Breakfast Under the Oaks

Wow!  What a beautiful day it is today!  It's supposed to be another hot one and like yesterday, I'm enjoying a bit of fresh air and the shade of the oak trees in our yard.

Between attempting a little bit of gardening (more on this in a future post, along with an explanation of why I use the word attempt), I decided to grab a quick and somewhat healthy breakfast.

I'm really trying to get into the habit of eating breakfast in the morning.  Too often I'm running around in the morning, getting Gracie and I ready for school and work, with just enough time to get us out the door without being late.  Then realizing too late, that I forgot to eat (or didn't allow time for eating).  This then leads to me grabbing something very unhealthy to eat in the car on my way to work.

With my hours dwindling down to just a day or two a week and summer vacation just a couple of weeks away, I hope it will be easier to get into the habit of sitting down to a decent breakfast each morning before running off to have some summer fun!

I think breakfast under the oaks will be a great way to start our summer mornings!

Where I am today......Under the Big Oak Tree

It's a hot one today!  We don't have central air and Joe hasn't put the window units in yet since it's been really chilly up until now.

Lucky for me, our back yard is very shady thanks to our oak trees (and maple tree).

I filled the dog's pool so she can wet her feet to cool off and I'm relaxing at the picnic table under the trees.  Perfect way to relax on a hot day!


You can find this post linked to the following blog parties:

• Outdoor Wednesday 

Spending Less While Eating Healthy

Eating healthy is a constant struggle for me.  Not because I don't LOVE healthy foods.  As a foodie, I find that I LOVE food - ALL FOOD - too much!

And while I do love to eat big salads and lots of fresh fruit, I find it's so much easier to grab a bag of chips or some cookies rather than chopping up some melon or digging through the fruit drawer in the fridge.  Plus, for the most part, junk food is cheaper and has a longer shelf life.

In an effort to make grabbing a healthy snack easier, I've started keeping a bowl of fruit on the counter or kitchen table.  This also helps me to remember that we have fruit that needs to be eaten.  We have an older fridge with dark drawers, so once we put our produce in there, it's out of sight out of mind!

Also, for me, I like to eat with my eyes.  Meaning appearance is a big deal for me when it comes to food.  I love fancy packaging when shopping for food and plating my food nicely when it's time to sit down to a meal.  So, to make my fruit appealing to me, I pile it up nicely in one of my vintage milk glass bowls or in one of my favorite chippy enamelware bowls.

Where I live, I'm surrounded by little towns that set up farmers' markets during the summer weekends.  Fresh, local fruits and veggies can often be found for a very good deal.  Plus, we have a very large produce store nearby that has very low prices!

This week, I picked up a bag of very cute and equally delicious clementines or maybe they are mandarin oranges (?  the bag wasn't labeled).  They are soooo tiny and very sweet!  Plus, they were very cheap!  I found them on the discounted produce rack at the grocery store for $1.49 for 18 of these sweet, little snacks!