They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. 

I don't know about you, but for YEARS I struggled with what to eat for breakfast. Cereal always left me feeling super hungry an hour later. I never really felt good after eating a cereal bar. And who has time for eggs? 

For almost a year now, my go-to breakfast has been oatmeal. This is what I have 99% of the time. Except for when my husband, Stephen, creates an amazing breakfast on Saturday mornings. 

Oatmeal is a solid source of protein and fiber. Did I mention that it's SUPER quick!?

Here is my collection of items to create what I consider "A Strong Breakfast for Busy Moms":

As you can see, there is TON going on here, but I promise it's QUICK!

OK, so YES, I use TWO kinds of oatmeal. Growing up we had the old school maple brown sugar oatmeal packets. For some reason I cannot let that stuff go. 

So, I take one packet of the brown sugar oatmeal and combine it with a little of the regular Quaker Oats (seen in the yellow container). 

I have a collection of portion control containers for food. The containers help me when I prepare my meals so I don't go overboard with my portions. This has always been a challenge for me and I find they super helpful! They are GREAT tools for success and I always keep them close by in the kitchen! The yellow one is for carbs. 

As a side note, I go ahead and get the large container of oats since I go through it so quickly. 

 

After the old school brown maple sugar is combined with the regular oats, I'll add chia seeds and flax seed!

What tha?

Flax seed has great benefits! Flax contains powerful antioxidants called lignans, which are phytochemicals (or plant chemicals) that provide many health benefits. They are metabolized by friendly bacteria is your gut, then absorbed and circulated in the blood. 

Chia seeds are one of the healthiest foods on the planet! They are loaded with anti-oxidants, protein and fiber. One cool thing I learned about Chia seeds is that they derived from the Aztec Mayans and the actual word means "strength." The Aztec Mayans used to eat handfuls of these seeds before hunting and it kept them full for hours! 

So yeah, if the Aztec Mayans used these little seeds for more stamina and strength, this momma needs them too! 

Then to top it off, my blueberries! They add a delicious sweetness to the mixture! You see them in the first photo in that little purple container. The purple container helps portion out fruits! 

This literally takes me three minutes start to finish. I am full and focused until about 10:30am - 11:00am give or take! 

I will say it does take some getting used to, but for me, this is a healthy and quick way to ensure you start your day off strong! 

xoxo,

Saralyn 

Fresh Face

Today, I did something I have never done before...I have created a BLOG! I am blogging? I am a BLOGGER?

Lord, what have I gone and done now?

Let me preface and say that I am in NO way the best writer. I am scared to DEATH. I don't even know if people read blogs anymore. Do they?

For some reason, it's got me excited and I want to.
For some reason, I feel a need to get things out.
For some reason, I want to write.

 Lately, I feel that things have become so quick and fast. Especially on social media. The things I want to say may be better explained and heard here, so I thought why not give it a try?

Now we are are finished having children, I recently decided to take on a condition I have called Melasma. If you are a new mom, you know EXACTLY what I am talking about. It's that brown patchy, hyper-pigmentation you can get due to the hormones of having children. Needless to say, I am very insecure about it and I am finally able to start treatment. As a health and wellness coach, most people see me without makeup. I know it may seem vain, but I would LOVE to be able NOT to wear any makeup and not think twice about it!

Soooooooo...... Today, I had my first CHEMICAL PEEL treatment. It was less than relaxing, but it always feels nice to have someone else do something to you, right?

Here are a few of the highlights and what to expect:

* The treatment itself stings a little, but it's not too bad!
* It took about an hour start to finish.
* I can't wash my face until tomorrow morning.
* I can't touch my face until tomorrow morning.
* I can't snuggle with the kiddos.
* I can't workout for at least two days (NOT excited about that).
* I must stay out of the direct sun for a few days.
* I hope to see a difference in a few months.

Over the next day or so, I have decided to just lay low. I might do some yin yoga and work on some things that I need to get done anyway...oh and start a BLOG!

I am currently looking into both Obaji and PCA projects. To all you mamma's out there, if you have any suggestions on how you treated this, I would love to hear!

xoxo, Saralyn