Hello Y’all! Happy belated Valentines Day! I trust you’re doing well in your part of the world and you took time to celebrate and just have fun. Its been a minute since my last post and I have been on the go non-stop. Trying to be healthy, stay in shape and still perform in peak condition is not as easy as i thought. Most of the time, my diet bears the brunt of my schedule and when you’re more of a night owl, that in many ways make it even more difficult to be all bright and sunny in the morning to do anything other than get ready that most people just give up and go with whatever the flow is.

Breakfast before heading out in the morning has never being my forte but I noticed that I often find myself rummaging through the office pantry for snacks mid-morning which I know are either full of empty calories or loaded with salt. I finally had a ‘Come to Jesus’ moment where I decided to try something different.  I am not one of those people who take drastic actions like shave their hair, quit eating or move to some monastery in order to change their lives; I believe in making small changes, small tweaks which I believe are more sustainable and kinder to my body without shocking it. So I decided to start a meal prep regimen consisting of healthier options and lower calories coupled with a 30 minute exercise routine every other day of the week. I went online, looked up YouTube Videos, Health and Fitness Blogs.

My Findings!

♦   Breakfast Options – Overnight Oats: I found a couple of recipes that are super easy and take you 10 minutes or less to prepare the night before which guarantee you a healthy breakfast full of fiber, antioxidants and fat burning carbs. This has been so good at keeping my mid-morning cravings at bay and increasing my focus significantly. My favorite overnight oats recipe is my Kiwi and Blueberry Recipe that I will share down below so stay with me.

♦   Meal Prepping My Lunch The Night Before: Depending on what I intend making, it takes about an hour or less to prepare my food, veggies and snacks for my lunch the next day. Making my own meals isn’t just cost effective but I know what’s actually in my food. There’s so many hidden calories in restaurant food that eating out on a daily basis without an active lifestyle is not going to work long term. When done, refrigerate it and all I need to do is grab and go in the morning!!

♦    Putting Exercise Back On My Weekly To-Do List: I unearthed my Insanity Workout videos and started working out at home again especially when I have the weather as an excuse to not go to the gym, I could still workout within the confines of my home.

♦   Accountability Buddies: I have friends who are either in the same boat or have it all figured out. Everyone needs accountability buddies because they help me stay on track and call me out when I start to slack off.

Kiwi and Blueberry – Overnight Oats

Ingredients: 1 tbsp Chia seeds, 1 tsp Vanilla extract, 1/2 Cup of Greek yogurt, 1 tbsp shredded coconut, 1/2 Cup of milk, 1/2 Cup of oats, 1 tbsp maple syrup, 1 Kiwi, 1/2 Cup of blueberries.

A lot of the ingredients are items you may already have in your pantry!!

You need a mixing bowl, a 12 ounce mason jar and measuring utensils 🙂

I mash the kiwi and blueberries together so the juices get infused into the mixture.

Oats will be ready to eat in an hour after prepping but overnight works best for me!

So guys and ladies, let me know what you’ve done to stay healthy on the go. Making these seemingly minor tweaks to my lifestyle have done a lot with everything from loosing a few extra pounds to being more alert and focused.  Until I come your way again, stay safe, beautiful and healthy. I remain

Periwinkle Starr