Lately, I've been working on my fitness game. Five days a week at 7:50 am I walk a couple of blocks down the street to the Orange Theory studio where I get a major sweat on. I've been doing this for around 8 weeks now, almost immediately following the go-ahead from my GP after the whole baby/surgery/can't feel my abs thing. It's been absolutely amazing to have a whole hour all to myself. An hour that is all about me. I remember being 7 months pregnant and just counting down the days until I could workout again - and I don't mean walking from the couch to the fridge. I mean legs burning, heart pumping, sweat dripping, workouts.

I have this whole routine in the morning. I wake up at 6:45 am, feed the baby, change the baby, feed the dog, feed myself, let the dog outside to pee, and then get dressed. I leave the house at exactly 7:50 am to make it to the studio at 7:55 am with enough time to put my stuff in the locker and grab my station.

For breakfast the baby has breast milk, the dog has chicken and Burbank potato dog kibble, and I have oatmeal. The baby and the dog seem pretty content with their situation, but after eating oatmeal for breakfast for a couple of weeks straight, I'm getting pretty sick of it.

Through trial and error, I have found that oatmeal is the best pre-workout meal for me. It gives me plenty of energy to get through a workout without leaving me feeling too full or sluggish, and bonus, soluble fiber! I've seen a few recipes pop up in my feed over the last few weeks for baked oatmeal which inspired me to take my oatmeal game one step further, and transform it into a super healthy loaf of sorts. And this way I'd be able to slather a generous portion of almond butter and raspberry jam on top, which is a good enough reason in itself.

This loaf is made with all sorts of good stuff like whole wheat flour, oats, applesauce, coconut oil, flaked coconut, almonds, and raspberries. It's thick and moist and hearty and flavorful and everything that I am looking for in a breakfast loaf. It's not too sweet. The raspberry and coconut flavors are the main attraction. It's relatively high in fiber, low in sugar, slightly sour and a little nutty. And absolutely amazing.

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RASPBERRY, COCONUT, AND ALMOND OATMEAL BREAKFAST LOAF

makes 1 - 9" loaf

adapted from

Dorie Greenspan's Oatmeal Breakfast Bread

prep time: 15 minutes

cooking time: 60 minutes

2 large eggs

1 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

1/4 cup buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup old fashion oats

1/2 cup flaked coconut

1/3 cup slivered almonds

1 cup frozen raspberries

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Butter and then flour a 9-inch loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, applesauce, sugar, coconut oil, buttermilk, and vanilla with a wire whisk.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the oats, coconut, and almonds.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just combined.

Stir in the frozen raspberries.

Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool.

Can be stored in an airtight container for a week.