The past few weekends have been a whirlwind! From a social perspective, 2024 started out slow. There were probably about six weeks where we didn’t do much of anything. I always love those weekends with no plans, but too many of them can make things feel mundane and monotonous. I welcomed the recent travel, but now I find myself excited for no plans again. Funny how life works like that.
I have been loving protein pancakes on Saturday mornings. Throughout the work week, I grab my jar of overnight protein oats out of the refrigerator and call it a day, so it’s fun to switch it up on the weekends. I plan to do a more formal post on these pancakes soon, but you can find the measurements below for now. PS: I highly recommend a drizzle of peanut butter on top. Sometimes I will also do a little maple syrup, but with the peanut butter, you don’t need it!
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1 ripe banana, mashed
- 1/4 cottage cheese (or greek yogurt, or coconut yogurt for dairy-free)
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I use Be Well by Kelly brand)
- 3 tablespoons almond milk (or dairy-free milk of choice)
- 1/3 cup oat flour
- Coconut oil for cooking
Directions:
Place all ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until creamy. Heat a tablespoon or two of coconut oil in large skillet over medium heat. Form pancakes of desired size, and cook until edges start to brown and pancakes start to bubble. Flip. Continue to cook until done. Makes 6-8 pancakes depending on size.
Last week I went back to Pilates for the first time in a while, and I am reminded how much I love the reformer. Niche, a boutique Pilates studio in Richmond, just moved to a new location. It is beautiful, bright, and bigger, so each class can fit more people. I am definitely going to add these classes to my regular routine. I went to the Power Flow class on Saturday morning and it was amazing.
A 2024 intention of mine is to connect more with friends, so when a friend asked to grab coffee on Saturday morning, I knew it would be the perfect post-Pilates activity. It felt so good to catch up. I need to remember this next time life feels “too busy.”
Shortly thereafter, my husband and I dropped Mason off at my mother-in-law’s and we hit the road for a wedding in D.C. It was going to be a quick trip, but I was excited for some child-free fun. I packed my normal road trip lunch: Wrawp with rotisserie chicken and goat cheese, crackers, hummus, and apple slices on the side.
By the time we checked into our hotel, we had to turn right around and head to the wedding venue. It was a lovely evening, but I swear I can’t hang like I used to. I was in bed by 9:30pm!
I didn’t take any pictures of the actual food, but everything was delicious, especially the carrot cake. I made a mental note to make some carrot cake in the near future, which is appropriate since Easter is right around the corner. There are already some carrot cake recipes on Healthified, but I have new ideas up my sleeve.
Before I went to sleep, I remember thinking how grateful I was to get to sleep in on Sunday morning, but my natural clock still woke me up around 6:30am. At least we were able to make the most of our remaining time in D.C. After some reading and breakfast in bed, we headed out. We grabbed some coffee at a nearby coffee shop and walked around to see some sites: the White House, Washington Memorial, Lincoln Memorial. It was a good 75 minute walk!
It was such a beautiful morning and got me so excited for spring!
After we packed up, we hit the road, stopping at Union Market for breakfast (number two). Union Market is an eclectic food hall located in D.C.’s historical Union Market District. It is a great spot to stop for breakfast or brunch because it has so much to offer.
A lot of what is available isn’t healthy per se, so I was so excited when I came across South Block. Alex and I both got acai bowls, and he also got a sandwich for the road. I ended up getting their almond butter acai bowl, and I added collagen and kale for some extra protein and nutrients.
We ate outside at one of the picnic tables. Union Market is also very family-friendly, so a great place to bring your kids.
Even though we had such a great time, it was so good to get home to Mason. I think that is just one of the things I love about travel – it always makes you appreciate coming home, even if you are gone for one night.
