Buttermilk Blueberry Scones (perfect for a weekend morning!)

I have trying to get better at taking pictures – but I am not so good at it sometimes! This weekend has been filled with lots of things to do and lots of activity. My legs are tired, which means I need to do some yoga tomorrow to give them some stretches and a break. Yesterday we went on a 2 hour 20 minute walk around the area, and we had a sinful dinner: veggieburger with the works and fired! MMmmm! Sometimes you just need those greasy, yummy meals. This morning started with 5.25 miles on the elliptical at the gym – it was tough today – but I am glad I did it. Maybe the sodium from last night’s dinner made me sluggish?

I made a batch of my Buttermilk Blueberry Scones this weekend, and they are so tasty! Here is the day after pictures and recipe. I seriously think God wants me to open a bakery/cafe someday.

Buttermilk Blueberry Scones

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (plus whole wheat flour to “knead” dough)
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• dash of salt
• 4 tablespoons margarine, chilled and cubed
• 3/4 cup blueberries
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg

Directions

1. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt) and then “cut” the margarine into the flour mixture (I usually take my hands and work the butter and dry ingredients together – it becomes mealy in a sense – don’t overwork it).
2. Add milk and eggs into bowl, mix together slightly before mixing into dry ingredients. Dough should forms and then fold in blueberries. Be careful to not overwork the dough.
3. Dump dough on to whole wheat floured cutting board, shape into a large triangle and cut into wedges and triangles. Place on ungreased baking sheet for 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Place in preheated 375 degree oven on ungreased baking sheet for 15 to 20 minutes.

These are delicious warm and served next day!! I love them alone, with clotted cream, lots of different things. They are tasty.

 

Bananas and Apples.

This afternoon’s snack, which I did not snap a picture of, was one larger banana and small braeburn apple. Both were tasty, and I feel pretty good right now but I know I will need to eat something before I hit the gym today. If I don’t, I might rip someone’s head off from lack of food.

I also finished off a few bites of carrots, my stomach seems to be burning through the fruit and veggies I am putting in my stomach today. I always like to fuel up before the gym too, or then I am just hungry and sluggish. I am going to eat a Quaker Oatmeal Chocolate Chip chewy bar about 15 minutes before I leave for the gym.

Today’s gym workout will be elliptical, my hip is feeling a little wonky. So I will aim for 5 miles or more. I will also being doing a little bit of strength training to wrap up my workout. Here’s the plan:

Friday Workout:
+ Ellipticial Trainer for 5 miles (burn about 700 calories)
+ 3 sets of 15 reps: chest pull downs @ 20-25 lbs
+ 3 sets of 15 reps: back extensions
+ 2 sets of 20 reps: oblique crunches with 12 lbs
+ 3 sets of 20 reps: chest glides with 7-8 lbs

I am going to take is easy on my legs today. I usually do adductor and abductor, but my right hip isn’t super happy right now. So I will stick to a few easy things and work some leg work in this weekend.

Time to finish the day strong!

TGIF.

I do not know how some people can work 4 ten-hour work days every week. Godspeed to ya if you do! I am so happy this week is coming to a close. I need to great organized. I am still nursing my coffee from earlier and am about half way done with my Nalgene.

I am trying to track my food differently now – with the times. I will try to take pictures when I can, I just haven’t been as focused on that as I should be. For the rest of the day I will be snapping pictures.

My sweetheart stopped by my work today to say hello. He then ran some errands for me because he is the best! We are going to play one of the best games for the Wii. I asked for it for Christmas and my honey never disappoints. This game is FUN and makes you sweat a little. For those days when you don’t feel like exercising…this is perfect! It’s called Just Dance 2 and I adore it. You can have fun and burn a few calories. It’s fun, gets you moving, and is an easy “exercise” to do on your off days. There is also a “Just Sweat” setting, where you have a goal of a certain number of songs per day to reach a certain number of “sweat” points a week. Check it out! It’s worth it!

11:20am: Ate my PB&J for lunch

Lunchtime.

It’s lunch time! On the menu today is another banana the size of Florida and a PB&J. Quick and easy. I ate the banana and only half of the sandwhich – and for some reason I can’t finish the other half. I think I will save it for a little bit later!

I also need to start drinking more water – some times water just doesn’t sound great. But I know for health benefits, I should drink more. I have a tendency to drink just enough…and then I feel super dehydrated for the next day. Goal: drink two water bottles a day (that’s 8 glasses, the daily recommended amount).

Ok, so now I am finishing the other half of the sandwhich. 😀

My fiance got stellar scores on his Praxis test! I am going to take him out to dinner to celebrate tonight. He really exercised his brain, so he did an amazing job (as I expected)! It’s just a matter of finding something yummy and cost-effective for dinner tonight. I am thinking soup and sandwhich (yum!) – but knowing my fiance – he’ll probably want pizza (which is a-ok with me 😉 ).

Speaking of exercise, I am finding my motivation is nill today. I am exhausted. And it’s only Tuesday. I will probably do a circuit that I do sometimes when I am in trying to squeeze something but don’t have the ideal amount of time or energy. You don’t need a gym or any equipment – just some music, 30 minutes, and a tiny bit of motivation.

It’s a ten-minute circuit that I do three times:

1. Butt kicks – 1 and 1/2 minutes
2. Squats – 1 and 1/2 minutes
3. Lunges – 1 and 1/2 minutes
4. Reverse crunches or toe reaches – 30 seconds
5. Leg lowers with oblique crunch – 30 seconds
6. Flutter kicks or cross over crunch – 1 minute
7. Push-ups – 30 seconds
8. Lotus pose – 30 seconds
9. Donkey Kicks – 30 seconds
10. Jumping Jacks – 1 minute
11. Skaters – 1 minute

Drinking some green tea – ready to finish off the day strong!