day 22 of 28: breakfast of (zone) champions

there’s always that lingering question when i crawl out of bed at 5:30am: to eat or not to eat before my workout?  there are many schools of thought on this, but i’ve always followed this logic: cardio is okay on an empty stomach – and you tap into fat stores faster without calories in your body to burn off first.  and always eat a little protein/carb combo before doing any strength training…you want to build muscle, not burn it!  problem is: i always wake up hungry. it’s incredible.  i can’t even sleep in on the weekends without my growling tummy waking me up. so knowing that i had only cardio to do today, i chose to forgo breakfast, stomach growling and all.  again, an adjustment to my routine – there were no treadmills available (again!) so i hit my beloved stepmill (really, i do love it). 30 minutes, dripping sweat, done.  little foam rolling, train a few clients and i was out.  leaving me famished.

so needless to say i was stoked to try out this recipe that i saw from muscle & fitness: peanut butter protein pancakes.  even more stoked when i looked at it and noticed it was zone/block friendly!  trust me, love the zone but day after day of scrambled eggs, black beans, avocado & a corn tortilla OR oatmeal with fruit/nuts, i was ready to shake it up. and so, i did.  here’s this scrumptious recipe, courtesy of muscle & fitness :

• 1 tbs peanut butter (i love laura scudders or justin’s nut butter)
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
• 3 egg whites
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• splenda or stevia to taste

combine all ingredients in bowl and mix until smooth. spray pan with non-stick cooking spray and turn on medium heat. pour batter onto pan and flip when slightly firm or bubbles form…remove & enjoy once done! 
nutrition:  362 cals, 16g fat, 27g pro, 31g carbs, 5g fiber

ok i admit…i drizzled sugar-free, calorie-free, nothing-natural-about-it walden farms syrup on top…maybe 2 tbsp. it just seemed wrong to eat my pancake dry.  however you could go with agave nectar or real maple syrup, which is PACKED with antioxidants – but watch the portion, it’s also packed with sugar.

so that kicked off my beautiful fall morning: workout and healthy breakfast, followed by a hot cup of coffee. i need to bottle that feeling so that i can remember that when i dread stepping my toes onto the cold floor at 5:30am. it’ll be worth it!

make it a great day!
angela