Happy Wednesday, friends. I mentioned awhile back that I’m trying to incorporate more protein into my meals. I’m not normally a big meat eater, and when I start to up my running, I just feel generally depleted. So, my body has been craving some more protein. I’ve gotten creative with ways to add it in starting with breakfast.
You all know that one of my favorite breakfast items is yogurt with granola and a fruit. Well, I’ve switched over to organic whole milk greek yogurt (Stonyfield is my preferred brand), which packs a nice punch of protein to start off my day. And, I found this Keto friend granola at Costco awhile back. It has 8 grams of protein per serving.
There’s my little protein-packed breakfast in all it’s glory 🙂
An ode to running
Even though I’m not officially training for a race at the moment (there have been talks about a 10K, which is my favorite distance), I’m still keeping up with my indoor running. I picked up running when I was in grad school – even though I had never been a runner my entire life leading up to that. It was a way for me to get out and clear my head after a long day in the classroom – or working on my thesis. And, it’s been such a healthy outlet for me ever since. Few things in life can clear my head or make me feel better than a run. There is something so therapeutic about physically moving your body to physically put you in a better state of mind.
My husband is an early morning runner. He’s incredibly productive in the morning, and he knocks his workout out first thing. He and I have chatted a lot about how that gives him a chance to clear his headspace to think through and plan out his day. I am an evening runner through and through, and I use it as a way to physically create distance between my work day – and my personal life. And, if I can’t get out for a run – or I don’t feel like it, I use my walks around our neighborhood with my dogs to create that separation from work and personal life.
And, this is about to be one of my top marriage tips: get out and get moving with your spouse. Aaron and I love to run together. And, this fall, I hope to be able to pick up our outdoor runs together in the evenings. He and I have run countless races together – and we’ve cheered each other on from the sidelines. There is no better way to work out some of those every day frustrations than to hit the road together on a run. Running, as a team, has allowed us to overcome obstacles big – and small.
So, this blog post took a bit of a detour, but thanks for letting me share some of my favorite reasons I run. Trust me, it has a point – sort of. I’ve been doing some Peloton running lately, and in my quest to add more protein throughout my day, I’ve been making some new recipes for dinner (and for lunches). I made some meatballs the other night that were a big hit, so I thought I’d share.
This guy even got to give one a taste.
30 Minute Meatballs
These meatballs were so good, and I used good-for-you ingredients. I served these with asparagus, but you could serve them over some pasta with marinara, or serve them with your favorite veggie. They take just 30 minutes to make from start to finish.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1 pound of grass fed ground beef
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup of almond meal (or panko bread crumbs)
- 1 teaspoon of red chili flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon of fennel seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon of oregano
- 3 cloves of minced garlic
- 1 cup of chopped kale
- 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese
Here’s what you’ll do:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Mix all of the ingredients together until combined.
- Form into meatballs – you can do big or small. I like the smaller ones.
- Place on foil or parchment paper and pop your pan in the oven for 25 minutes.
- While they are cooking, prep your veggies and pop them in to cook with your meatballs.
And, enjoy!
In thirty minutes, you’ve got yourself a protein-packed dinner. But beyond that, it’s incredibly tasty and doesn’t take too long to whip up. So, make these if you are a bit short on time. It made enough meatballs that I had some leftover for lunch the following day!
Happy Wednesday, friends.
