Right foot forward

Breakfast is the meal I look forward to the most when I wake up. I try to keep dinners light and early so I normally wake up hungry. I'm a morning person so it goes without saying that I make breakfast for the entire family.

 I didn't start consistently eating breakfast until late 2009 when I started on this journey. My mom was never a morning person so I grew up pouring my sister and myself a glass of milk before we headed for our bus when we were in elementary school. My mom never eats breakfast so she didn't think it was important. My mom is a night owl so her sleeping schedule is a bit different from the rest of the family.

In my numerous attempts to lose weight in high school, I always thought breakfast was something I could skip so that I could cut the calories of the day. Of course, I end up starving around lunch time and end up overeating.

Nowadays, I always make sure I eat something in the morning so I keep my body fueled throughout the day. Since my brother started living with us, he's consistently eaten breakfast with us. He says he feels more energized at school in the morning with breakfast.

Since my brother was taking the SAT's Saturday morning, I took special note to prepare something healthy that would fuel him through his exam. I also packed him a protein bar that he could snack on during his breaks.

I had some leftover Chinese chicken soup in the refrigerator. It was made by braising bone-in skinless chicken in water along with Chinese herbs, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, onions and rice wine.

Before storing it in the fridge, I removed the bones and shredded the chicken.

I had the inspiration to turn the leftover soup into a savory oats dish much like an Asian congee (porridge). I woke up around 5:30 am Saturday since I was nervous I'd oversleep.

I poured the leftover soup into the pot to warm though before adding 1 3/4 cup Old- Fashioned Oats

I brought the whole thing to a simmer for 5 minutes before turning off the heat and covering the oats.

I served the oat "congee" with an egg and some Asian condiments. The boys loved it!

While he was at his test, the boyfriend and I went to play a round of golf. I had started lunch the night before so I was free in the morning to play golf with the boyfriend without worrying about lunch.

It was a gorgeous day for golf.

It was the first time breaking out the slow-cooker in 2013! 

Night before....

Morning after! Love the slow cooker.

By the time we were done with golf and my brother was done with exams, it was already 1:40 pm. 

We were all hungry for lunch even though our breakfast did a pretty good job of keeping us satiated all morning.

My brother and I had the pork in mini whole wheat sliders along with two different salads. My boyfriend opted to make a rice bowl with the brown rice left over.

Pork perfectly shredded waiting to be used in a variety of ways!

Boyfriend's pork rice bowl

My plate consisting of one mini pork slider with shredded cheese,

Asian sesame ginger slaw, undressed salad, and half a roasted sweet potato

It totally hit the spot!

The rest of Saturday consisted of relaxing around the house reading books. 

I started and finished reading Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children yesterday. It was AMAZING. I couldn't put the book down. I love how the author integrated the vintage photos in his story because it added a new level of creepiness to the experience. 

I quickly googled and found out that the sequel is set to be released Spring 2013. JUST IN TIME!

This morning, I woke up around 6:30 am ready for my morning run. I had a slice of whole wheat toast with peanut butter and jam before stretching and doing some pilates. 

I wanted to get a long run in and the weather was perfect for it. I managed 8.2 miles in around 76 minutes. 

Morning runs are the best!

I managed 21.8 miles this week. 

I hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend!