There are a couple of statements that should preface this review.

1. I am a grits eating country girl
2. I have been known to put large quantities of sugar on my grits.

The latter of these statements is occasionally frowned upon by my dining companions and usually followed up by the unsolicited suggestion that I try oatmeal instead. I have never been a fan of oatmeal but I have started an unofficial quest to find an oatmeal combination that I can stomach. With that out of the way, here is my review of the Fruit & Maple Oatmeal at McDonalds.

McDonald's Fruit & Maple Oatmeal

Presentation – I was put off by the translucent goo that topped the oatmeal. After a quick taste I realize that it was sweet, so I mixed it in and begin to eat.

Texture – Too soft! I like my oatmeal to be, well, OATmeal! This had the texture of grits. It had the texture of oatmeal baby food. If I hadn’t seen the lady make it, I would have sworn it was old oatmeal reheated.

Taste – I wasn’t bad. I love that they use fresh fruit. The raisins and cranberries are a sweet treat. It would have been nice to have some kind of nut to give it a little more crunch but the apples did add a little texture to the dish.

Nutrition – I couldn’t wrap up without saying a little something about the nutritional facts for this dish. The sugar is through the roof, but you can opt out and get it with no brown sugar. There are bonus points, though, for the fiber and protein at 5 grams each.  Not a bad breakfast for less than 300 calories.

Would I eat this again? Hmmmm, only if they were out of fruit and yogurt parfaits!

Have you tried any ready made oatmeal from a restaurant?  What did you think about it?  Do you even eat oatmeal at all?!  Let us know in the comments!

Picture from hollywoodhalfmarathon.com

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In the spirit of my New Years Revolution, I woke the whole family up to attend a Saturday morning group run with Black Girls Run-LA. Even though I gave the family two days notice that we would be attending this early morning run, there was no shortage of wailing and  teeth gnashing when I went to wrangle up the posse at 6 am.

There was also no shortage of excuses! Here are some of my favorites:

• The sun isn’t up!
• It’s cold
• I don’t have enough time to eat first
• When else can I sleep in – I work all week
• I am out of Gatorade
• My iPod isn’t charged

Through everything, I managed to overcome the excuses and get the family out the house.  Even though they had frowns on their faces, they had smoothies in hand and ended having a great work out.

Group picture of BGR-LA

Click here for more information on Black Girls Run.

Do you struggle with getting friends and family to work out with you?  What excuses do you K.O. before you workout?  Let us know in the comments below!

Did you ever consider that everyone wasn’t meant to be a gym rat or that running long distances may not appeal to your inner couch potato? Resolutions should be small obtainable improvements to your way of life. You shouldn’t try to do an extreme make over on yourself.

Need suggestions for simple fitness resolutions?

Here are some alternative resolutions for you to try in 2012,

• Walk the dog for 20 minutes once a day
• Take kids skating once a week
• Learn how to play tennis
• Walk your kids to school
• Walk to a local spot for lunch (then eat something healthy)
• Take the stairs to your floor at work (start by doing it twice a week)
• Pack a healthy lunch for work every day.

You might find that combining just a few of these activities is at lot easier than hitting the gym for an hour every day.  But the results could be just as effective.

What are some of your alternative New Year’s resolutions?  Let us know in the comments below!

Bonus! Click here and tell them how you resolve to rock this year and they will throw in a free t-shirt.

This smoothie is very yummy! It is green in color, but my daughter says it taste like ice cream.

The Multi-colored Ingredients for a Delicious Green Smoothie

1/2 large banana, ripe and peeled
8-10 oz spinach, fresh
2 dates, pitted and diced
1/2 cup blueberries, frozen
1  cup strawberries, frozen
7 ice cubes
2 cups Bolthouse Farms Vanilla Chai Soy protein drinks

Pour the protein drink in first. Then blend the banana, spinach, and dates with the protein drink. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.
Serves 2-3

I purchased Mango-a-go-go frozen smoothie mix from the Jamba Juice product line. The directions were simple enough, just add apple juice. To cut down on the sugar I used Mott’s for tots 40% less sugar apple juice.  I also added in whey vanilla protein powder since the mix only contained 1 gram of protein.

The kids loved the taste! The adults were not impressed by the after taste left by the sweetener, steviol glycosides, used in the mix or by the lack of nutrients the smoothie provided.

 I would recommend this smoothie as a treat for kids as long as you use a low sugar apple juice!

Recently, Michael and I were at our favorite Thai spot; splitting a plate of chicken pad Thai noodles (future post alert) when I observed the skinny lady at the next table watering down her Thai ice tea!

Initially I was baffled.  But after I calmed down and gave it some thought, it all made perfect sense.

The same concept had been introduced to me at a Weight Watchers meeting several months earlier.  The calorie-intake-savvy folks at Weight Watchers wanted us to dilute wine with club soda to cut down on points during cocktail parties or happy hours.

But don’t think watering down as to be all H-2-O!  The Arnold Palmer, for example, is the delight of skinny people from coast to coast.  They take lemonade and then “water it down” with unsweetened iced tea.  Genious!

Wake up, oh weight-challenged-empty-calorie-drinker!   Water down your drinks!  If skinny people do it, it has to be right! Right? Give it a try and let me know what you think.

 What beverages have you watered down?  Did you enjoy it just as much as full strength?  Let us know in the comments below!

This quinoa salad recipe is surprisingly tasty and healthy! Whole grain quinoa cooks quicker than most grains and is an excellent source of protein with about 11 grams of protein per cup of cooked quinoa. Feel free to add additional veggies since this recipe only includes ones that have been kid approved.

I like this dish served cold as a light lunch but it also makes a good side dish with a grilled protein.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 cups chicken broth
  
• 1 1/2 cups raw whole grain quinoa
  
• 1 cucumber, sliced
  
• 1 red pepper, diced
  
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
  
• 1 tomato, chopped
  
• 1/4 cup olive oil
  
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
  
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
  
• dash salt and pepper, to taste (sea salt tastes best)
  

Preparation:

Cook quinoa in chicken broth until it fluffs up, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Saute peppers, onions, tomato and 1 garlic clove, let cool.

While quinoa is cooking, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, remaining garlic cloves and salt and pepper.

When quinoa is finished cooking, allow to cool slightly (I like to make my quinoa a day ahead of time) then, toss with vegetables and lemon juice mix, stirring to combine well. Add more salt and pepper to taste, and chill before serving.