Plenty of Reasons to Eat Breakfast + #PlentiYogurt Coupon

I rarely, if ever, miss my morning meal. I just love food too much and usually wake up hungry, thinking about what I’m making or grabbing (like Plenti) long before my feet even hit the ground.

Jennifer Eating Plenti Greek Yogurt Meets Oatmeal

Back in the day, skipping breakfast was a way to “cut calories” in an effort to lose or maintain weight – and it still is with some friends today. This “intermittent fasting” idea seems to be trending again today, based on some diets and nutritional plans I have seen floating around. However, missing meals can have quite the opposite effect, eventually adding on pounds in places you don’t want. And, for runners and other athletes, bypassing breakfast can quickly bring quality training (and recovery) in its tracks.

5 reasons why skipping breakfast is bad

Lose Muscle – While skipping breakfast and other meals cuts calories and create weight loss, research shows that these dropped pounds come more from muscle tissue than fat stores.

Gain Belly Fat: Ohio State University scientists suggest skipping meals may invite any weight lost to come back eventually as dangerous belly fat.

Energy Drop:  Avoiding breakfast keeps the body from important nutrients like quality complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, minerals and fatty acids needed for optimal functioning and general get-up-and-go.

Disease Risk: Harvard School of Public Health researchers report that women who regularly missed breakfast where 20% more likely to get type 2 diabetes and men were at increased risk of heart disease. Insulin resistance and blood pressure issues arise when the body’s blood lipids get out of whack – something that can be kept in check with a healthy, balanced breakfast.

Unhealthy Snacking: Saying “no” no to a sustaining breakfast very often translates into saying “yes” to unhealthy processed snack foods, fast food and other sugary and bad-fat foods. Blood sugar drops and the resulting “hangry” feeling causes people to make poor food choices.

Plenti Greek Yogurt Meets Oatmeal great way to fuel a runner's morning.

Whether you are an athlete or not, your body needs “gas in the tank” to get going in the morning —  Plenti Oatmeal Meets Greek Yogurt is a quick and convenient way to fill up! Plentí, a wholesome yogurt already packed with fruit, seeds and other yumminess, kicks up its morning game by adding oatmeal to the mix.

Found in the yogurt aisle, Plenti Oatmeal Meets Greek Yogurt, comes in six tasty flavors including Apple Cinnamon, Maple Brown Sugar, Peach, Blueberry, Strawberry, and Vanilla. I love the thick and creamy Greek yogurt goodness mixed with the texture and nutritional benefits of oatmeal. Unlike oatmeal, no messy cookin – just grab a spoon and enjoy cold.

6 Flavors of Plenti Greek Yogurt Meets Oatmeal

Each cup has 16 grams of whole grain and 11 grams of protein – I aim to get 25 to 30 grams of protein four times a day, so I would make my morning meal by supplementing a cup of Plenti Oatmeal Meets Greek Yogurt with two scrambled (or hard-boiled eggs if in a hurry) and a piece of fruit.

Plenti Yogurt Oatmeal with full meal

Coupon for Plenti Greek Yogurt Meets OatmealTry Plenti Oatmeal Meets Greek Yogurt for yourself! Print a coupon good for $.35 off one cup.

Are you an oatmeal fan, a Greek yogurt fan or both? What is your favorite “quick grab” for breakfast? Please share in the comments below, – XOXO, Jennifer  

More Fun, More Flavor – Mixing Up Health and Fitness Goals #changeameal

My only New Year Resolution for 2016 is to work towards my nutrition and fitness goals by doing more of what’s good for me and less of what’s not. How’s that for vague?!  I took a quick stop to Smoothie King this morning to grab a smoothie and swipe in some notes on my phone to flesh it out plans, that’s as formal as I’ll get.

Jennifer Fisher paddle board december 2015In terms of fitness, I’m focusing on activities that are fun for me like obstacle courses, yoga and stand up paddle boarding on the lake, and saying “no” to workouts that feel like punishment or fear/guilt driven.Yes, I am still training to be competitive as a master runner (not hanging my Altras up anytime soon), but have found that looking less at my watch (or not even wearing it) and listening more to my body is what works for me and has kept me injury free.Smoothie King has 20 meal replacement blended beverages to help fuel your health and fitness goals.

In terms of nutrition, I’m also doing more of what’s good for me and less of what’s not. I’m sticking with the higher protein diet that has kept me lean and at my racing weight for years. Even though I eat pretty clean, I’m all about being creative and adding tons of flavor with herbs, spices, produce and whatever I can find — no plain ole chicken breasts here. And I’m going to make a serious effort to kick my diet soda habit, pretty much my only vice. I think we can all agree that flavorful smoothies are such a better choice, filled with vitamins, minerals, fiber and quality protein and carbs to fuel the day.

healthy living inspiration - thefitfork.com

I’m a big fan of Smoothie King, to help me meet these health and fitness goals (plus, it’s super yummy). Like me, this smoothie shop look at food as fuel to power a person through the day – and my day is filled with workouts, running and all sorts of kid craziness.  I’ve always been a fan of smoothies, especially those packed with protein. With my higher protein diet, I aim for 20g to 30g of protein, about four times per day.

On busy days, grabbing a healthy blended beverage at Smoothie King is a quick and convenient way to work toward achieving my protein goal and helps me to refuel taxed muscles right after a workout while keeping the “hangries” away until the next meal or healthy snacking opportunity.

Smoothie King Lean 1 Chocolate

I don’t drink smoothies to lose weight*, rather to fuel my fitness goals.  However, Smoothie King makes a wide array of blended beverages that can be used as for meal replacement – abundance of protein and fiber keeps you feeling full longer. Most 20-ounce serving, come in under 400 calories and a minimum of 10 grams of protein and 35 grams of quality carbs (a few specific smoothies vary off these benchmarks).

Smoothie King #ChangeAMeal

Today at Smoothie King I was almost overwhelmed with the huge assortment of meal replacement smoothies included in their healthy #ChangeAMeal promotion. Twenty smoothies are in this creamy, delicious line-up including Gladiator® Chocolate, Gladiator® Strawberry, Gladiator® Vanilla, The Activator® Chocolate, The Activator® Vanilla, Lean1® Chocolate, Lean1® Strawberry, Lean1® Vanilla, Lean1® Tropical, Vegan Dark Chocolate Banana, Vegan Mango Kale, Greek Yogurt Pineapple Mango, Greek Yogurt Strawberry Blueberry, Greek Yogurt Peach Papaya, The Shredder™ Chocolate, The Shredder™ Strawberry, The Shredder™ Vanilla, High Protein Almond Mocha, High Protein Banana and High Protein Chocolate. Here are some of the 20 choices:
smoothie king smoothies

Guess which healthy protein smoothie I picked?  The Lean1® Chocolate made with protein, banana and almonds with no added sugar – the 20-ounce  rich and creamy smoothie had 310 calories with 19g protein. Seriously, it could have been an ice cream shop milkshake, it was that decadent tasting!

Change a Meal Challenge Smoothie King #ChangeAMealENTER TO WIN!  Share your 2016 health and fitness goals, showing how you creatively #changeameal with Smoothie King. The more smoothie selfies or social comments you post with this hashtag (between December 28 – March 31, 2016), the more chances you have to win awesome prizes like Smoothies For A Year, a gift card to Southwest Airlines, a YMCA membership and more

Get started on your own tasty health and fitness journey with a $2.99 smoothie coupon by joining the e-kingdom.  Plus, download the free loyalty app and earn loyalty rewards every time you #changeameal.

*Please Note: *Weight loss is dependent on each individual’s needs and is based on a low-calorie diet combined with an exercise program. Consult your physician before beginning any diet program.*

What are your health and fitness goals? How are you fueling them? What is your favorite flavor smoothie?  Please share in the comments below, XOXO — Jennifer 

Your Body on Stress and How 5-HTP Helps Calm + $25 #Giveaway

Stress stinks and it really does a number on your body, from insomnia and tummy troubles to general grouchiness! Gee, I’ve never had any of these issues (cough, cough). There are some safe ways you can lessen your response to stress though, including working out, yoga, meditation and non-drug supplements.  I’m a big fan of yoga for stress relief (see this past post) and need to make more room for meditation in my life. I also take a supplement called 5-HTP to help support calm and happy mood. Natrol 5-HTP Fast Dissolve

Natrol, a respected manufacturer of vitamins and supplements since 1980, is the brand of 5-HTP I’ve been taking lately. I was familiar with this mood-enhancing supplement previously, thanks to my mom who learned about it from her own healthcare provider.  Knowing I had so many of these symptoms shown below, I immediately started taking it, fingers crossed that it was my stress-busing solution. How Stress Affects the Body

However, I found that I couldn’t keep with the routine of adding even more hard-to-swallow pills to my daily pile of vitamins (I always tend to go for the gummies, chews and quick melts when available). So, I gave up. That is, until I found the Natrol brand that comes in quick dissolve, chewable tablets in a tasty berry flavor. Natrol 5-HTP dissolves 30x faster than regular tablets, meaning your body can more quickly benefit from the bioavailabilty of the active ingredient – and no water is required to get them down the hatch!

Natrol 5-HTP - Fast Disolve

You may be wondering how this drug-free, plant-derived supplement works to boost mood.  Natrol H-5TP encourages calmness in the body by naturally increasing serotonin levels – serotonin is the chemical messenger that pulls the strings on our emotions, mood and behaviors.  Each bottle of Natrol H-5TP has 30 fast-dissolve tablets in a 100mg dose  — look for the purple bottle with UPC: 0-47469-06044-2.  Available at mass-market retailers, online retailers, natural food and supplement stores.

Download the $5 off coupon and try Natrol 5-HTP Fast Dissolve for yourself .

Engage and get in on the social action by following Natrol on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

Win a $25 Visa Gift Card at TheFitFork.com

I also want to giveaway a $25 Visa Gift Card to one lucky ready, so that you can try this product out yourself – and spend the extra on something that makes you happy! To enter, follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter app below by Feb 1,2016.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Run – Workout – Roll – Recover – Repeat – ACUMOBILITY #Giveaway

ACUMOBILTY Mobility BallsOkay, cool stuff going on for this New Year!  I’m excited to announce that I am an ambassador for ACUMOBILITY, a really awesome company that provides systems and products to Assess, Correct and Unify (ACU).

Jennifer Fisher ACUMOBILITY Elite AmbassadorThe whole elite ambassador team hasn’t been announced yet, the official news is rolling out March 1st but I’ve been given the okay to blab. Apparently, I’m rubbing elbows, knees and shoulders with the likes of World Record holders and other athletes with extreme badassery –. Yup, little ole me.

If you’ve never heard of ACUMOBILITY, it’s time to get acquainted. Their sport specific assessment and corrective programs can help address your individual needs for a given sport or movement. Their goal is improving your active mobilization to unlock and maximize your performance, whether you’re a professional or a weekend warrior. Heck yeah, I’m all about getting after my sports of choice (running, obstacle course racing, CrossFit, yoga . . .blah, blah) with the highest degree of efficiency.

Of course, I’ll be sharing more about ACUMOBILITY later, but today I wanted to tell you all about some mobility tools they sell that will keep you moving and grooving and post-workout and ready you up for beast mode the next day.  Oh, yeah – and I get to GIVEAWAY the mobility products to one of you lucky readers, whoohoo!

ACUMOBILITY Eclipse Foam Roller

ACUMOBILITY Eclipse Foam RollerThe Eclipse Roller is brand freakin’ new – it actually isn’t available for shipping until Feb. 2, 2016 – that means the winner is going to be one of the FIRST in the world to have it in hand (and on hammies, neck, back and glutes)!  Imagine a regular foam roller, meh. This bad boy totally redefines foam rollers, zeroing in on hard to reach spots and targeting multiple muscles simultaneously, to reduce rolling time

ACUMOBILITY Eclipse Foam Roller

ACUMOBILTY Mobility BallsI’m also giving away a pair of the Mobility Balls (Level 1). These seemingly innocent looking guys tackle your trigger points with gusto – of course, you control the amount of pressure, but dang, it hurts so well.   Using these neurologically retrain the muscle being worked on to move more efficiently, while enhancing range of motion and muscle elasticity. Two mobility balls can be used for vice-like compression on the spine or joints – they also are useful for stability exercise.

ACUMOBILTY Mobility Balls

Educate yourself! Follow the very detailed video tutorials to learn how to use best use these products to take your training and performance to the next level.

I am an ambassador for ACUMOBILITY, the sponsor of this giveaway. However, all opinions and enthusiasm are my own.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Warm Overnight Java Brownie Chia-Oats – More From Your Morning Mug

My mornings can’t be complicated. I have a hard enough time getting out of bed at 5:15 am and then am greeted by a dog extremely needy for attention, kids to get ready for school, email to respond to, social media to monitor and loads of other things – like dishes and laundry! All this needs to happen before I head out the door for my run or gym time– and, believe me, that’s non-negotiable. I need a breakfast that is pretty much ready and waiting for me!

Warm Mocha Brownie Overnight Chia Oats

 

chocolate orange pistachio smoothie bowl with almond breezeIn the summer, a smoothie bowl (like my Orange Pistachio Almond Bowl one make with Almond Breeze Chocolate Almondmilk) or cold Greek yogurt and fruit are just fine, but in the winter, I need and easy, quick breakfast that will fuel me through my workout and warm me up from the inside. My recipe for Warm Overnight Java Brownie Chia-Oats to the rescue – it’s my hybrid take on traditional overnight oats and chia puddings.

This healthy breakfast recipe takes just a few minutes to prep  – I do it after dinner when I’m making the kids’ lunchboxes because it needs at least 3 hours to sit in the fridge and do its thing. In the morning, the nutritious ingredients absorbed the liquid and await a quick blast in the microwave to warm. I can usually barely wait to get my hands on that hot mug of goodness! You can also eat this the chia oats cold too, I just prefer hot!

Time saving tip: Mix up everything in the microwave-safe mug or bowl you plan to eat from – who has time for extra dish washing?!Warm Mocha Brownie Overnight Chia Oats

Since you know I’m a healthy food and fitness nerd, let me just tell you about some of the awesome ingredients in this easy overnight oat recipe and how each helps support optimal health and peak performance for your sport.

Almond Milk*: With just 30 calories per 8-ounce serving, almondmilk is a sensible addition to any meal or recipe. It also has 50% more calcium than 2% dairy milk, is an excellent s source of vicatims D and E and is low on the Glycemic index.  Key for athletes is, adequate vitamin D levels promote good bone density, innate immunity, muscle wasting, and exercise-related inflammation and immunity. It is also suggested, this nutrient could help prevent stress fractures.

Whole Grain Oats: Oats are whole grain by nature add fill you up with lots of fiber, have been shown to reduce cholesterol levels and help stabilize blood sugar. Athletes can count on the quality complex carbs in oats to provide non-crashing energy and to refuel muscles after a taxing workout. I really love the Nuts and Seeds Super Oats by LoveGrownFoods.com.

Chia Seeds: The industrious Aztecs had a good thing going with chia seeds. This ancient superfood is loaded with nutrition despite it’s teeny-tiny size. Just two tablespoons of chia seeds contains 10 grams of fiber, 6 grams of protein, more calcium than milk, more Omega-3s than salmon, more iron than spinach, and more antioxidants than blueberries.

Maca Powder: Nearly magical maca powder is derived from a root vegetable indigenous to Peru – don’t confuse it with Macha green tea powder. This natural boost has been prized for thousands of years for its ability to boost stamina, endurance and hormonal balance. It includes vital nutrients such fatty acids, fiber, proteins, carbohydrates and minerals. Don’t miss my past Maca Mint Chip Smoothie.

Cacao Powder: Cacao (or cocoa) powder has been linked to lower blood pressure, a boost in blood flow to the muscles, and reduced cardiovascular demand during exercise. Cacao powder also lowers an athletes perception of fatigue and the boost of caffeine has been shown to improve performance. The higher percentage of cacao in your powder, the better. Try this one.

Coffee: This essential morning elixir has been suggested to reduce the incidence of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease and boost metabolism. It also actually has some beneficial nutrients like B vitamins, manganese and potassium and the natural epinephrine kick from the caffeine can improve focus and athletic performance.

*Typically, I purchase the chilled almond milk from the “dairy” aisle – however, I always like to stock the pantry with shelf-stable Almond Breeze Almondmilk so that I always have a supply on hand for emergency rations and 11th hour recipe inspirations.  

This single-serve make-ahead breakfast with chia and oats can be enjoyed warm or cold! With cocoa and coffee and a few chocolate chips, you'll be smiling in the morning! Let's get ready to meal prep!

Jennifer Fisher trail running Davis Mountans

What are your eating for breakfast these days?  Are you a fan of overnight oat or chia puddings? Did you run a race this weekend or do something fun in winter wonderland? Please share in the comments below – XOXO, Jennifer

This post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Almondmilk. However, the recipes, opinions and enthusiasm are all my own. 

Warm Mocha Brownie Overnight Chia Oats
Prep Time
5 mins
Total Time
3 hrs 5 mins
 
A welcomed wake-up call and boost of sustaining morning energy, this easy make-ahead breakfast recipe gives you more out of your mug and more out of your day!
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: American
Servings: 1 serving
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee cooled a bit
  • 3/4 cup Almond Milk I used Almond Breeze Oiginal Almondmilk
  • 3 to 4 packets stevia
  • 2 tbsp chia seeds
  • 2 tsp maca powder
  • 5 tsp cacao powder
  • 1/3 cup oats
  • Optional Garnish chocolate chips & dollop of whipped cream or non-dairy alternative
Instructions
  1. Add coffee, almondmilk and stevia to mug, small bowl or mason jar and stir to combine.
  2. Add chia seeds, maca powder, cacao powder and oats and vigorously stir to combine well. Or, if using a lidded container, top with lid and simply shake to combine.
  3. Chill over night, or at least 3 hours, so that oats and chia absorb liquid.
  4. Before serving, microwave on 50% power to warm up, stirring as needed. If mixture seems to thick, stir in an additional splash of coffee or almond milk.
  5. If desired, top with a sprinkling of mini chocolate chips and dollop of whipped cream. May be eaten cold. Will stay good in the fridge for several days if you want to make ahead several batches.