Happy Wednesday, friends 😀
Before we go ahead and get started, I need to say thank you for all of your support, understanding, and encouragement. You have no idea how much it means to me… for real.
My heart [equals] melted.
And now I’ve got to move on before I start tearing up *fans face like a madwoman* Thank goodness it’s Wednesday and we can have some fun.
Today’s party started bright and early – I’m talking 3:30 AM early. Remember how I mentioned that I haven’t been sleeping well? Yeaaaaahhh. I woke up around 3 to take my nightly trip to bathroom, and by the time I rolled back into bed, tossed, turned, cursed, and punched the pillow multiple times, it was 3:30 and I was as far away from Dreamland as ever.
Le sigh.
It wasn’t that I wasn’t tired, because I definitely was – it was that I was hungry… my stomach was keeping me up with his incessant chatter, and I couldn’t drown him out no matter how hard I pressed my hands over my ears. So I had two options at that point:
a. lay there, suffering, and hope against hope that I manage to miraculously drift off, or
b. shut him up
Well, option (a) clearly wasn’t working (and it hardly ever did in the past), so all that remained was option (b). Again, not gonna lie, the thought of eating in the middle of the night made me anxious, but I was more frustrated than anything, so I moseyed my way into the kitchen to whip up a snack.
Behold the fancy 3:30 AM snack…
Half a banana and multiple spoonfuls of yogurt later, and I was passed out on the couch in a blissful state of slumber. And yes, I whipped out the camera just to capture the event. I think I deserve a pat on the back for my dedication. Either that or a referral to a psychiatrist. But that’s neither here nor there.
The point is, I listened to my body and I was rewarded. After my snack, I drifted off to sleep without a problem and woke up at the much more acceptable hour of 6 AM feeling absolutely fabulous and refreshed. Lesson learned. And if you think that turned me off my breakfast, think again…
Chocolate AB&J Oats
Eggy bananafied steel cut oats, 1 Tbsp. cocoa, roasted almond butter, blueberry jam
Simple, but oh so satisfying; and with that in my belly, I was literally vibrating with energy. I ran some quick errands for work, stopped by the grocery store to pick up some necessities (read: yogurt, eggs, and salad), inhaled a snack…
Cottage cheese with cinnamon, the other half of this morning’s banana with almond butter, and a small handful of dark chocolate chips… best pre-workout snack ever.
… and kicked some serious butt in the weight room. Yesterday’s rest day must have really paid off (or my pre-workout snack was just THAT good), because I dominated those dumbbells during today’s strength session. I was totally in the zone, and felt like I could have gone longer and harder, but I decided not to push my luck, did my usual routine, and came home to refuel…
Mango tofu protein pudding
… and have lunch…
Baked sweet potato fries, Amy’s Texas Burger, ke-choop, salad beast
… and bask in the sun, tidy up the house, whip up a snack…
Greek yogurt, trail mix, Kashi Honey Sunshine, puffed wheat
… stalk blogs, tidy up some more, whip up a delicious dinner…
Sweet and savory oats with hummus and strawberry jam
… aaaaaand now I’ll probably curl up on the couch with my laptop and a cup of tea, enjoy listening to the storm outside, blog stalk some more, and grab another snack before calling it a night.
I’m thinking popcorn with coconut oil and cinnamon.
I hope you guys all had a wonderful day, and thank you again for all of your support and well-wishes. I’m feeling much better today, but I might take another day off running tomorrow just to be sure. I’ll see how it goes and let you know 😀
. – . – . – .
Have you ever gotten out of bed to grab a snack when you couldn’t sleep?
Do you have trouble eating in the evening or at certain times of the day?
Aw lovely, I hope you sleep better tonight! But a huge huge well done you for just trying to hang on in there until breakfast because a lot of people would..I actually woke up last night and couldn’t sleep until I got some more food! I don’t normally wake up hungry though because I have a huge snack right before I go to bed to keep my stomach happy through the many hours of no food during sleep!
I’ve said it before though girly, and I’ll say it again. You keep posting these pictures of AMAZING looking yummy food and I am seriously coming banging on your door before you can say ‘puffins’! 😛 Those sweet potato fries look incredible! Mine never look so good haha!
Aah I have grabbed many a snack in the night! Often I’m not hungry, but want SOMETHING, you know? And then once the thought is in my head, I can’t stop thinking about it, and so can’t sleep, so I have to get up :p My night snacks are normally cereal and crackers. For some reason I have it in my head that if I have yogurt / milk / fruit, it’ll be too sugary and keep me up longer :/
You seem so dedicated to your strength routine! Do you have a home gym or go to a real gym? OH how I wish I could strength train 🙁
I really have fallen in love with strength training. I go to a gym, but I do a lot of my workouts at home too. Nothing fancy… all you need is some 5, 8, 10, 15, 20 lb. dumbbells and there’s plenty you can do 😀
Sorry to hear about your sleepless night! I hate getting up in the middle of the night but I too get up at least once through the night! I love how you were able to listen to your body and have such a yummy snack! Hope you sleep better tonight!
Your WIAW pictures are amazing as usual! When can I come over for some yummy meals?
Keep smiling! Aimee
I’m sorry you couldnt sleep lovely, but well done for pushing aside that slight hesitation and going to get a snack. Its great when your body tries to tell you something, and you have listened to it. 😀 and for it, your body let you get to sleep yayy 🙂
Wednesdays eats look oh so good, i think im going to have to jump on the bandwagon and join in for next week 🙂
Take care
Love Jess xxx
I have real trouble eating too soon before workouts and too late at night, luckily I feel like I’ve found a good balance, I usually make sure I don’t eat at least 2 hours before bed, I hate going to bed with a food baby! I guess it just shows how different all our bodies are, good for you listening to your bodies signals and giving it what it needed 🙂 Oh, and those sweet potato fries look ah-mazing!
I’ve had that happen to me before, definitely. In fact, that’s one thing that finally made me admit to myself that I wasn’t eating enough here in France, waking up at 4 or 5 in the morning STARVING. Yesterday, when I “hit the wall,” per se, I woke up at 4 and got so angry that common sense was knocked back into me–and breakfast was brown rice, almonds, raisins, banana, and 2 Larabars. So much better! And I vowed that I’m not going to make the same mistake again . . . hunger hurts, physically and spiritually.
Ah, first- yummy eats as ALWAYS!! Im so jealous 😀
Im so glad that you are feeling better already, and just super proud of you for actually eating in the middle of the night! You obviously did the right thing, but I can only imagen it must have been a challenge!
Enjoy your day Amanda <3
ive definitely eaten in the middle of the night before when i wake up hungry and can’t sleep! no shame in that, you’re listenin to your body 🙂
Yesss that same thing happened to me a few weeks ago! After a bathroom trip at 1.30 am, my stomach was growling. Rather than ignore it as I would have in the past, I ate a snack and drifted back into a great night of sleep! Hunger calls and I’m answering- no more Ms. Stingy With Food!
Jam+Hummus on oats??? You’re a more adventurous woman than I am!
i totally did this all the time when i was studying abroad in italy. my host family didnt feed me very well so i would ALWAYS be starving at night and couldnt fall asleep and at least a few times a week i would have to get up eat a couple pieces of bread and then be able to fall asleep! good for you for listening to your body!
Bummer about being woken up at that time by your stomach, I hate that feeling. Yummy foods, as always… hope you get a good nights sleep tonight!
Yes, I always eat shredded cheese in the middle of the night. Weird, I know 😛
If I ever wake up hungry (to the point that I have trouble sleeping cause I feel empty..) I ALWAYS get up to grab a snack. It happens at least once a week…sometimes I’ll be laying in bed trying to fall asleep after already having dinner and a snack (or two) and I feel my stomach start to rumble and I make sure I don’t go to sleep hungry. I just hate feeling hungry!!
Well done for listening to your body!! I have to admit, getting up in the night to have a snack when my tummy is roaring causes me some anxiety too which is why I never do it. Another reason is I wear a retainer to bed (hellooooooooo excuses). I think the next time I wake up in the night due to hunger pangs I’ll definitely think of you (not in a creepy way, if you don’t want…) I’ll get a damn snack!
Your oats always look amaaaaazing. Send me some yes? I’m almost on the cusp of getting you that kiwi you wanted. Stay tuned 😛
xxx
Why are your pictures always so amazing?!
I’m a huge night eater, don’t know why but I always have been! If I go to sleep hungry, I almost always wake up in the middle of the night feeling uncomfortable 🙁
Those oats sound so good! I am glad I’m not the only one who likes jam and humus together! Your eats look wonderful as always…..seriously, be my personal chef? I’ll pay for your airfare!!!!
Usually if I wake up hungry and want a midnight snack I’ll have a glass of warm coconut or soy milk and some nuts or a spoon (or two :)) of nut butter and it helps me fall right back asleep!
Nice dedication whipping out your camera at 3:30 by the way!
I’m positively obsessed with sweet potato fires. omg they are to die for. especially dipped in honey mustard! 🙂
crazy nighttime tummy rumbles happen to me too sometimes. not often… but when it happens I have to have SOMETHING! I’ll grab a banana or raisins or cheese and then pass back out. one time I made ramen… from scratch and with veggies and all types of herbs in it… that was a weird night 😉
happy wiaw Amanda!
I sometimes eat a pre-bed snack (if I’ve hungry), but if I wake up hungry, I just drink water and go back to sleep.
OMG! Everything looks so flavorful! So unique too. You have given all of us some AMAZING recipe ideas! Thanks for sharing. I especially like your steel cut oats recipes!
seriously, so proud of you 🙂
gahh i wnt that weight lifting book!! WOW!! that is early! thats a record for sure!! usually if its the middle of the night i wnt go downstairs and eat cuz it kinda scares me going down there in the dark in the night.. i watch WAY too many scary movies.. oh heeeckk no.. i just eat when im hangry ! no rules on timing!
Glad you shut up that hunger craving 😉 I use to have major issues with sleeping while hunger because I would eat dinner at like 5pm…Lol never again!! There’s no way I get hungry at night now considering I eat a huge bowl of cottage cheese at like 10pm. Hunger controlled!
I eat right before bed, too, but sometimes I still wake up hungry in the middle of the night.
I have low blood sugar so this happens to me often, like clockwork my stomach will wake me up at 2am and I am starving. I usually grab a handful of nuts and then I am good to go. I notice this more though when I am doing more and more cardio then anything.
I’ve definitely gotten out of bed to eat! Sometimes my stomach is grumbling so much that I feel sick- so the food wins :). Just an FYI I’m seriously so happy I found your blog!
Awwr. Thanks, hun 😀 That’s so sweet of you.
I sometimes to get up and grab some fruit…but that is about it.
About a week ago a nightly wake up call would came at me at 4AM screaming “hey, I’m hungry!” I ignored it unfortunately and felt terrible .. But I upped my intake the next day and it hasn’t been a problem since.
I didn’t think to much of it until now. So I just made a goal that if I wake up in the middle of the night hungry again, then you can bet your bottom dollar I’ll go eat something 😉
I wake up hungry in the middle of the night every so often too. I usually drink some water, and if that doesn’t help, I always eat something. I don’t care if it’s in the middle of the night! If I’m hungry, I eat. 🙂
I always eat cereal or toast with some pb and milk before bed! when I wake up hungry I usually have yogurt and raisins or something, I cannot fall asleep/get back to sleep hungry…ever 🙂
I truly commend you for eating at that time because you were hungry. Sounds so simple, but that still remains a major challenge for me, listening to my body! Somewhere along the road, I decided middle of the night eats were definitely never okay… so even if I wake up starving, I try to ignore it or drink a bucket of water.
Your oats look fantastic…how do you make them with eggs?
There’s a link to how I do it on my recipes page http://runwithspoons.wordpress.com/for-spoons/steel-cut-oats-base-tutorial/
And if cooking steelies is too time consuming, you can do the same thing with regular oats 🙂
Oh my gosh. I can’t believe how AMAZING your Chocolate AB&J Oats looks!!!
I’m so sorry about your 3:30 calls. I can relate…
I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night SUPER hungry, but I just ignore it (bad?) and have a big ol’ breakfast. 🙂
Yummy day! Sorry to hear about your early morning wake up, I absolutely hate those nights–I’m always like, thanks a lot pee, now I can’t sleep haha 😉 Enjoy the popcorn tonight!!
I’m so, so, so glad you are feeling better! Ohhh, and I’m coming over for dinner 🙂 I am always the cereal eater when I can’t sleep in the middle of the night. Serious snaps (don’t make fun, I’m a former sorority girl) for taking pictures in the middle of the night, and love that you passed out on the couch and woke up better rested! I used to have such a hard time eating between meals but now I love it–I am never starving for meals anymore and it feels good that I am finally giving my body what it needs.
Delicious & beautiful eats as always! Your mango tofu pudding is Dang good- I devoured some today- ripe mangos are lush!
I was just wondering if you ever have or can do your eggy bananified oats with all rolled oats?- I have searched high & low for steel cut, harassed shop assistants for it – but I can’t find them, Hurumph!
Hope you start getting more restful nights of sleep soon, I find sleep deprivation most tragic.
Xxx
Yep! I’ve tried them with regular oats and it works just fine. The texture is a little bit different, but they taste just as good 😀
Sorry to hear about the 3:30am wake up calls. I love how you whipped out the camera at 3:30 to take a picture 🙂 and that you honored your hunger! I usually wake up at 3:30 and have a glass of soy milk. It puts me back to sleep until 5. I have trouble eating too late at night but I’m getting used to it now!
I love all of your pictures and glad the rest day paid off!
Hopefully you will sleep better tonight, and not wake up with a growling stomach. That’s great you listened to your body and had a midnight snack even though you were feeling anxious about it! Sometimes I wake up a starvin-marvin in the night but I don’t have the guts to eat in the middle of the night, you’ve inspired me though so the next time that happens I’m going do the right thing and listen to what my stomach is saying! Plus if I’m super anxious I can just remember the times long ago when I was a kid and had sleepovers with friends and and we would stay up until 4:00 am eating the whole time 🙂
I always eat a bowl of cereal about 5 minutes before I go to sleep. Every night.
It helps me sleep and I run before eating anything in the morning, so this works for me.
Oh no! Hope you’re able to sleep better tonight. I slept well last night, but felt hungry around the same time you did – I didn’t honor that feeling though… I just slept through it. Maybe one day I will honor it.