Two months 'til Mexico!

Mr. T and I have gone back and forth about whether or not we should take a special trip to celebrate our first wedding anniversary. I have to admit we did feel a little guilty about it, considering there are so many things we want to do, like move to a new house, or save for a future Baby T. However, as our anniversary date grew closer, we decided we may not have many opportunities left, so we are taking the plunge!

I am excited for this! We will be on our trip on the actual day of our anniversary, which I think is very romantic! Plus, it will give us something to look forward to in the midst of a long Wisconsin winter.

All of the planning takes me back to exactly a year ago…it is kind of like reliving it all again! I am so happy we decided to go.

This trip also gives me a really good excuse to kick it back into gear with the healthy eating and workouts. I am reading “This is Why You’re Fat” (harsh title, I know!), by Jackie Warner. I am feeling very positive about some of the tips in the book and very motivated to make a change!

Overnight Oats!

This morning was my first attempt creating a new, healthy breakfast that I kept reading about on various health and fitness websites…overnight oats!

I love oatmeal, but it can be a pain to prepare. Of course, there is always the instant type, but it isn’t as good for you as the real deal. Plus, it is loaded up with all kinds of weird chemicals and things.

Enter the convenience of this version. It’s so simple and takes only a minute to throw together. Basically, you take about a half cup of oats and a half cup of milk (regular or soy), mix them up, and put them in the fridge overnight. Instant oatmeal, but way better! Then you can top with all sorts of goodies in the morning.


Some of the recipes I’ve found online call for yogurt, which I didn’t have on hand when I made this, but I didn’t really feel it was necessary. I might try it sometime, though.

*Note - This isn't my photo. But this is what it will look like!

Erin’s Chocolate Almond Butter Oats
½ cup oats

½ cup chocolate soymilk (I used light – or you could use regular chocolate milk or just regular milk!)

Stir, cover, and refrigerate.

In the morning, add 1 tbsp. almond butter (or you could do peanut), and mix. Delicious! You can also top with banana slices. I am going to add those tomorrow.

Other toppings could be fruits, jelly or jam, or nuts. Mmmmm!

This was filling, delicious, and healthy. Normally by this time of morning, I’m starving, but not today.

Amazing almond butter chocolate chip cookies…no flour needed!

When I first saw this recipe, I thought it was too good to be true. How can you make a delicious cookie with no flour and no butter? The answer is…almond butter. I made these for a birthday for a friend at work who does not eat flour. The best part was they were so simple to make!

Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Clean Eating Magazine, March/April 2010

(Makes 24 Cookies)

1 cup unsalted almond butter, stirred well
3/4 cup Sucanat (I don’t know what this is, so I used regular sugar!)
1 large egg
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
3 oz dark chocolate (70% cocoa or greater), broken into small pieces
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, stir together the first five ingredients until blended. Stir in chocolate. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and let cool for 15 more minutes ( I let mine cool overnight because they were still really soft and I didn’t want to break them.)

Nutrients per cookie: Calories: 110, Total Fat: 8g, Sat. Fat: 1.5g, Carbs: 10g, Fiber: 1g, Sugars: 3g, Protein: 2g, Sodium: 55mg, Cholesterol: 10mg