WIAW: Pumpkin Butter Wishes and Candy Corn Dreams

During Monday’s Girls on the Run practice, the girls were tasked with running (or walking) around the track for 40 minutes…by themselves. The lesson was about slowing down and taking time to relax and get their thoughts in order. (Funnily enough, I still haven’t master this skill at the ripe old age of 30.) The goal was for the girls to be alone with their thoughts and see where their minds would take them.

Apparently, this is not an easy task for 8 to 10 year-old girls… I finally bargained them into running every other lap alone, and at the end of class, we circled up to discuss what they were thinking about.

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(you want us to be quiet?!)

Their “deep” answers: “my Halloween costume,” “how I can collect the most candy on Halloween” “if I should be a witch or a princess this year”

Clearly, kids have one-track minds around this time of year. Nevertheless, their enthusiastic Halloween spirit reminded me that I needed to jump into the spirit in my Sometimes Healthy way: with food, of course.

I was up late last night baking some goodies for Friday’s post, and I’ll share a sneak preview with you at the end of this post (lucky you!), but first, let’s dive into breakfast for What I Ate Wednesday (WIAW).

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Chobani yogurt bowl, topped with fresh Honey Crisp apples, apple butter, sugared figs, granola and a drizzle of honey.  Continue Reading →

WIAW: The Early Bird Catches the Coffee?

In today’s “What I Ate Wednesday” WIAW post, I will attempt to do something I rarely do here on the SHLB: keep it short and simple!

Tonight, I’ll be getting on a train to NYC to stay with my brother and his wife, and tomorrow morning, I’ll be getting on a plane to “Home-aha,” where I’ll be until next Wednesday. I couldn’t be more excited, but of course, being gone for a week means there are many things today before I leave!

So, let’s start with breakfast. Yesterday, me and the BF woke up at the ridiculously early time of 4:30. He had a 6:00 plane to catch to Dallas for work, and I stupidly volunteered to drive him to the airport. He’ll be flying straight from Dallas to Omaha, so I’m looking forward to seeing him on Thursday.

After dropping him off at 5:15, I had one thing on my mind: coffee. Thankfully I have discovered that everywhere I go on the east coast, somehow, a Dunkin Donuts will just pop up out of nowhere. It’s like a coffee miracle.

You never let me down...

You never let me down…

I parked my butt on the couch to watch some old Food Network shows and wake up while drinking my cinnamon iced coffee and nibbling on an old favorite, the DD reduced fat blueberry muffin.

"What Am I drinking??" Lots of coffee today. That's for sure.

“What Am I drinking??” Lots of coffee today. That’s for sure.

Yeah, I forgot to take a picture before I started eating the muffin top. Ooops.

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WIAW: Snap, Crackle, Pop!

I’m proud to report that I’m feeling much better and can finally eat more than soups and ice cream! Just in time for “What I Ate Wednesday” (WIAW).

This festive edition of WIAW features not only my meals, but also a workout for your holiday weekend and a tasty cookie recipe that’s sure to be a crowd pleaser.

I have a lot to cover, so let’s dive right into breakfast!

Favorite Childhood Breakfast?

When I was younger, french toast was one of my favorite breakfasts. It always felt so luxurious! We never ate it at home, so I always ordered it when we went out to breakfast. I therefore assumed that it was very difficult to make it home.

Now, that I’m older, I realize that french toast is actually very easy to whip up, so easy that I can make it in a flash on a weekday! I dipped some wheat bread in a simple  mixture of 1/2 cup almond milk, 1/2 cup egg substitute and some cinnamon and vanilla . Then, I fried it up, and smeared it with a heaping tablespoon of butter and apple butter.

Sometime Healthy Chef Special...comin' right up!

Sometime Healthy Chef Special…comin’ right up!

Fancy breakfast in five minutes! I’m special.

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Kitchen Adventures: Dark Chocolate Coconut Cookies

It’s Friday, and I’m very excited to share my very first COOKIE recipe on the Sometimes Healthy Living Blog.

This is huge news. But you must endure a story before we get to the recipe (trust me, it’s worth the wait).

It doesn’t take much perusing on my little blog to see that I’m a big fan of cupcakes. I like them so much that I created a Cupcake Monday at my last job and served my lucky coworkers a different cupcake creation every Monday.

I HEART cupcakes. Big time.

I HEART cupcakes. Big time.

I am not quite sure why I have such an affection for cupcakes, but it has something to do with the fact that I love frosting, cake and sprinkles, all of which you can usually find on a cupcake. In addition, there is little finesse involved in mixing up a cupcake batter and then just plopping it into a muffin pan. You can get all pretty with the frosting if you want, but why bother? It will likely be smushed in transit.

Add some fruit on top, and poof, you've got an elegant creation (this particular cupcake pulled in some $ for Breast Cancer Awareness!)

Add some fruit on top, and poof, you’ve got an elegant creation (this particular cupcake pulled in some $ for Breast Cancer Awareness!)1

Anyway, for some reason, as much I as I adore my cupcakes, I have always had quite a distaste for cookies. I just never felt as satisfied after eating a chocolate chip cookie. Where is the frosting? Why is it so small? Am I supposed to eat JUST one? And when it came to making cookies, forget it. If ever I had a request, I would promptly go to the store, buy a roll of Nestle cookie dough and call it a night. (I would usually burn these cookies too). Or, I would make “cake cookies.”

Why? Because cookies are downright complicated. The measurements must be exact. The temperature must be just right and the dough must be the perfect consistency to achieve your desired cookie. Do you want your cookie to be crispy, chewy or airy? All choices require changing some tiny inconspicuous variable. And, this Sometimes Healthy Girl had no time for all of these variables.

Apparently cookies are kind of a big deal around the holidays. I'll eat them, but I won't bake them!

Apparently cookies are kind of a big deal around the holidays. I’ll eat them, but I won’t bake them!

Enter a boyfriend who hates cake and cupcakes and loves cookies.

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Uh oh.

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