This blog post features a recap of our Monday and highlights of my meals, including Quaker’s new Overnight Oats for breakfast! Thank you so much to Quaker for sponsoring this post!
Good morning, my friends! How are you guys today!? I hope your Tuesday is going well so far. I am popping in this morning with a recap of our Monday with a focus on food, fitness and fun!
Morning + Breakfast
Ryan sets his alarm for 5 a.m. every weekday morning to get in a quick workout at home before heading into work and yesterday his alarm doubled as my alarm as well. As he headed off to row a bazillion meters on his rowing machine, I made my way downstairs for a bloggin’ and breakfast!
My friend Laura has me on a bit of a hot lemon water kick at the moment and I’m trying to get better about drinking a mug of lemon water before my morning cup of coffee to aid in hydration.
I settled into my office chair with my dumpy lemon water and pretended to enjoy it as much as my coffee (I’m told it eventually will be something I crave and I’m waiting for that to kick in). As I sipped away, I began combing through my email inbox.
About 30 minutes later, my stomach started to grumble so I opened up the fridge and grabbed the breakfast choice I prepped the night before to bring back to my computer to eat.
I was particularly pumped about my morning meal because the base of it was Quaker’s new Overnight Oats. The kind people at Quaker clearly caught wind of my long-time love for overnight oats and sent me an assortment of new flavors to try. (The Toasted Coconut & Almond Crunch is my favorite!) The ingredients in Quaker’s Overnight Oats are tasty – no artificial flavors and no added colors – and my cup contained 100 percent whole grain rolled oats (and other grains), quinoa, flaxseed, fruits and nuts.
All I had to do was add the milk of my choice to the fill line (I used almond milk) and let it steep overnight. I actually also added two spoonfuls of full-fat Greek yogurt as well for some additional creaminess and loved the end result.
The breakfast truly could not have been easier to make and after I added a few toppings for texture and a drizzle of cashew butter, I was ready to dig in! (You guys know I cannot resist topping my overnight oats with ALL THE THINGS… especially nut butter!)
As I ate, I knocked out another hour or so of work before saying goodbye to Ryan and heading upstairs to get Chase ready for the day. Soon we were off to boot camp where we met up with friends for a morning workout!
Breakfast fueled me through my workout (it was core day at Burn Boot Camp – see my Instagram Stories for a pic!) and it was a sweaty one. I left feeling awfully thankful for the cleansing wipes I keep in the center console of my car. Phew!
Chase and I both ate a quick snack of homemade energy bites as we made our way to Gymboree for our next adventure of the morning.
Chase had a blast with his little buddies and I loved chatting with my girlfriends while our kiddos played and ran around like crazy.
Afternoon + Lunch
We arrived home a little before noon, just in time for an early lunch for Chase! He dug into a cashew butter and jelly sandwich and some carrot sticks (basically the only vegetable I can count on him to always enjoy) before he played with his trains for a bit and I chopped up some veggies for taco night!
Chase went down for his nap around 1 p.m. and I grabbed a quick shower and returned to the kitchen. Before throwing all of the veggies I chopped into some containers to store in the fridge, I ended up using a bunch of them in a wrap which I paired with a sliced apple and some veggie straws for lunch.
I was awfully productive on the work-front during Chase’s nap and he slept pretty well which was a blessing. About two hours later, my energetic little playmate was up and ready for action. We ate a snack together before reading a few books on the couch. We kept things low key at home for an hour or so before it was time for a pool play date!
If Chase had his way, I’m pretty sure all of our afternoons would be filled with pool playtime and he loved splashing around and practicing blowing bubbles and kicking with his BFFs.
I wrapped him up in a towel and dried him off when it was time to head home for dinner. Ryan was home from work by the time we pulled into the driveway which was awesome!
Evening + Dinner
Dinner came together quickly thanks to the veggie prep I did earlier in the day and soon we were all digging into tacos!
Chase pleasantly surprised us by enjoying the taco meat with some avocado before it was time for him to get washed up before bed!
Ryan and I caught up for a bit on the couch after Chase was down for the night before heading upstairs to read a bit before bed. I hope you guys are all having a great week so far! Thanks for stopping by the blog today!
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So, that dinner spread looks absolutely delicious and is making me crave tacos. Maybe the little one and I will have to take a trip to the store for some of those items….it is my birthday after all Also, I totally laughed out loud at the phrase ‘dumpy lemon water.’ Thanks for that!! Have a great day!!
How funny you posted about overnight oats from Quaker. This morning I made your peanut butter cookie dough overnight oats and added a little cocoa powder to it. I’ll have to try the ones from Quaker!
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“Dumpy lemon water” — ha! I feel the same way- why try to replace the best drink in the world (coffee!)?
I’m a hot lemon in the morning girl! You will start to crave it soon, promise!
I gave up coffee a little under 2 years ago as a bad nespresso pod made me physically sick. As I can’t drink tea on an empty tummy as it makes me feel nausea, I opted for hot lemon as my morning wake up drink. I don’t miss coffee one little bit and as a bonus my cystic acne cleared up! Quite a few others have found coffee can mess with hormones resulting in cystic acne. My other cups of coffee throughout the day were replaced with more green tea. The hot lemon’s also a great way to flush out toxins and detox before starting you day!
So interesting about cystic acne! I get that on my chin semi frequently and I wonder if giving up coffee would make a difference!
It made a huge difference. Mine usually flares up around that time of the month and within a month of not drinking any coffee I noticed a difference though it didn’t click until a few months later the link. I get the rouge one every now and then, but it’s a lot, a lot smaller in size. This link explains it more the whys!
http://www.clearskinforever.net/coffee-acne-does-coffee-trigger-acne/
I hardly miss coffee now. I love the smell, but to drinking it holds no appeal now! I actually feel I run cleaner if that makes sense too
Taco night sounds amazing! I eat overnight oats all the time, I will have to check these out.
I love your blog Hopefully this doesn’t sound “naggy,” but I just wanted to say be careful with the lemon water. I know it has a ton of wonderful health benefits, but I am a dental hygienist, and I can’t help but think about the acidity from the lemons weakening your tooth enamel over time, if this does become a longtime habit. Just something to consider. I hope you have a wonderful day!
Not naggy at all! Do you think it would make a difference if I drink it out of a straw?
I do think it would help a bit! Typically, we tell our patients to drink acidic drinks with a meal rather than on their own to reduce the negative effects on their teeth. In this situation though, I’m not sure if that would negate some of the health benefits of hot lemon water? Maybe not!
I drank lemon water everyday for a few months and developed major sensitivity issues, unfortunately. Now I just have hot water or water with apple cider vinegar in the morning (for some reason this doesn’t bother me but hot lemon water does because it is very acidic).
Y’all have a rowing machine at home? I love rowing, but don’t currently belong to a gym. Do you know/mind sharing which one y’all have?
Yes! We have the concept 2 rowing machine. Ryan bought it after doing a lot of research and uses it almost every day. He loves it! It hooks up to an app that lets him compete with people all over the world which he finds extra motivating!
I love rowing too! Used to be on the crew team in college. I’ve considered buying one, but haven’t gotten around to it yet.
Mmmm taco night is my fav and I didn’t plan one this week, but craving it now. And I love that Quaker is making overnight oats, such a genius idea. I usually prefer a warm bowl of oats, but in the hot summer months it’s nice to have something refreshing in the morning.
I love oatmeal but cannot do cold oats. But I’m all about those toppings!
I do love oatmeal, but have never tried overnight oats. I don’t really know how I will like cold oatmeal since I like mine super hot haha. Chase is just too cute in that picture of him at Gymboree! Omg! How precious! Have a great Tuesday, Julie! Xoxo
Tacos sound so good!! I want to try those new overnight oats — the flavors sound delicious!
I love overnight oats! That toasted almond flavor looks so good! I’m definitely going to check for these at my local grocery store!
I love to drink lemon water! I limit myself to only a few times a week to protect my teeth But I’ve found myself a LOT less dependent on coffee in the morning. Not sure if that’s the reason, but there HAS to be a connection, right?
It took me a while, but I actually really like hot lemon water in the morning now! Its definitely not as good as coffee, but it helps with my morning hydration!
Random, but do those taco night bowls have matching lids for storage? If so, would you share the brand? They’re pretty!
I was wondering the same thing?
they do!! the lids are blue and the brand is duralex. i love them and use them every single day!! here’s a link to them on amazon –> http://bit.ly/2sR5HDL
Taco night is always a favorite in our house! Especially using the crispy hard shells.
My husband and I watched a food documentary last weekend, and they stressed the importance of drinking at least 32oz of water in the morning before having food, coffee, or tea. I started this on Sunday, and 3 days in still sticking with it. They said it would help flush out toxins and get things moving in the morning. I think that also sets me up for a day of drinking lots of water, since I’ve had 32oz before 8am.
we used to have taco nights each week as a kid, and i totally miss them!!! also those overnight oats look so delicious – such a great option when you need something ready and don’t have time to grocery shop for all the ingredients!!
Gosh I love those veggie straws. I can’t buy them because i’ll eat the bag in one sitting!
Overnight oats used to be one of my favorite breakfasts, but now I can no longer have dairy. Do you (or does anyone else) have recommendations for Greek yogurt subs? I’m not a *huge* almond milk yogurt lover, though I LOVE almond milk. Something about the texture? I’m desperate! I miss my favorite summertime breakfast so much!
Those overnight oats sound super easy to make.
Your workout on Instagram looks like it was a tough one!
Those overnight oats look really good!
I wish I could do lemon and water in the mornings! My body does not want it at all!
oh yeah! all of your meals look amazing today! I need to get back on the oat wagon… it’s been a WHILE!
Those are some awesome looking oats! Does your son eat overnight oats? Mine does most mornings because it’s an easy breakfast me to give him on my workdays (M-F). Yours put his to shame though! I just mix 1/3 cup organic rolled oats with 1/3 cup milk, add a cube of pureed fruit (usually a peach/mango mix that I make myself), and stick it in the fridge overnight. Stir in the morning
I must Say you are very Pretty. Awesome oats recipe.
I think the overnight oats is the best choice for breakfast and lemon water instead of coffee.