Oh, Monday . . . I feel a little sorry for you. Nobody likes a Monday . . . and I got myself off to a seriously slow start today. In fact, I don’t know if I ever really started.

But I did have a great weekend, which kind of takes the edge off!

Saturday morning, I conquered an 11 mile training run at about 9:44 pace. It was foggy and overcast and really nothing special. I did, however, discover a Gu that I don’t hate! Bring on the Chocolate Brownie!

I never would have guessed that chocolate would be my flavor of choice, but it just worked! It even tasted like brownie batter—YUM! I only took a little bit of it at a time and ended up having about half of the packet, but I didn’t have any stomach issues and it powered me through. I think the key was taking a little at mile 4 and a little at mile 8, rather than having it all at once. Hey, whatever works, right? I even stretched after my run. Who AM I?!

See? I’ve stretched before . . .

Then, I met up with my friend, Ash, for lunch. She was super excited to pose for the blog!

And yes, she did order hot dogs and fries for lunch. She is adorably hilarious, and it was great to catch up with her. I was boring and some kind of Asian chicken salad. After my long runs, my appetite skedaddles.

The rest of Saturday was spent running errands and grabbing dinner with my dad. No pics because  . . . I didn’t take any? Yep, that’d be it!

I was too busy being distracted by the large party in the restaurant of homecoming dance kids. Seriously, when did high school dances become a contest to see who can be the biggest whore??? At one point, I think I actually saw some hoo-ha. For real. One thing’s for sure—I wouldn’t be leaving the house looking like that. At least not without a Brazilian!

This disturbing message brought to you by the youth of America. God help us all.

I don’t think of myself as super conservative, but I felt like Tammy Faye Baker! Where are the parents?!? It’s a sad state we’re in, friends. A sad state.

And the only solution to the downfall of our youth is . . .

Pancakes!

Maybe not. But I had no transition from slutty high school girls to this recipe, so forgive me.

Pumpkin Pancake

Serves 1, if you aren’t too hungry—otherwise, double it!

2 T. oats

2 T. whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp. cinnamon (divided)

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1 T. splenda or sugar

3 T. coconut milk (or any milk)

3 T. canned pumpkin

chopped walnuts or pecans

maple syrup (I used sugar free)

I made this Sunday morning when a wicked pumpkin craving struck. It actually turned out well, so I felt I needed to share the love.

How to:

Mix 1/4 tsp. cinnamon and everything else but the nuts and syrup in a small bowl. The mixture will be thick (not like a typical pancake batter). Preheat a skillet over medium low heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Pour batter into pan and flatten into a pancake shape—about 1/2” thick. Cook 4-5 minutes on each side or until cooked through.

While the pancake cooks, mix about 1/4 cup sugar free syrup with 1/8-1/4 tsp. cinnamon. Microwave for 25 seconds right before the pancake is done.

Top pancake with chopped nuts and syrup and enjoy!

Depending on the ingredients you use, this whole thing comes in between 150-200 calories. Since I’m not very good at eating first thing in the morning, this is the perfect amount for me. Feel free to make a double batch or throw in some vanilla protein powder to amp up the staying power. Although, this puppy did keep me pretty full!

So you should go ahead and have that for breakfast tomorrow, mmmmkay? Good. Glad we’re all on the same page.

I also had the pleasure of attending my grandpa’s jazz concert yesterday afternoon!

Yep, my 83 year old grandfather plays in a saxophone quintet called Sax Alive! (yes, with an exclamation point) This was their “First Annual Farewell Concert,” since they’re all getting up there and the days of playing together are numbered. I’ve grown up going to my grandpa’s shows, so it was nice to get to see them one more time. And they’re all really good! They’ve been playing together for more than 60 years! Yowsa!

Go Papa!

Today was nutty and filled with running around like a mad woman, trying to get caught up with work and errands before I fly out to DC tomorrow for a few meetings. Also, I barely slept last night (we’re talking 3 hours—tops), so I’m pretty much running on fumes at this point.

At least my daddy made this amazing dinner for me!

By request—stuffed sole!

I know I’ve said this a million times, but my dad is an awesome cook!

As if that wasn’t enough all by itself, I needed this as well.

And that’s all, folks. I’m BEAT! Time fo’ bed!

G’night!