Morning Schmorning...UGH...

Who here is a morning person?  You wake up bright and cheery when your alarm goes off, you NEVER hit snooze, you're smiling and ready for the day!  NOT THIS GIRL.  Mornings kill me.  I'm such a night owl that going to bed before 1:00 am is hard work!  That makes getting up in the mornings is even HARDER WORK.  

I've always wanted to be one of those people that wakes up with enough time to cook a nice breakfast, sit down and enjoy it with a nice warm cup of coffee while reading the newspaper for the day.  The idea sounds amazing...but actually doing it...that's just not going to happen.

INSTEAD, I hit snooze approximately 5 times every morning.  I lay in bed until I know that if I don't get up THAT minute and start getting around... I will DEFINITELY be late for work.  Needless to say, this leaves zero time for breakfast (the most important meal of the day).  Shoot, sometimes I'm lucky if my make up is completely on before I'm running out the door!

So, here's a little tip. Make breakfast ahead of time, put it in zip lock bags and then, GRAB AND GO!!!  My most recent creation is chocolate protein pancakes.   

This is based off from a simple protein pancake recipe that I found on The Gracious Pantry's blog.  You can change the amount of ingredients used in this recipe to fit your needs.

Ingredients:

• 6 egg whites
• 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips
• splash of milk or water

1. Mix all ingredients together.  
2. Scoop by the 1/4 cup onto a hot pan and cook as you would any normal pancake. 
3. Remove from pan and let cool. 

This made about 5-6 pancakes for me.  I put 2 pancakes in a small zip loc bag once they were cooled, stuck it in the refrigerator and TA-DAAAA, a grab and go breakfast.  Just grab them and microwave them for a quick 30 seconds... good to GO.

You can top this with whatever you'd like. I've tried a splash of sugar free syrup and today I topped it with a little organic peanut butter and fresh raspberries.  Let me tell you, SOOOO good.

Enjoy!!!! :)

Pushpalooza

On January 1st I began a push palooza challenge with over 1000 other members!! Together we are learning how to set priorities & reach goals, how to organize our time & how to live the life that we dream of :) Thanks to Chalene Johnson for such a great product (whoever doesn't own her book, Push, I suggest you get it!).

So today is day two. I had to establish my TOP THREE priorities. After much thought, here they are!

1. FAMILY • and by family I mean my actual family; mom, dad, sister, niece, nephew & grandparents. But I ALSO mean my best friends, my boyfriend & my pups. All of these people (& animals) bring so much joy to my life. I want to be sure I am a positive force in their life. I want to be involved & always there for them if they need me. I want to always be doing what is best for them.

2. FINANCIAL FREEDOM • debt has always been a huge weight on my shoulders. Money management has never been my strong suit; if I have money I want to spend it. But this year I am determined to pay off my credit cards & unnecessary debt & build a savings account. I want to be able to live comfortably instead of pay check to pay check. No more over spending, it's BUDGET TIME ;)

3. HEALTH & FITNESS • health is something almost every person (including myself) takes for granted until they no longer have it. I am done taking that for granted. I am done wishing I felt good in my own skin. This year I am adopting a healthy, clean eating lifestyle. I will make health & exercise a priority in my everyday routine.

So there you have it. Feel free to follow my journey throughout this year. it's time to turn my life around:) I would love any support I can get.