Morning bloggies!  Happy Friday.  We got in shortly after midnight and I slept until 7am!  Wish I could have got a few more ZzzzZzs but my body has a routine.  The concert was something else, that’s for sure.  I knew a few of the Billy Talent songs but over all was pretty bored and spent a good portion of the night on my Blackberry tweeting and reading blogs.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, what did I do before my crackberry? ;) 

This morning I woke up with a plan to try these instant oats.  Normally I make stovetop oats but these were sent to me to sample for the blog so I thought I’d give them a try.  With the use of more wholesome ingredients, Quaker is overhauling many of their products. They’ve introduced these new 100% Whole Grain Oatmeal packets, which I’ve spotted at Superstore on several occasions.  I really think it’s great that a huge company like this is making healthy changes to their products, I wish more companies would jump on board!  For the record, the only thing the ingredient list says is  – 100% whole grain rolled oats.  Naturally contains oat bran. 

I added 1/3c of UVAB & 1/3c water to the packet and microwaved for 2m30sec.  Stirred ever 45 secs or so.  Topped with a scoop of peanut butter, 1/2 sliced banana and a drizzle of maple syrup.  Mmmm mmm! These were good, and at only 2 points per packet, I will be stashing a few in my desk for a filling, healthy snack. 

For those wondering about the Nutrition Info – 120 cals, 2g fat, 20g carbs, 3g fibre & 4g protein.

 
Accompanied by a big mug of french press Just Us.
 

After my breakkie I was ready to go, so I headed over to Superstore for a load of groceries.  I love shopping during weekday mornings, the store was empty!!   Once I got home, I threw together a pot of Chicken Tortilla soup in the slow cooker.

 
I got this idea from Shari’s Slow Cooker Challenge recipe.  Ever since I saw her post I’ve been wanting to make it and today worked! 

Made a few modifications to the original recipe – ommitted the enchiladas sauce since I couldn’t find it anywhere, instead I blended the can of diced tomatoes before adding them to the pot and added 1/2c salsa, I also added 1c of black beans for more fibre/protein and left out the cilantro because I’m not really a fan.  The house smells sooooo good right now.  Can’t wait to try some for lunch with a side of Baked Tostitos.  I put the NI into my WW Recipe Builder and each serving of soup works out to 2 points.  Sweet!

 
 
I’m now relaxing and having a little snackie – Blue Bran Vitamuffin.

Yum!

The rest of my day looks like this:

• Rip up carpet in living room/hallway as we’re installing the new flooring tomorrow! Whoot!
• Bake a batch of Chocobran Muffins.
• Get out for a run! <—Yes, I woke up EXCITED to hit the pavement.  What a nice feeling, I’ve been seriously missing the motivation lately. I’ll let you all know how it goes later tonight.

And, last but not least I want to mention a few things about my Relay fundraising.  I just got another donation this morning! Yay! :)  We’re getting there, can’t wait to break my $2,500 goal!

In regards to the online raffle,  someone suggested giftcards and I think it’s a great idea.  I was thinking along the lines of Lululemon, Starbucks etc.  What do you think?  Any other suggestions?  I’m hoping to make this happen soon so your feedback is greatly appreciated!

PS.  Big thanks to Ali, who showed me some love on her blog last night.  🙂

Okay, I’m off to catch up with all of you. I finally have a bit of free time now!  My laptop appears to be functioning alright.  Not perfect, I seem to have to shut down every few hours or the keys start doing their own thing but at least it’s not a write off!