you know you’re addicted to granola when…

…you have multiple UNOPENED containers of it and you keep buying it.

Yes, I do.

These are all unopened. Brand new.

BUT! Before you judge, listen to me justify:

-the two bags on the left were from OpenSky and are a fundraiser for another blogger with cancer. If I had cancer, I would want a nice stranger to buy granola to support me, too.

-the box in the front: one of two I got for a steal at Wegmans shortly after we got here. Granola is relatively pricey, and I was in a ‘quantity not quality’ kind of mood that day.

-the two boxes in the rear on either side: Trader Joe’s finds from my trip in August. Mango on the left (because I have an open jar of their mango butter with which I use to flavor plain yogurt, so it seemed like a nice pairing) and Ginger Almond on the right because, well, I love ginger and have never, EVER seen it in granola like this before. Can’t wait to try it.

See? Now doesn’t it all make sense? Happy granola-eating to me 🙂

pre-run breakfast

On running mornings, I eat two breakfasts. I start with coffee (lately I’ve been using 1 tbsp creamer and 2 tbsp coconut milk–yay for just as sweet with fewer calories!) and either a banana or toast with peanut butter.

This morning is a morning I’ve been waiting for for a LONG time. Well, since my birthday, to be exact.

Justin’s nut butter!!!! Susy gave this to me for my birthday and my mouth has been watering ever since! It’s a huge splurge (like $10 at the grocery store!), so it’s not the kind of thing you just go and grab willy-nilly.

And it’s maple. I LOVE maple-anything. I caved a week or so ago and bought Bobby Flay’s recommended Deep Mountain Maple Syrups on OpenSky and received them last night. It was $25 for three bottles of the best, straight-from-the-tree-maple syrup (which came to more like $35 with tax and shipping–yikes!), but when I saw that the set included Regular (Grade A Medium), Grade B (which is uber dark and strong and hard to find in the grocery store) and GINGER Maple, I had to. I tried to find it online, but alas, as all the very best local/small farms go, there are only two places in the country you can get it: Union Square Greenmarket in NYC and a little shop in West Glover, VT. Since I wasn’t heading to either of these places anytime soon and I just HAD to gave the ginger variety, I succumbed. (Andrew wasn’t thrilled when he heard about it, but when he saw them last night he changed his tune! He’s super excited about them as well. At least he can sometimes appreciate good food.)

If anyone wants to know what OpenSky is, use the link above or ask me and I’ll let you know!

Anyway, back to breakfast.

I had to get dog food yesterday, which requires a trip to Hamburg, a village a lot like East Aurora, about 15-20 minutes away. It has both a Tractor Supply and a Clyde’s Feed (apparently it’s more rural here than I thought!), which are the cheapest places to get Taste of the Wild. The best part? There is a Great Harvest in Hamburg. Dog food trip = Great Harvest trip.

So, I popped in and treated myself to a mini-loaf of their whole wheat cinnamon raisin bread, which was actually a mix of raisins, craisins, flax and groats yesterday. That’s the neat thing about Great Harvest and other small bakeries; they can mix up something new and hand-write a sign if they want to.

So, I’m currently enjoying super fresh, made-by-hand bread with Justin’s Maple Almond Butter. YUM.

After my run I’ll mix up a fruit smoothie with some yogurt and flaxseed meal and then I have a phone date with Emily!

best tea EVER

I would not call myself a “tea person.” Nine times out of ten, I’d much prefer a steaming cup of coffee with just a little too much flavored creamer stirred in. I love the slightly creamy, sweetness of such flavors as French Vanilla, English Butter Toffee, Caramel Macchiato and Creme Brulee, just to name a few.

I read a magazine article once that rated just how bad for your health some things were, like binge-eating on the weekends, skipping breakfast and skipping a workout. Flavored non-dairy creamer was one of them. And it was bad. Surprisingly bad. Basically, the article said if it’s possible to kick your creamer habit, do it. Like, yesterday. (They, of course, recommend replacing it with a ‘splash of skim milk and a teaspoon of sugar. Or, better yet, skip the sugar and add some cinnamon.’ Seriously? Creamer makes coffee worth drinking!)

While I’m all for implementing the various health-related tidbits of wisdom I pick up here and there, this is one I will not. WILL NOT. I LOVE flavored creamer. LOVE. I have got to run enough to deserve at least one vice. (Or five.) So, I will not be giving up my creamer any time soon. In fact, I just might add another flavor to my arsenal today. (Yes, I’ve been known to keep 3-4 different flavors in the fridge door at any given time, especially during Christmas.)

ANYWAY…all this to say, I’m not a huge tea-drinker. I do, however, like to keep a stash of “before bedtime” and energizing teas around just for those times I’d like a warm drink but not coffee. (I can’t do caffeine past about 4 p.m. or I turn into a gremlin and toss and turn until 3 a.m.)

However, in the midst of my current weight-loss campaign, I’ve begun to drink more and more tea as it’s only an expense of 15 or so calories for a teaspoon of honey. A nice pick-me-up in the afternoon that won’t break the caloric bank. I currently have peach, peppermint (leftover from Christmas), a green and white combo tea and a nighttime relaxing blend (which I just pitched the last couple bags of as I’ve figured out I’m not a huge fan of chamomile).

Then I found this:

I LOVE it. I am completely obsessed with ginger right now, so when I saw it at Kroger, I just had to get it. Bonus that it aids in digestion! Seriously, if I could only have one tea for the rest of my life, this would be it. It’s just slightly sweet with a hint of warmth from the ginger. I must have gotten it a couple weeks ago; I just finished my last bag today! I’ve already purchased a new box for myself, and one for a special friend who just happens to have a birthday coming up…

If you like tea and ginger, go get this. Now.