Hope everyone had a good St. Paddy's Day weekend!

I started the day off with about 4 pints of green beer, green eggs, green pancakes, followed by a green jello shot. Breakfast of champions! Okay not really. It's been so long since I've done the traditional St. Paddy's day celebrations that I can't even remember the last time.

So instead, I decided to fix up some Country Choice Organic Steel Cut Oats. It was my first time trying steel cut oats and I must say, I am absolutely in love with the coarse and chewy texture! The nuitritional benefits of these also outweigh the microwave-ready oatmeal packets: it is much less refined and so contains more of the nutrients.

  

Cook in boiling water for about 5 minutes and sprinkle in a teaspoon of brown sugar!

Decided to snack on some salted pistachios, grapes, and fresh pineapples as well about an hour before my run. Need all the extra energy I can get!

Met up with my running buddy Wayne again. We decided to push ourselves a little bit and tried to go further than 10K. The weather was definitely NOT cooperating with us; it was freezing and the wind was just absolutely treacherous. I swear, both of our hands were frozen by the end of the run. But we made it! I think this was the furthest run I've had ... ever!

And then I rewarded myself with my own variation of a green St. Paddy's Day drink...Green Monster Smoothie :)

1/2 Apple, 1 Banana, 1 cup Spinach, 1.5 cup Almond Milk, 1/2 cup FrozenBlueberries, and 1 Scoop of Vega Whole Food Health Optimizer.


On Sunday, I finally had the time to cook up something , though I did resort to my usual choice of salmon. It's just such an easy main to cook and the boyfriend loves it at the same time so ... :)

Baked Honey Dijon Salmon with Pecans 

• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped pecans
• 2 (4 ounce) fillets salmon
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F 
2. Stir together butter, mustard, and honey in a small bowl then set aside. Mix together the bread crumbs and pecans in a separate bowl. 
3. Brush each salmon piece with the mustard mixture. Make sure there is a thick coating on the salmon. Then, sprinkle on top the pecan and bread crumb mix. 
4. Bake the salmon for about 15 mins, depending on the thickness of your salmon. You can tell when it's done when the salmon flakes easily when you try it with a fork.
5. Then, season with some salt and pepper to your liking.  Serve immediately!
   

Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Potatoes

For the brussels sprouts:

In a small mixing bowl, mix together the brussel sprouts with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Throw onto the baking sheet and bake for about 30 mins. Easy peasy. 

For the potatoes:

I used only about 3 small potatoes. First, chop up the potatoes into chunks and mix in a small mixing bowl with the following ingredients and spices:

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon of marjoram
• 1/4 teaspoon of dill weed
• 1/4 teaspoon of thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon of oregano
• 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt

Bake for approximately 30-40 minutes. 

Sauteed Broccoli with Parmesian Cheese

5 ounces of broccoli
1 tablespoon fine grated Parmesian cheese
1/4 teaspoon brown sugar
2 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspooon salt
1/8 freshly ground black pepper

1. Boil some water in a pot and throw in the broccoli for about a minute. Then quickly remove and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. 
2. In a cup or small bowl, mix together the grated Parmesan cheese and brown sugar; set aside.
3. In a pan, add the olive oil and throw in the broccoli for about 3 mins. Season with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. 
4. Sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese and brown sugar mixture at the last minute. Serve immediately 

And....voila! The final product, topped off with a nice glass of Chardonnay. :)