accountability's sake. Hopefully after a month of doing this I can come up with a next phase plan, burpees or not.

The jig is not yet up

On weekends my husband likes to cook family breakfast. Our boys' constant request is pancakes, which we're ok with- it's their weekend treat. But now that I'm not working and they're eating every breakfast at home, I can't in good dietitian conscience give them pancakes (with syrup...and sprinkles...) evvvvvvery morning.

They would gripe about a bowl of oatmeal or Cheerios.

I'm definitely not taking the time to make eggs.

What's a mom/dietitian to do?

Enter breakfast cookies.

I mean, not cookies in the Cookie-Crisp sense. Packed with whole grains and heart healthy fats, just in cookie form.

When I set out to make these I was afraid of creating tasteless hockey pucks. Happily these are neither- soft insides loaded with tender coconut plus crunchy bits of almond. These would make excellent packable snacks too. Let's check it out-

Breakfast Cookies- makes two dozen cookies
1/2 cup coconut oil, room temperature
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup agave nectar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup ground flaxseeds
1 cup oat or wheat bran
1/2 cup dry quick cooking oats
1 scoop unflavored or vanilla protein powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup shredded coconut flakes
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Here's a quick "why" about the ingredients I chose. Coconut oil is somewhat controversial in nutrition land. It's a saturated fat, which current research supports limited intake. Buuuut it's also a good source of medium chain triglycerides (or MCTs) which some research shows is beneficial. I lump it in the I'm-not-gonna-eat-this-stuff-by-the-gallon-but-bits-here-and-there-are-fine. I have a lot of foods in that category you may have noticed.

Agave nectar- I picked this rather than basic sugar because I HAD IT ON HAND. Really that's it for my logic. Agave, while trendy, is not lower calorie than sugar. One thing it does have going for it is it's lower glycemic index. This means it doesn't raise your blood sugar as quickly as regular sugar. It's not a health food- it's just an alternative to traditional sugar. 

Protein powder- I dumped this in because I was curious. BiPro is my jam. Unflavored FOREVA. It doesn't make these a high protein snack, but it does help to round out the nutrient balance (fats : carbs : protein). At least with my BiPro, you cannot taste it at all. It's seriously the best.

Directions
In a large bowl, combine oils, agave, eggs, and vanilla until well blended. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add to wet ingredients until blended, but try to not overmix.

Form into 1 1/2" balls and place on a Silpat or parchment paper. Bake at 350 for 11-13 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.

Per cookie: 150 calories, 12 grams carbohydrate, 11 grams fat, 4 grams protein.

It's no Cookie Crisp, yet we all have our hands on these in the morning. Mom and dietitian approved!