Anyway, I have some big news to share with you guys…
I’m going on a trip! See if you can guess where…
This was when we went last year. Any guesses??
How about now?? Have you all guessed it yet??
That’s right! I’m going to Rome!! And soon, too! I will be heading to Rome with Fabio and my family for six days at the end of August! Woohoo! I have to express my gratitude to my mom for inviting me on this trip (and paying for it 
). THANKS MOM!!!
So yeah, I’m getting really excited for the trip and I promise to share all the details with you guys 
Workout
My workouts this week have been going really well! Yesterday I ran with Jack in the morning and then ran with him again to the dog park in the afternoon. I had a hard time pulling myself out of bed to complete Insanity yesterday morning, but at least I made up for it by running in the afternoon. As long as I can get some type of cardio in my day I’m happy!
Today I woke up to run with Jack and completed half of an Insanity DVD and this YouTube workout that I have told you guys about before. It’s such a quick outer thigh workout and I really like doing it Hopefully the rest of my workouts this week will be just as good!
Recipe
I told you guys a couple of weeks ago about my failed attempt at overnight oats. I knew that it was mostly because I was lacking chia seeds to absorb the liquid and hold everything together. Despite my attempts to make the oats without chia seeds, they turned out liquidy and awkward and I wound up having to finish off the oats in the microwave. Not exactly what I had in mind.
So, during my shopping extravaganza last weekend, I picked up some chia seeds for overnight oats. I also got some packets of ground flax seeds to add to the mix. I was so excited to try them both!
In case you are unfamiliar with the health benefits of chia seeds and flax seeds, I’ll briefly point out some of the highlights:
Benefits of chia seeds (According to Dr. Oz)
- Great source of fiber, omega fatty acids, calcium, antioxidants, and protein
- Delivers the maximum amount of nutrients with minimum calories
- Increases stamina and energy over long periods of time
- Delivers 42% of your recommended daily value of fiber in a single serving
- Grows hair on Ch-Ch-Ch-chia pets (kidding! not really…)
Benefits of flax seeds (According to WebMD)
- Reduces your risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes
- Good source of omega-3 essential fatty acids, “good” fats that have been shown to have heart-healthy effects
- Also a good source of lignans, which have both plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities
- Contains both the soluble and insoluble types of fiber
- Fun fact: King Charlemagne believed so strongly in the health benefits of flax seeds that he passed laws requiring his subjects to consume it
See? Aren’t they incredible? Plus neither seed has much of a taste at all (though flax seeds are a little nutty tasting I guess) so they are perfect for adding in to other meals. Awesome!
With my new super food ingredients on hand, I did some googling to find an easy and flavorful overnight oats recipe that I could add the seeds into. I came across this recipe for apple cinnamon overnight oats. It was super easy and delicious! Here’s how it came together…
First I found an empty jar in my cabinet and made sure it had a matching lid to screw on tight. I tend to save tomato and apple sauce jars when I’m finished with them, so luckily I had a few to choose from.
Then, I added rolled oats, non fat Greek yogurt, skim milk, unsweetened applesauce, honey, cinnamon, chia seeds, and flax seeds to the jar.
(If your applesauce is sweetened, you can probably omit the honey.)
Once all the ingredients were added to the jar, I screwed on the lid, shook everything up, and popped into the fridge to chill and congeal overnight.
In the morning, I transferred the mixture to a bowl (unless you are using an almost empty nut butter jar and want to eat oats in a jar!) and dug in.
I was a little worried I wouldn’t like the texture (I’m weird about soggy stuff) but this was pretty smooth and I was a fan! I had a little bit of my homemade peanut butter granola, which I later sprinkled on top for some crunch.
The apple & cinnamon flavor combination in these oats was delicious! Plus, now that I have the proportions down for the recipe, I can’t wait to play around with other topping and flavors to see what I come up with! The possibilities are endless
| Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats |
- 1/4 cup uncooked old fashioned rolled oats
- 1/3 cup skim milk
- 1/4 cup fat free Greek yogurt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried chia seeds
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. honey, optional (or substitute any preferred sweetener)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce, or enough to fill jar
- Pour all ingredients into a resealable jar.
- Screw on lid to jar and shake to combine.
- Place in refrigerator over night.
- In the morning, transfer to a bowl and add desired toppings (granola, fruit, nuts, etc.)
So there you have it, one of my new favorite summer breakfast recipes! Yum!
So tell me, have you tried chia seeds or flax seeds? My sandwich thins are topped with flax seeds, but I’m almost positive they don’t do anything for me because they have to be ground for your body to digest them. The ones on my bread are definitely whole. Oh well!
Also, just in case you forgot, I’M GOING TO ROMA! 
Am I annoying you yet??
Rome…EHH HOW EXCITING!! I love that your bragging about going there, because in September Joshua and I are going to the SANTORINI ISLANDS IN GREECE!!!! (let’s take this moment to smile and remember how friggen blessed we are!!!!!!)
OMG I have always wanted to go to Greece!!!!!!!! It’s my dream destination
Take lots of pictures!!
ahh Rome, Venice, Florence are all on my travel bucket list!
I love overnight oats, adding almond milk and flax seeds to my mix. I usually top mine with baked apples, cinnamon, and granola during the cooler months. during the summer, I top it with peaches, blackberries, or strawberries, and granola. gotta have a crunch with the oats!
Yummm peaches sound awesome. I also like the idea of baked apples. It’s like a healthy apple pie!! I’ll have to try it out
Hahaha yeah without chia seeds, it’s not so good
but now that I have chia seeds, I LOVE them! I even got some for my co-workers and now they use them in their yogurt! haha
Me too! I am so happy I have them now
I have already been looking into a couple other fun ways to use them!
I use them in smoothies, homemade granola, yogurt, cottage cheese, and any type of oats!
I made overnight oat in a almost empty PB jar last night to have as a lunch on the go today! So quick and easy! I used 1/2 c oats, 1/4 c greek yogurt, 1 t chia seeds, 1 T ground flax, 1/2 amond milk, and will be adding bananna to it to eat!
That’s so exciting! I would love to go to Rome someday!
Overnight oats are seriously the best summer b-fast!!! I’ll have to try adding apple sauce, sounds yummy
I’m so jealous you’re going to Rome!!! I went to Rome after my college graduation a few years ago and loved it! Not sure if I’m more jealous of all the pasta you’ll be eating or the gelato!!!
I’m going to Rome at the end of August too! I would love to hear any tips or restaurant recommendations since this will be my first time! Hope you have a great trip
I don’t really have any restaurant recommendations since everything was so good!! My family tended to avoid any places that were too touristy and instead wandered around the city in search of quaint family-owned cafes for our meals. There were a few nice places we went to outside of the Pantheon and we also enjoyed some really good pizza at a cafe outside of the Vatican. Everything was great though and it was so fun to just explore and try something new!
First of all, SUPER JEALOUS!!! I was lucky enough to travel a lot when I was in HS and early college (I even studied abroad in Paris), but I haven’t been out of the country in about 6 years! I LOVED Italy when I went, although I’ll admit that Venice was my favorite. How cool!! I’m sure you are going to have an AMAZING time! I expect LOTS of pictures!!
Hmm applesauce in overnight oats. I’ve seen that before! So creative! I’ll have to try it out:) And have a fabulous time in Rome! So exciting:)
Hii I just found your blog from this week’s wiaw! Happy WIAW to you <3
my boyfriend travels to NYC next week, so he has to go to whole foods for me and stock up , otherwise I am calling it quits (jk…well kinda lol)
Oh man..you are going to Rome? You should stop by in Austria!!!! no you really should… and you can bring me some almond butter or chia seeds , because they are really hard to get over here
Hahaha that’s amazing!! I would love to go to Austria if I had the money!! Your boyfriend better pick up some almond butter & chia seeds or else he’s outta there! lol