Mamavation Monday - The Fields Are Alive...

...with all the great produce my heart desires! 

Okay, most of what I desire. I live in Oregon, so not a pineapple or banana in sight, other than what is sold at the grocery store. It's okay, I can compromise.

This is the time of year we eat what is available and in season. Oh, my goodness! It is so good. Sweet young corn from the field, fresh picked green beans so sweet and crunchy, peaches ripe and warm in the orchard along with a bunch of dark leafy green things growing in my garden. I wish Summer would never end. Here is a little eye candy (fat free!) from our recent dinners... this is fresh corn and a kale/basil pesto I made with walnuts, served with a hazelnut and parmesan encrusted pork chop.  A bit carb heavy, but we finished it out with fresh cantaloupe.

Along with the food comes afternoons spent either outside playing in the sprinkler, so my scheduled workouts have fallen behind. As with every week, I am ready to start this week out right. Despite the Gruntstyle challenge finishing up (wasn't it fabulous?) I plan to stick with the workouts and keep pushing myself to do more and shave minutes off my time.

This week my goal is simple... I am going to carve out AT LEAST 1 hour a day for myself. I fully intend to wrap up the Hotter Than Hades Virtual Marathon soon, but need to devote some time to getting in the miles. After campaign 8 ended, I felt like a rubber-band being snapped back. I went so far into working out that I couldn't keep up my house and other responsibilities. Now that the house is back in order, I am ready to seek the balance I crave.

Scale pic for the week: 

-.6 lbs this week!!!

This week Recipe Share is back!!
I finally have something I am proud to show off to you Mamavation gals. Blueberries are being picked here in Oregon and this is how I celebrated our first taste this year....

Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes

You Will Need:

• 2 large eggs
• 1 c. plain greek yogurt
• 4 Tbsp. fat free milk
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1/2 tsp. lemon zest
• 3/4 c. whole wheat flour
• 1/4 c. AP flour
• 2 Tbsp. flax seed
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 c. blueberries

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. This will help keep the pancakes warm as you finish making them.

Melt the butter and set aside so it can cool slightly. Whisk together the other wet ingredients and lemon zest. Then add the butter.. In another bowl whisk together the dry ingredients, except the blueberries. 

Stir the dry ingredients in the wet just to combine. Lumps are fine.

Prepare your pan. I spray mine with cooking spray since I use a well seasoned cast iron skillet. Nothing sticks to it anymore. It does take a while to heat up, but is well worth the wait.

Pour 1/4 c. of batter into the heated skillet and cook. I place each blueberry on top of the pancake... this makes for perfect distribution and allows for designs or faces if I'm feeling creative. Oh, and I hate blue batter. Put the finished pancakes on a baking sheet and put them in the oven till your family is all ready to devour them.

Enjoy!

MAMAVATION TV: Join us Monday night at 7pm PST/10pm EST on Mingle Media TV

BLOGGING CARNIVAL: This week’s blogging carnival is sponsored by Organ Wise Guys and Fiber Choice. Two blogging carnival participants will each receive an Organ Wise Guys CD/Calendar to teach kids to eat healthy and Fiber Choice chewables for the parents. To be eligible answer the following blogging carnival question in your weekly Mamavation blog post and mention Organ Wise Guys and Fiber Choice with a link back to their sites. Link up your post here.

What nutrition lessons have you learned from your kids?

I have learned a lot in the past 4 years from my kids. I have learned that fresh and simple seems to keep everyone happy at the dinner table. Also,  a colorful and fun plate holds their attention longer.

And on a side note, because my kiddos has such a restrictive diet, due to their PKU, I have learned more about the nutritional content of fruit and veggies than I ever knew before. I know starchy veggies are higher in protein, where juicy fruits are very low. Squash, peas and broccoli have a fair amount of protein, but apples are about the lowest on the scale. I have to carefully monitor my kids' protein intake and keep it very low. It is a topsy-turvey way to look at food.

*Disclaimer - This post is sponsored by Organ Wise Guys and Fiber Choice and I’m writing this to be entered into a giveaway hosted by Mamavation .