5 Breakfasts Under 300 Calories

Breakfast is the MOST important meal of the day! Right?  Since I'm visiting the original Happiest Place on Earth this weekend, I have a fantastic guest post from Kate from the blog KateisEating.  She's sharing 5 Breakfasts Under 300 Calories. Listen up friends, it's time to get schooled on breakfast! 

Hey, guys! I'm Kate and I’m so excited to be doing a guest post for fit2flex. I’m a new #FitFluential Ambassador and I’m looking forward to interacting with a wonderful community of fitness enthusiasts and health bloggers. Thank you, Carissa, for allowing me to grace your blog!

If there’s anything I’ve learned in my fitness journey it’s a reiteration of everything you’ve heard from your mother to your doctor: breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It’s the truth. I used to make excuses like “I’m not a breakfast person,” or “I don’t have time to eat breakfast I’m so busy.” Once you make this a part of your routine, it’s hard to escape it. You have more energy and you aren’t snacking on empty calories throughout the day.

The most crucial part of breakfast, it seems, is planning. 

Think about it: convenience is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, factor in whether you decide to have it when you wake up. It’s convenience that makes you tell yourself that you will just get a breakfast sandwich or a bagel on the way to work. When you start planning your meals ahead of time these things get much easier. The options I’ve outlined below range from something you can make ahead, to something you can make almost before you head out of the door.

And even on a whim, you can always find at least 10 minutes in your morning to make something for yourself. Worst case scenario? Have some low fat yogurt with fruit and nuts. Grab a banana or a granola bar on the way out. Ensuring that you have something nutritious in your stomach immediately wakes you up and gets your metabolism going so you can head out and conquer your day.

5 Breakfasts Under 300 Calories

Grasshopper Shake

This recipe is originally from the CLEAN program and you can find more information on it on my blog. I've modified it a bit (the original recipe had crushed cashews) but it still tastes amazing. This takes literally 3 minutes to put together and then blend. You can make this the night before and chill it in the refrigerator overnight to have a nice, cool shake. In the winter, this is amazing when it's warm.

Calories: 290, Carbohydrates: 21g, Fat: 15g, Protein: 21g, Sugar: 3g

Spiced Granola

You've probably tried your hand at making this versatile breakfast food and, if you have, I suggest adding a sprinkling of chia seeds to your recipe. The seeds add a bit of a chewiness to the granola because the seeds absorb water. Granola is a fairly blank slate and you can alter it to suit your tastes. Make this ahead of time and you can have an entire batch for the whole week.

Calories: 174, Carbohydrates: 25g, Fat: 8g, Protein: 4g, Sugar: 9g

Overnight Oatmeal

Here's an option for those following a raw diet. Sure you can whip up oatmeal (instant or old-school over the stove) in the morning but when it's so hot outside sometimes you just need something cold in the morning. This overnight oatmeal is the bomb, guys. The recipe on my blog came out a little too runny and too sweet for my taste so with extra modifications (1/2 tbsp of almond butter, 1/2 tbsp honey, and only 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk) it has come out yummier and more "oatmeal"-like in texture. Store this in a jar and take it with you on the go!

Calories: 293, Carbohydrates: 41g, Fat: 14g, Protein: 8g, Sugar: 18g

Carrot, Orange, and Ginger Juice

You may or may not be toying with the idea of a juice cleanse. If you are, this is a good juice to start with. Ginger is effective in relieving GI distress so this is good for an overworked tummy. Carrots and oranges, on the other hand, are packed with nutrients and vitamins. You can make this using a blender but you get optimum results with a juicer. What's not to like about a fat-free start to your morning?

Calories: 204, Carbohydrates: 59g, Fat: 0g, Protein: 2g, Sugar: 35g

Strawberry Shortcake Muffins

Sorry, but apparently I've found multiple uses for my oatmeal. This is flourless and instead uses finely pulsed old-fashioned oats as the main "starch" in this muffin recipe. The batter is sticky so use foil or silicone liners (or a silicone pan). Be generous with the strawberries: they make all the difference in the muffins! This recipe can be substituted with calorie-free sweetener, like stevia, so that each muffin is about 93 calories a serving. With regular sugar it's a little more but you can have two in the morning for breakfast and still be under 300 calories. 

Calories: 139, Carbohydrates: 75g, Fat: 7g, Protein: 15g, Sugar: 42g

Want to know more about Kate?  Well, let me tell you~

My name is Kate and I’m an Epidemiology student at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. I’m a lover of food and I devote any and all of my spare time to trying out new recipes and new restaurants. Along with my love of eating comes an insatiable appetite for health and well-being. Join me in my food and fitness journey at kateiseating.com or follow me on Twitter @lecksicon

Thanks again to Kate for sharing her foodie passion with Fit2Flex.  Stay tuned this weekend for lots of RunDisney updates from Anaheim!

What's your "go-to" breakfast?

Love and oatmeal for the win,

Carissa, Kyle, and Kate

Asian Salmon en Papillote

Salmon is a very nutritious food to eat, however it can be intimidating to cook at home. I know it was for me. This salmon en papillote recipe is easy, fast, and almost full proof.

If healthy foods were ranked according to just how healthy they were, salmon would be near the top.  If salmon was a superfood-superhero it would totally be asked to join The Health Food Avengers.  Salmon = Thor.  They're both Norwegian right?

I love eating salmon in restaurants, however I've only recently been eating it at home.  This recipe was inspired by "Kelsey's Essentials" on the Cooking Channel.  I kid you not, it's so easy to prepare and tastes amazing.  It wasn't fishy at all and the leftovers were amazing.

Asian Salmon en Papillote
Marinade:

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon orange juice + orange zest
• 1 teaspoon minced, fresh ginger

Salmon:

• 4 small salmon filets
• 1 cup brussel sprouts (or bok choy), washed and halved
• 2 cups sliced red bell peppers
• 1/2 cup diced scallions
• Olive oil for brushing
• 4 sheets of parchment paper

Method:

• Preheat oven to 425
• Whisk together marinade ingredients
• Fold parchment squares in 1/2 lengthwise. Evenly divide the vegetables among the 4 packets, place in the middle of the packet and sprinkle with 1/2 of the marinade.  
• Top the vegetables with 1 salmon filet and the remaining marinade.
• Now you fold the parchment with the salmon and veggies into a packet.  Fold the top over and then fold in the edges to seal.  Brush packet with olive oil. (this can be a tricky process to be sure that the packet doesn't fall over.  I tend to do my packets one at a time layering vegetables then marinade then salmon followed by the last of the marinade and then I fold them up)
• Bake 10-15 minutes depending on desired doneness.

This meal is so nutrient packed that it's fully qualified to be dubbed a "powermeal". There's omega 3's and anti-inflammatory properties of the salmon, Vitamin C from the red bell pepper, and the cancer fighting compounds in the brussel sprouts.  It's so good I'm even linking it up with Kasey's Powermeal-a-week challenge.

Today I'm west coast bound for the DisneyLand Half Marathon weekend.  I'm so excited, because I love Disney, I love running, AND my Mom gets to come with me!  I'll have plenty of RunDisney race updates and tweets throughout the weekend.

What is your favorite way to cook salmon at home?

Love and Nordic Naturals,
Carissa & Kyle

Dining at an all-inclusive resort

One of the perks of staying at an all-inclusive resort is the food. Lots and lots of food. There's no denying that you can enjoy a cornucopia of culinary delights at an all-inclusive resort.

Being a "fit-loving" couple, Kyle and I were torn.  Eat like kings or stick to the healthy eating principles that we love?  We chose moderation.

As you'll see from today's What I Ate Wednesday post, we balanced vacation treats with some healthy eats.  It's What I Ate Wednesday - All-Inclusive Style
Valentin Imperial Maya had 2 options open for breakfast and lunch each day, 7 dinner restaurants, and 24-hour room service. I'm not kidding when I say you could eat (or drink) all day long.

Breakfast
Every morning we ate breakfast at the Mar y Tierra which was closest to our building and nearest to the beach.  This is also where we saw that famous "cappy" bears.

The breakfast offered an omelet station, crepe station, massive amounts of bread, fruit, and cereal as well as Mexican favorites like beans, plantains, and cold cuts.  They offered oatmeal, however I was sad to see that it was soupy and made with milk.  No oats for me.

My favorite food of the entire trip came from breakfast: the nutella crepe.  Melty chocolate and fruit in the morning? There. is. nothing. better.

This was my "major" treat each day.  The first two days I had a full omelet and the crepe, but I moved to a light fruit and crepe breakfast as the week went on.

Kyle adores the breakfast bar and he wasn't shy about the omelets, bacon, or grapefruit.

Lunch
The same two restaurants that are open for breakfast are open for lunch.  On our first day we stopped by the oceanfront restaurant, only to discover that it wasn't for us.  Lots of mystery fish in mystery sauces and burgers the size of my face.
The other lunch choice made me much happier.  You could pick your protein and they cooked it right in front of you.

This is what my lunch looked like every day.  Fajita chicken, peppers, rice, and salad.

Dinner
A wonderful part about the Valentin Imperial Maya is the wide selection of dinner options.  They include restaurants that serve Mexican, Italian, French, Indonesian, Japanese, seafood, and steak.
Our first night we ate at the Mexican restaurant.  We had to...we were in Mexico...hello!

This ended up being one of our favorite places.  Kyle was sitting amazingly close to the kitchen and had the sweat to prove it.

I had the chicken mole.  It was made with chicken thighs, which I don't love, however the sauce was amazing.

The second night we opted for the fancy French restaurant.  This was the only time we encountered a wait for dinner - about 45 minutes.

My dinner was a pear and goat cheese salad, french onion soup, and salmon in parchment.
I adored the salad. Any pear and goat cheese combo is a huge hit with me.  The soup was good, but I didn't want to overdo it on the buttery pastry.

My dessert (because you always get dessert) was a baked Alaska. I had never, ever had a baked Alaska before, but you say flame and dessert. I'm there.  As someone with a huge sweet tooth I liked it.

The next night we opted for Italian fare.  This was my favorite meal.  We ate earlier, the meal was slow paced, and I loved the company.

Side note - the resort is all-inclusive, however they have a limited (as in 1 variety) wine selection.  Kyle and I both love a good wine with dinner, so we opted to buy a bottle with dinner most nights.  The Alamos Malbec was our choice.

Kyle, pizza = big fan.

Our final night was the most entertaining dinner at the hibachi grill.  We did wait in line about 15 minutes earlier in the evening to score a reservation, but it was worth it.

The food was typical hibachi fare, but it was still tasty and such a fun dinner. I had the pollo y cameron (chicken and shrimp) with fried rice and veggies.

Gosh, looking at all those meals makes me hungry all over again.  Any reader want to bring me some nutella?

Finally, just for fun, here's a collage of my dinner dresses and amazingly sexy faces.  Oh yeah.

Have you ever been to an all-inclusive resort?  What was your favorite thing to eat?

Love and bigger pant sizes,
Carissa & Kyle

A rainy day in the life of a runner

You know what they say about rainy days and Mondays? They always get you down, right?

Yesterday I had a rainy day that was in fact a Monday and was quite enjoyable. I even managed an 8-mile training run.

I was scheduled to start my final semester in class with "Nutrition Counseling", however with Tropical Storm Isaac's outer bands bearing down, it was better to stay home and be safe. We had some serious downpours.

I used the time at home to be productive.  I started my morning with delicious cherry oatmeal and worked on blog stuff and cleaned up my email box.  I know this post is fascinating you thus far.  I also spent about 2 hours on school work for the day.

The rainy weather made me think of fall, so I wanted to cook and bake and bake some more.  I had these pretty bananas staring me in the face.

I decided to use them to make my own healthy version of mini-chocolate chip banana bread. I used whole wheat flour, almond meal, oatmeal, egg whites, and applesauce to make the bread as healthy as possible.
It was a little flat and didn't photograph well.  But out of the oven with the melted chocolate...wow! Let me know if you'd like the recipe and I can blog it up for ya.

Still wanting comfort food, I put a batch of my turkey chili in the crock pot. I'm obsessed with chili during the fall and "cooler" months.  Kyle...not such a fan. He says I overdo it on the chili. Is that possible?

After my baking spree I noticed there was a break in the weather.  This week's Women's Half Marathon training plan calls for 8 miles.  I'm spending the last part of this week in Anaheim, CA announcing the DisneyLand Half Marathon, so I was seriously stressing when I would get those miles in.

Time to run + shade + cooler temps = let's go!

I started off staying close to the house in case the rain got worse. It did rain more, but wasn't enough to make me turn around. I ran on.

I knew how proud and relieved I would feel to get all 8 miles in.  I started to drag around 6.5, but I finished with a 9:45 pace.  Still slower than I want to be, but there's no sense dwelling on that.

After my run I iced, took an ice bath, an Epsom salt bath, and foam rolled.  I am thankfully soreness free today.

I rounded out my rainy day by baking up a batch of Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal for breakfast and watching those crabby Real Housewives of NJ.  I can't decide who's more calculating - Teresa or Caroline?
Overall it was, for me, a great day.

What's your favorite thing to do on a rainy day? Or just tell me your thoughts on the Real Housewives....because that's what I really want to know!

Love and the ocho,
Carissa & Kyle

Riviera Maya Vacation Entertainment

The Valentin Imperial Maya resort was a wonderful, relaxing vacation.  I can't believe that this time last week I was spending my last day at this pool.  Sniff, sniff.

Today I'm home from school as I'm staying safe and dry while the outer bands of Isaac crash through Central Florida.  It's been a downpour for the past 10 hours.

I have a few more vacation recaps that I want to share with you. Today's post is all about the entertainment at our all-inclusive resort.

Some people opt for excursions while on vacation.  For us, there's so much to do at the resort and the thought of having "no schedule" is heaven, so we stay on property.
The obvious thing to do is lay by the pool and beach.  We did plenty of that.

Another highlight of our trip was animal encounters.  Kyle is notorious for feeding iguanas when we're on vacation.

These iguanas were especially aggressive.  Seriously. Those little ones would boogie for a kiwi. When people would walk by and stare at us feeding animals, I would say quietly, "Don't worry. We are scientists." Is that weird?

We encountered a totally new animal on this vacation.  Can someone please tell me what this is?

This raccoon/lemur/bear creature stopped by to say hello at our first breakfast.
Later that day we saw an entire pack searching for foods in the brush.  How cute are their upturned mouths? We nicknamed them "cappy bears".

Valentin Imperial Maya did a wonderful job of nighttime entertainment too.

Every night there was a movie playing around 6pm.  We never watched, but it's a nice option.  Two nights they had live shows that are amazing.  And by amazing I mean, entertaining and laughable.  There was a musical Grease show and a Circus show.  I enjoyed mocking them both (which as a former performer I am allowed to do).

Our favorite nighttime activity was sitting in the Plaza listening to the live band.

Who doesn't love signing along to 80's love ballads in a tropical setting? Not this duo.

Too cool for school.

There was never a shortage of entertainment and fun at the Valentin Imperial Maya.

Do you book excursions when you vacation or just chill?

Love and cappy bears,
Carissa & Kyle

Team USA Paratriathlete uses the Ultimate Sandbag

Strength training doesn't have to be all about pumping iron, using machines, and hoisting dumbbells.  Using non-traditional equipment can challenge your body, your core, and keep your workouts exciting.

Kyle utilizes things like the Bosu ball, chains, weighted ropes, and the Ultimate Sandbag to keep his workouts fresh and down-right tough.

I love the Ultimate Sandbag.  You may have seen it on my Instagram or read Tina's blog about her Ultimate Sandbag workout.

I love using it for bent-over rows, squat presses, and upright rows, however the possibilities are endless.
Another great thing about the Ultimate Sandbag, is that its unique design allows people who may have difficulty gripping dumbbells or machines the ability to do exercises they otherwise would not be able to do.

Kyle has such a client and his story and determination is beyond inspiring.  Rafael Oliver is the Team USA Paratriathlete who is currently training for the TIU World's in New Zealand.

Rafael has limited gripping ability in his hands and has undergone countless surgeries to improve function.  Kyle began training with Rafael in 2007 after Rafi was told he would never be able to do any upper body exercises.  Five years later, Rafael has gained strength, confidence, and become a highly respected paratriathlete and runner.

The design of the Ultimate Sandbag, especially the handles, allow Rafael the ability to control the weight and expand his strength training possibilities.

Here's a few of the ways Rafi and Kyle utilize the Ultimate Sandbag and other "out of the box" training strategies:

Their only complaint about the sandbag....it's pink! Maybe next time we can get the boys a tougher looking sandbag.

Best of luck to Rafael as he travels to New Zealand to take on the world!

Question: what would you do if you knew you could not fail?

Love and never, ever give up,
Carissa & Kyle

Do you love your hair stylist?

Friday night Kyle & I headed out for a casual date night.  I'm a big fan of the fancy, table cloth places, but sometimes you need to keep it casual. Also getting my hair done Friday afternoon made a trip out necessary.

Side note- Meghann at Meals and Miles talked about  hairstylists in her post yesterday saying that she's had a different stylist most every haircut of her life.  Me - I'm in a monogamous stylist relationship.  My stylist Ive has worked on my hair for at least seven years.

It's been shoulder-length, short, long, long with glorious extensions, really short, and now back to mildly short.  She is an amazing stylist and if you're ever in Orlando and in need of a great stylist check her out. (and yes, the black one is a wig.) I love you Ivee!!!!

Back to date night.  Kyle NEVER eats sushi.  NEVER.  We forced him to try it about 2 months ago when we had dinner for his friend Davis's birthday.  Kyle to sushi ratio:1.

In Mexico, he ate some California rolls because he was starving waiting for our hibachi meal to start.  Mr. Clean Plate award. Kyle to sushi ratio:2.

Friday night he actually requested sushi! I was shocked!  We had heard a lot about a place called Bento Cafe in Orlando.  It's a fast casual restaurant with sushi and noodle/rice bowls.

The first thing I noticed was the overwhelming menu. There were two full sheets of menu and noodle bowls and I'm pretty sure they were in a size 10 font.

We ordered hot green tea and miso soup to start and then shared a sushi sampler.  The sushi sampler had 2 tempura rolls and a California rolls.  Yes, I know what you're thinking. And no, we are not adventurous sushi eaters.

I was pretty full after the rolls, but we ordered two chicken and brown rice bowls anyway.  Kyle was still hungry and I'm always looking for leftovers.  We got the garlic chicken bowl and a spicy Korean bowl. Honestly, we weren't impressed with either bowl.  The flavors were muddled and not what I was expecting.  I don't think we will return to this Bento Cafe.

Maybe I wasn't hungry because my mind was elsewhere....

How can one eat sushi when Menchie's is steps away?

This is my 3rd FroYo of the year...I try to be reasonable.  But I'm always so, so happy to be there!
They had a red velvet flavor that was out of this world.  I topped it with mini chocolate chips and sprinkles.  If that's wrong then I don't want to be right!

This morning I had a 6 mile run on the docket.  I woke up feeling terrible, but after an hour and some water I gave the run a go.  2.5 miles into it I knew a trip to the doctor was needed. I was not feeling well.  I finished 4.5 miles with a 9:40 pace and I'm proud of that.

After a trip to the doctor and some antibiotics, I should be feeling better soon.

What food do you like now that you used to hate?

For me I don't have anything that I like now that I used to hate, however I used to love pizza and now I really don't dig melted cheese.  How sad is that?

Love and partial foils,
Carissa & Kyle