Today is one of those days when things just aren’t going my way.  When it rains it pours, right?  I do consider myself lucky because these days are few and far between!

Today I woke up and saw peaches in the freezer. I knew I had to make oatmeal with them! Seriously guys, peach oatmeal is so good because if you add the right stuff, you can make it taste like peach cobbler (one of my all time favorites).

I boiled 1 cup of almond milk on the stove, added 1/2 a cup of oatmeal, and stirred in a bunch of flax seeds, chia seeds, walnuts, peaches, blueberries, and cinnamon. So comforting and it sat like a rock in my stomach for a few hours, which did a lot of good helping me fuel for my run.

I headed to the gym to attempt a “non-stop” 5 mile run. Success! I love setting a fitness goal and accomplishing it.  It’s a great feeling!

I’ll be running the Big Ten 10k in just two weeks so I’m glad these 5 miles are getting easier.  I can’t wait to run in the city–it’s one of the best things to do.  That, plus running in huge groups–it’s an endorphin high like no other.

I made a quick lunch before running off to work.

I sliced up some grilled chicken, tossed it in jalepeno bbq sauce and red onions, and served that over mixed greens.  I have so much spinach to use up!

Finally, I decided to ACTUALLY cook something that I pinned on Pinterest 🙂

I think most people who are active on that site know that it’s easy to pin a hundred things in one sitting, but actually doing them? That’s a whole other story.

I tackled a Black Bean and Quinoa casserole! I left out the cheese because of my dietary changes this week but when it was done I topped it with some plain greek yogurt and sliced avocado with sea salt and it was delish!

Black Bean Quinoa Casserole (adadpted from Pinch of Yum.com)

• 5 garlic cloves
• 1 onion chopped
• 4 bell peppers chopped (I used 2 green, 1 yellow, and 1 orange)
• 2 small jalepenos, seeded and minced
• 5 cups cooked black beans
• 1.25 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin

Instructions

1. Black beans: Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onion, and jalapeno, sauteing for 4 minutes and stirring occasionally. Stir in broth and black beans. Bring mixture to a boil and cook for 7 minutes. The mixture should be thick, not watery. If you still have a lot of moisture, let it cook out by keeping it on the heat for another few minutes. Taste and season with salt.
2. Quinoa: In a dry nonstick skillet over medium high heat, toss and toast the cooked quinoa with the cayenne, chili powder, cumin, and salt for 1-2 minutes. Taste and season with salt. Set aside.
3. Peppers: In the same dry nonstick skillet as the quinoa, over medium high heat, place the diced peppers and do NOT stir. This allows the peppers to get a brown roasted look on the outside. Wait for 2-3 minutes before stirring, then let them “roast” for another few minutes before removing from the heat.  Add the peppers to the quinoa that is set aside.
4. Assemble: Preheat oven to 375 . Put black bean mixture into a 8X8 glass baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with quinoa/pepper mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Top with whatever you’d like–avocado, greek yogurt, sour cream, cheese, tortilla chips, etc.

Enjoy!!

Question: does having a bad day motivate you to work out more or less?