Hey guys!! As you’re reading this, I’m out hiking at Green Mountain, which is a new-to-me hike. Today I’m honored to present you with my very first guest post on this blog, from one of my favorite fellow bloggers, Kelly! Kelly actually lives in Colorado (LUCKY!!) and I’m going to be meeting her for the first time at the Blend retreat!! Enjoy.

Hello, Oatmeal after Spinning readers!  I’m excited to be able to share with you today.  My name is Kelly, and I blog over at No Sugar Sweet Life.  I am a fellow healthy living blogger AND a fellow upcoming Blend retreat attendee where I will finally get to meet Lauren in person   Struggling with my weight for my entire adult life, I finally decided life is too short to live perpetually unhappy.  I recently lost 50 pounds after celebrating my daughter’s first birthday (Lauren here: That’s amazing!! And so inspirational!!), and am currently working on the last 30.  I am a busy full-time mom of a 20 month old toddler, who also has a full-time job as an accountant, who is a wife and helper to an amazing man, and who thought it would be fun to start a blog!

Here’s a quick before and after so you can see where I’ve come from:

Lauren and I both have a lot in common – we both love Colorado, both are artists (I *almost* became a high school art teacher until I decided I didn’t love teenagers all that much. Ha!!), both drive Subaru Outbacks, both have 2 crazy but sweet doggies, both love pizza and beer with the hubsters, and both enjoy blogging about our journeys and taking pics of our food.

When we talked about writing guest posts for each other while we are at the Blend Retreat, (soooooooo soon!!!) I was super excited for the opportunity to share with you.

With seemingly so much in common, I wanted to try to bring something unique to this experience and to you.

So what did I come up with?

Baby food.

I bet Lauren has never (correct me if I’m wrong Lauren!!) written on this blog once about using “baby food” in a healthy living recipe!! (Lauren here: No- but I’m open to trying anything and trust you if you say it’s good!)

When I became a mother… to a daughter, that’s when I decided I needed to live a healthier life.  I had “talked” about losing weight, for literally YEARS.  But never did anything about it.   It obviously wasn’t something that was really important to me then, or I would’ve made better choices.

But all of a sudden, I had this other person counting on me:  Counting on me to teach her how to live a healthy happy life.   I wasn’t doing this myself, so how could I teach her? It was this realization that propelled me to action.  And her cute little face:

So what did I do?

I realized that I was the sole person in charge of putting each bite of food into her little mouth.  I wanted to make the best choices and get her used to a variety of healthy foods at a very young age.   So as I carefully chose what she would eat, I did the same for myself.

We ate TONS of fruits and veggies.   We developed a love for hummus.  We enjoyed homemade veggies juices like “Mean Green” – full of kale, spinach, cucumber, parsley, apples, and lemon as an afternoon “pick-me-up.”

I cut out added sugar from my own diet.  Why would I put that “poison” into ME if I wouldn’t let it pass Babycakes’ little lips?

We ate less meat; but when we did eat it we chose organic, hormone-free beef, chicken, and fish.

I was just more mindful of food’s intended use: as fuel for our bodies – to grow, to be strong, and to accomplish things.

In doing so, I’ve lost 50 pounds and hopefully started Babycakes on a lifelong journey of good health and happiness.

Lauren Inspiration:

Lauren doesn’t know it (yet), but she has inspired me in a couple of different ways:  She recently inspired me to get a silicon baking mat and “maybe try tofu” because of this post.   She inspired me to give overnight oats a try even though I’ve never really been an “oatmeal person”!  And she inspired me to go ahead and declare Fridays as “Pizza Night”…  YAY!!!!  (My hubby is over the moon and thanks Lauren on a weekly basis, around 6PM Friday nights.   Here’s our most recent pizza adventure).

So now, without further ado, I’d love to share with you a new favorite recipe utilizing “baby food.”

Introducing Peanut Butter, & Jelly Pancakes:

I love these baby food pouches – completely organic, no added sweeteners, JUST VEGGIES and FRUIT.  They are super easy to take on the go in your purse and are a great “contained” healthy snack.  You don’t need a fridge, or even a spoon.  Babycakes loves a variety of them, but her favorites are:  1) Ella’s Kitchen “Broccoli, Peas, Pears” and 2) Happy Tots Plus “Strawberry, Kiwi, Beets, Pears.”  I just recently discovered they’re great in pancakes!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Healthy Start Bisquick
• 3 Tbsp PB2
• 1 pouch of Happy Tot Plus: “Strawberry, Kiwi, Beet, & Pears”
• 1 cup milk
• Toppings: extra PB2 & sliced strawberries, or sliced ripe banana with drizzled honey, or whatever sounds yummy to you!

Directions:  Mix together in a medium bowl.  Cook over low – medium heat.  Serve & Enjoy

~ Serves 2 – 3

Here is a close-up of the prepared batter:

A perfectly browned pancake:

Adorn with your favorite toppings – mine happened to be sliced ripe bananas, some extra PB2 made with water, and some drizzles of local honey.

Or to really keep in line with the theme, top with PB2 & fresh strawberries (this was breakfast a couple weekends’ ago!)

You’ll have to let me know what you think if you try it!   Even if you don’t have a baby… you don’t have to be afraid of buying or cooking with baby food pouches!!  Just think of them as conveniently stored versatile fruits and veggies. 

Motherhood changed me.  I still have about 30 pounds left to go, but I am well on my way towards living the happy healthy life… no sugar added.

Questions:

1) Have you ever cooked with baby food?

2) What has Lauren inspired YOU to do lately?

If you’ve been reading my blog for any amount of time, you may have noticed that I have a certain fondness for the state of Colorado. Alright, I’ll admit it: I’M OBSESSED!

As you read this, I should be out hiking at Loveland Pass or riding bikes in Breckenridge (at least that was our plan for today!). One of the great things that I love most about traveling to Colorado with Greg is that we usually have no plan. We have an idea of a few places that we want to go, but just kind of see what we feel like doing each day. And for this type-A planner, that’s a good thing.

I wanted to take a few moments to share some photos from my past trips to Colorado and explain just why I love it so much. It’s funny, because my Aunt and Uncle moved to Colorado in the late 80s, but I never once had a desire to go visit them out there (not because of them- I love them! I just never really wanted to go to Colorado). It wasn’t until around 2005 when I started hiking with a co-worker and mentioned that I had family out there that I had any desire to go. Even then, I really didn’t care either way. And then I saw the movie Catch and Release, which was supposed to take place in Boulder. I don’t know why, but that made me really want to go (and work for Celestial Seasonings like Kevin Smith’s character).

When I met Greg in 2007, he told me that he wanted to ultimately live in Colorado one day. I told him that I had family out there, but wouldn’t want to live there because I’m not crazy about cold weather and snow. And then he explained to me that Colorado is not all about cold and snow. In fact, the weather in Denver is almost the same as it is here in Maryland- only they don’t have the insane humidity that we get in the summer! I also learned that Colorado has something like 300 days of sunshine a year!

Two years later, we finally took our first trip to Colorado. I watched Catch and Release the night before to get all geeked up (which has become a pre-Colorado tradition). We stayed with my Aunt and Uncle, who live right outside of Denver. I hadn’t really done much research, and Greg had really only been out to Colorado for skiing and snowboarding, so we asked my family for advice on where to go to hike. They have us some GREAT suggestions!

One thing I noticed right away in Colorado is that people just seemed… weird. And then I realized- they’re not weird- they’re happy! It’s WEIRD to be around people who are so happy and laid-back; you just don’t get that around DC. Even in Wal-mart (where we went to get a replacement camera for Greg that first day) people shopping were happy. It was odd- but extremely refreshing!

On our first full day, we headed out west to Loveland Pass. While we were driving along 70, I was just in awe (this was also the first time in my life that I had seen snow-capped mountains). I couldn’t even blink- I didn’t want to miss anything! And when we got to the parking lot for Loveland Pass, I was just at a loss for words. I’m pretty sure I cried- everything was so beautiful. We hiked up the hill (which is freakin’ STEEP) and took in the view…

And I found this awesome “rock bowl” to sit in. It’s right around 13,000 feet up there.

I was completely exhilarated by the time I reached the bottom!

After we hiked up Loveland Pass, we went to Breckenridge and enjoyed some beers at Breckenridge brewery and shopped around the town. I fell in love with this little shop called Magical Scraps, where I have since bought way too many things.

Over the next few days, we went to Boulder and stayed in an awesome B&B that was run by a Buddhist monk (and had the best tea in the world!) and hiked the Flat Irons.

We also hiking at Rocky Mountain National Park (near Estes Park).

And on our last day, we saw the Garden of the Gods, which was phenomenal!

When we left Colorado, we flew out to San Francisco for four more days and stayed with my cousin. We had a great time touring the city, drinking wine in Sonoma and hiking at Mt. Tam… but I just kept thinking about how amazing Colorado was- I couldn’t wait to go back.

We planned another week-long trip to Colorado the following June. It turned out that the Red Sox were playing the Rockies that June, so of course… we planned the trip around that. We went to the game on our first night there, but got in early enough to hike at Golden Gate Canyon.

And after that, we toured the Coors Brewery. Greg and I are both total beer snobs- but this tour was awesome! And at the end, you get to taste a lot of great beers (that are not just Coors Light)! I had no idea that Coors made Blue Moon before we went on the tour.

The next day, we went back to Loveland Pass.

I couldn’t wait to see that Rock Bowl again!

Driving out on 70, we saw Buffalo Bill’s grave, and a whole herd of bison (or are they buffalo…??)

We also went back to Boulder and hiked the Flat Irons

And another day, we hiked at El Dorado Canyon. I loved this hike!

On another day, we hiked partially up Long’s Peak…

We didn’t reach the summit though- you really have to plan ahead (and start early) for that hike. We’ll do it one day though! Where we did climb to on that hike had a pretty awesome view anyway.

Although each day of this trip was great, our last day in Colorado was the most memorable. We rented bikes in Breckenridge and were driven up to Vail Pass and dropped off. When you’re dropped off, you ride 25 miles to get back to Breckenridge.

We stopped off in Frisco, ate lunch and rented some kayaks. We stopped at a little island and Greg proposed (in this very spot!)

You can read more details about our engagement story here (which also includes a lot of the pictures and gushing about Colorado that I wrote about in this post).

So yeah… if I thought I loved Colorado before, I really loved it after that trip!

I couldn’t wait to get back out there again. Luckily, my cousin Seth (who lives in Denver) had also recently gotten engaged, and planned his wedding for the following June! What a great excuse for Greg and I to plan another trip!

So we were back again, for the third summer in a row, visiting some of our favorite places, like Loveland Pass:

There had been a lot of snow that winter, and a lot of the mountain was still covered!

On another day, we drove back out to Breck and Frisco. I asked some of the locals about hiking in Frisco, and one guy suggested going to Mount Royal. This hike was SO steep, and the view from the top was scary- I actually felt nervous looking over the edge!

I think I was holding on to Greg for dear life here.

We also went back to Golden Gate Canyon, and did two different trails.

There was only one day that we weren’t wearing hiking clothes (we had to get cleaned up for the wedding)!

The wedding was at a beautiful country club in Thornton. We danced all night, but kept the drinking to a minimum so that there would be no next-day hangover- we had trails to hike! The next morning, we woke up bright and early and headed to Red Rocks! We had heard about a trail there that was a pretty cool hike- but the first part was super steep. When we came back down to the bottom, we had to slide on our butts quite a bit so that wouldn’t fall. But it was worth it to get that view!

And of course, before we left, we had to spend a day in Boulder and go back to the Flat Irons!

We’ve established our own traditions in Colorado- things that we like to do each time we visit. I always want to go to Celestial Seasonings (we’ve done the tour twice- and you should do it too!) to load up on tea and skincare/beauty products (the gift shop is amazing). I love walking around the shopping areas of Breck, Frisco and Pearl Street in Boulder (and smiling at the hippie kids). We also go to Whole Foods every morning for breakfast before hiking- where I get toast with almond butter, banana and honey and Greg gets a breakfast burrito. We hit up a few breweries all over the place, and of course, go back to some of our favorite hikes. But with each trip, we definitely like to discover new places, hikes, foods and friends!

I can’t wait to add more photos to my collection from the trip I’m on right now!

If all the stars aligned, Greg and I would be living in Colorado by next week. But, there are just a few things like houses and jobs that are kind of standing in the way right now. I’m convinced that everything will work out and we’ll be back out there soon… for good. People have said to me “of course you like it – you’re on vacation!” True- but I’ve liked a lot of places that I’ve traveled to in my life, but have never wanted to move to any of them. Something about Colorado just feels like home. I feel like it’s where I’m meant to be- where I belong.

For now, I’ll just be thankful that I do get to travel out there each year (and twice this year- we’re going back for a week in July!) and cherish every single second that I’m staring out those mountains.

Is there a place that you’ve traveled that you would seriously considering moving to?

I’m leaving for Colorado today!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, I am just a little excited. But before I am able to get on the plane, I’ve got to take care of some stuff. First thing on the list? Packing.

I am horrible at packing. I would venture to say that I am the worst packer ever. And you would think that I would have gotten the hang of it by now! Greg and I go on trips quite often- and fly several times each year. Yet, I still manage to suck at the whole packing thing. To my credit- I have managed to just bring a carry-on bag nearly every time we go to Boston.

Packing for a trip that will most likely involve a lot of hiking is the worst. And typically, every vacation that we take has a lot of outdoor adventure (hiking, biking, etc.) involved. You have to consider what you’ll be wearing each day… hiking apparel (including hiking shoes), jackets, backpacks, etc…. And then you also have to think about what to wear for the rest of the day/night. So that’s at least two outfits per day, plus whatever you’re going to sleep in. For this particular trip- I’ll need all of those things PLUS workout clothes for the morning boot camps. I also plan to practice Bodypump on Friday morning (with whatever equipment they’ve got) in the hotel gym, so that I can stay fresh with the choreography.

I always, always make a packing list:

If I actually stuck to packing just what was on the list, I’d be fine! But I generally end up bringing 2-3 times the amount of clothing that I actually end up wearing. The problem is, I have no idea today what I’ll feel like wearing on Sunday- I need options! I’m not a fashionista – FAR from it in fact, but I do like to choose what I’m going to wear about 5 minutes before I get dressed. As much of a crazy planner as I am- I just don’t like to plan ahead in that way.

I typically always bring a ton of snacks and breakfast things, but I’m actually bring NO food this time. Well, except for a maybe a few snacks for the plane ride out.

Since we’ll be staying right by a Whole Foods, I can stock up on a few items there. Plus, I’m thinking that we’re going to be getting a ton of goodies in the swag bags from Blend- so I won’t be a shortage for granola or bars.

And I always bring my own sweetener… in case I need it.

I also always leave a note for our friend that watches our house and dogs while we’re gone. We have a really sweet deal worked out with a friend Justin who stays here when we go away, and in return, we take his dog in when he’s out of town. It saves us both a LOT of money. He likes house-sitting for us, and it’s much easier to not have to pack up all of your dogs’ stuff too when you’re already packing up everything for yourself. Justin’s stayed at our house so many times that he knows where everything is and all of our dogs’ quirks, but I always leave him a note anyway.

For now, I’ve got a plane to catch! See you in Colorado.

Are you good at packing? Tell me your secret if you are!

It’s May first!! I never thought this month would come- but it’s really here! Now I just need to get through ONE more work day, and then it’s off to Colorado for me! The day started off well so far- I got to the gym about 30 minutes before my class started and hit up my old friend, the rowing machine, for a killer warm-up. I hate/love that thing so much. Class was awesome, and I was extra intense, knowing that I won’t be teaching another spin class for a full week. But that’s okay- the next time that I ride a bike, it should be in Breckenridge on Thursday… I’ll take that over teaching spin class.

I was seriously thinking about the breakfast that would be waiting for me after class the whole time I was teaching. I made a variation of STUFTmama’s Pumped Up Protein Pumpkin Cookie Dough. It ended up kind of being a hybrid of overnight oats, since I added some almond milk and chia seeds and made it the night before. I also subbed out rice cereal for a mixture of oat and wheat bran, because it’s all I had.

I topped it with some sliced berries and a big heaping spoonful of peanut butter. It would also be really good with chocolate chips, chopped nuts and raisins… I’ll have to make that variation another time. But this- this was really good (and filling!).

Alright, let me rewind a few days for a little (better late than never) weekend review. Saturday was pretty much a perfect day. Saturday is the only day of the week that I don’t have to wake up to an alarm, so I take full advantage and try to sleep in until the crazy hour of 7:00 am – or 7:30 even. Wild, I know. We split a bagel, put on some hiking clothes and took the boys up to Gambrill for some hiking. I wanted to go back and do the exact same route that I ran last weekend when I took my big spill (but hike it this time). The weather was perfect and everything was so green! And of course, the pups were happy.

Jackson stopped to enjoy the beautiful view at the overlook:

And stopped to a get a drink in a little creek (I think he wanted to swim in it).

We even saw our first Lady Slipper of the season! These flowers are so cool- and yes, I know what they kind of look like… get your mind of out of the gutter.

After our hike, we walked back to the car and I could hear the sound of a puppy whining. I looked in the car next to us and saw THIS!

It was the most precious little puppy- he wanted out of that car so badly! Luckily it wasn’t hot out, because if it was and he was in there, I would have broken through a window. But seriously- why would you bring your little puppy along while you go hiking and leave him the car??!! I hope he clawed those nice leather seats up.

We got back home and made smoothies to re-fuel- peanut flour, banana and spinach – topped with peanuts. YUM.

After getting cleaned up, we headed down south to Gaithersburg to run a few errands. We stopped at Dick’s Sporting Goods first, because I needed some new sports bras and shorts. I tried on about 300 things (including a lot of tops) and ended up walking out with just one sports bra, and nothing else. I am PICKY when it comes to gym wear. I don’t care about it being cute, as much as I care about it being practical and comfortable.

The next stop was Whole Foods- mostly just to hit up the salad bar (duh).

Can you guess which lunch is mine and which one is Greg’s?

I bought a few things at Whole Foods, and then we hit up Trader Joe’s for a little more shopping. Amongst other things, I bought these ridiculous chocolate bites… which was a bad idea. I’m having a hard time keeping my hands out of them!

After we got home and played with the pups for a bit, we grilled up a nice dinner and then watched a movie.

I also “made” few cookies, because I saw this delicious looking cookie dough and Whole Foods:

I thought Oh! Only 50 calories per cookie and 4 grams of sugar- this will be perfect for when I just want A cookie, rather than baking an entire batch and having them stare me in the face. But then I realized that this was too good to be true. I measured out what was listed as a serving size- which ended up being about 2/3 of a tablespoon. I baked up two teeny tiny cookies- which were very good- but yeah… TINY.

And the dangerous thing about this cookie dough is that I now have a container of cookie dough in my fridge, just begging to be eaten with a spoon….

**

I couldn’t sleep in Saturday night, because I just kept thinking about how excited I was for our upcoming Colorado trip. Plus, we stayed up until sometime after 11:00, which is late when you have to wake up at 6:30 the next morning. However, on Sunday morning, I somehow managed to be super high energy to teach spin class, despite having slept like crap the night before. I gave myself permission to be lazy for the rest of the day (after having run a few errands).

I just had a few errands to run – which included another attempt at finding some new running shorts. I headed over to my favorite running store (the only shop around that carries Moving Comfort brand apparel!) and forgot that they are CLOSED on Sundays!! Ugh. So, instead, I headed over to the very dangerous land of Ann Taylor Loft. I was thinking about possibly getting a new dress to bring to Colorado, and ended up finding a really comfy and cute little cotton dress!

Uhhhh, what’s with my face? Also, very poor planning was going on here- I was wearing a sports bra. Not food for trying on dresses.

This dress is pretty casual, but could be dressed up a bit if needed. And more importantly, it is cotton and light and can easily be bunched up and tossed in a suitcase (and won’t need ironing)!

I ended up spending a lot more money than I planned on because I also bought some capris and three tops. But hey- I VERY RARELY go clothes shopping. And if I do- it’s usually work-out clothes. It’s nice to actually look like a girl sometimes.

Plus, this dress shows off my awesome cut-up, brusied-up, scarred legs.

Guess I can rule out a career as a leg model.

After a few more stops, I got home and pretty much took it easy the rest of the day. I probably should have foam-rolled, but I didn’t. I DID manage to move my blog over to self-hosting though- and I am super proud of that!! Now I just need to spend some more time redesigning the header and settling on a layout that I like, and I can check one more thing off the 32 while 32 list!

And now I just need to make it through today….

** QUICK NOTE TO BLOG SUBSCRIBERS: You might need to subscribe again…. I’m working on getting that feature up and running again…..

How often do you go shopping? Besides food, what do you buy the most often?

Good morning! Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend- I know I did! I’ll be back to report on all of the fun details tomorrow. And just a quick note- I know that the blog looks a little weird right now. I finally moved to self-hosting over the weekend, but have to re-design my layout from scratch… which I haven’t had time to do. Please let me know if you are having any issues reading or commenting and I’ll do my best to fix them!

Today’s post is all about an awesome program that Lindsay from The Lean Green Bean puts together each month called Foodie Pen Pals. (I’ll include more information about the program at the bottom of this post.

After months of reading post after post from my fellow bloggers about these awesome care packages they were receiving from a foodie pen pal, I finally decided to participate. I was really excited to see what I would get, but equally (if not more so!) as excited to put together a package to send out!

I got my package from Taylor, an personal trainer who owns a women’s boot camp and online training community. How cool is that?

I was excited when my package arrived!

Here’s a closer look inside the box:

Included were 5 packets of Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Butter, vanilla almond tea, some almond clusters, and a mason jar with Taylor’s gooey chocolate chip cookie mix (which had oats and huge chunks of chocolate, amongst other things)!

She included directions for how to make the gooey chocolate chip cookies:

The recipe includes some of the chocolate hazelnut butter. I haven’t made them yet- but I’ll be honest- I’ve already made my way through one of the packets of nut butter.

I had the tea for the first time the other night, and it was fantastic! It made me remember how flavorful loose tea is, and that I should buy it more often!

My favorite item in the box? The almond clusters.

I have just one left….

Thank you, Taylor for the awesome package, and to Lindsay for taking the time to put this all together each month!

And now it’s time for some details about Foodie Penpals.  In case you’re a new reader, here’s a reminder of what the program is all about:
-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.
-Foodie Penplas is open to US & Canadian residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa.
If you’re interested in participating for May, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions.
You must submit your information by May 4th as pairings will be emailed on May 5th!

*If you’re from somewhere besides the US, Canada or Europe and want to participate, send me an email and I’ll see if we get enough interest this month!

Have you ever participated in Foodie Pen Pals? What’s the coolest item you’ve received?