What?s Up with Agave Nectar?

Good morning!

It’s my last day of work before Thanksgiving vaca!!! Wahoo! I am totally psyched for this mini vacation. I love everything about Thanksgiving– family, friends, food– what more could you ask for?! Plus, I feel like I’ve been on overdrive lately, so I’m really ready for some R & R!

Workout

I practically bounded out of bed this morning for a workout at the gym. I’m not sure what the heck got into me this morning? Usually, it’s somewhat of a struggle for me to get out of bed.

At the gym, I ran + walked for 4.5 miles. After a quick warm-up, I alternated 10 minutes of running with 5 minutes of walking. During the running portion, I switched up the speeds to do some intervals. I varied my running speeds between 6.3 – 7.2 and then walked at a steady 4.0 pace. I finished my workout with a good 15 minutes of stretching and foam rolling. Everything was so tight! I definitely needed it! I was a sweaty mess when I left the gym, but I felt great.

For those of you who asked about my new hip strengthening workout, I plan to do it tomorrow morning, so I will post it with breakfast.

Breakfast

Today’s bowl of oats was very nutritious and very delicious!

In the mix:

1/3 cup dry oats
1/3 cup wheat berries
1/3 cup pomegranate arils
1 tbsp ground flaxseed meal
1 banana, sliced
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 cup water
2 scoops of peanut butter

It was a humongous bowl of oats, but I managed to eat the whole thing!

With breakfast, I also enjoyed an iced coffee with soy milk and agave nectar.

Speaking of agave nectar…

What’s Up with Agave Nectar?

I received the above question from a reader the other day, so I decided to write a little something about one of the most used foods in my life.

As you probably know from reading my blog, I am a huge fan of agave nectar?- mostly because I have a major sweet tooth! To be honest, finding out about agave nectar was sort of a life-changing experience for me!

Agave nectar is a natural sweetener that comes from the Mexican agave plant. (It?s actually the same plant from which tequila is made!) Agave is comparable to honey or maple syrup, but less sticky, pours easily, and dissolves quickly in both hot and cold foods and drinks. It?s delicious mixed into your morning bowl of oatmeal or yogurt, added to coffee or tea, drizzled on pancakes or waffles, and is especially wonderful in baked goods.

The glycemic index of agave nectar is significantly lower than that of sugar, so it doesn’t spike your blood sugar as much. Agave nectar contains close to the same amount of calories as sugar, but because it is so much sweeter, you use less. In baking, for instance, you can use 1/4 to 1/3 cup of agave for every cup of sugar, which naturally reduces the calories in your recipes. (Agave nectar burns more easily than sugar, so be sure to decrease your oven temperature by about 25 degrees.)

One of my favorite agave nectar recipes is for Banana Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. Agave contains small amounts of calcium, iron, potassium, and magnesium, so when combined with an All-Star cast of ingredients, these cookies end up being equally nutritious as they are delicious!

Feel Great Weight

In honor of Turkey Day, here’s this week’s FGW post: 4 Thanksgiving Diet Fouls?and How to Avoid Them

Tail Chasing & Elephant Butt

This video is funny for 3 reasons:

Murphy chases his tail for a good 60 seconds before I grab my camera to film him.
When he realizes that I am filming him, he stops dead in his tracks.
Then he does “elephant butt” (tucking his butt and dropping his tail like an elephant) which is absolutely hilarious. He always does it when he’s excited.

Eggland’s Best Recipe Contest

There’s less than a week to enter the Eggland’s Best Holiday Recipe Contest! The last day to enter is Monday, November 30th. I’ve already received so many delicious-sounding recipes! Holy yum!

Question of the Day

What’s your favorite Thanksgiving dish?

I love all of them, but my favorites are sweet potatoes, stuffing, gravy, and my mom’s pumpkin pie.

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Check back later this morning for some exciting news!!!