Pre and post workout fuel is the big talk in the health and fitness world. You can find article after article and post after post telling you what is the best thing to eat before and after you workout. I believe it comes down what works for you. Everyone is different, every body is different. I am a firm believer in a balanced nutrition plan that includes a lot of fruits and vegetables; good, quality meat and dairy; and very little processed food. (Check out my post: What Should You Be Putting In Your Grocery Cart?)
Full Disclosure: This post is a part of a 4 part series sponsored by Indiana Dairy. Indiana Dairy has paid me for my time for these posts. They have provided a registered dietitian for me to ask questions and gain knowledge. All opinions are my own. I have not been asked to push a specific product.
I love oatmeal. I used to eat oatmeal every single day for breakfast. My oatmeal regiment went something like this: in the spring and summer I would eat oats with dark chocolate and strawberries; or oats with blueberries and almond butter. Fall would come and it would turn into oats with apples, cinnamon and walnuts. Once winter would hit I would eat it with bananas, walnuts and cinnamon; and then once the first container of strawberries were out at the store I would repeat this cycle. (Note: my dark chocolate is part of my very little processed food.)
Then I learned a little more about nutrition. Oats, fruit and sometimes nuts: carbs, carbs, and a little bit of fat. I was missing a good amount of protein to start my day. So I stopped eating my oats for breakfast and stuck to protein and fat: usually I eat eggs, veggies and avocado for breakfast. Sometimes I will throw in a half of an apple and almond butter or nuts. Most of the time I throw in my oats after my workout instead of before.
There is an exception to this rule: when I do my long, training runs. When I set out for a long run, I need more carbs before my workout. That is how my body works. I need carbs, protein and fat before I begin to pound that pavement for an hour or more. Before a run I put back in the oatmeal but I needed to add fat and protein to it. This is how I fueled my body throughout my half marathon training this fall. This is how I fueled my body before running my personal best half marathon.
This is where my hot oats with creamy Siggi’s Icelandic yogurt became a staple in my house. I transformed a few of my favorite oatmeal concoctions and added in this creamy, delicious yogurt for the perfect pre- run meal that woudl be sure to fuel me for those long, Saturday morning runs.
Creamy Strawberry Chocolate Oats
1/2 cup of old fashioned oatmeal
1 container of Siggi’s strawberry yogurt
2 tbsp of dark chocolate chips
1/2-1 cup of strawberries
For the record, yes, it is totally okay to eat chocolate in your yogurt. For me, it is all about balance and when I am setting out for a long run, I am fine with eating some dark chocolate for breakfast.
Creamy Blueberry Almond Oats
1/2 cup of old fashioned oatmeal
1 container of Siggi’s vanilla yogurt
1 tbsp of Almond Butter
1/2-1 cup of blueberries
These two recipes could be recreated with any yogurt of your choice. I just love Siggi’s yogurt. It contains anywhere from 10-15 grams of protein in it, has a low sugar content and tastes richer to me. It is not just me who loves this yogurt: my kids do too. Adding yogurt to oatmeal is not just a staple on my long, run days, but my kids eat it in their oatmeal daily. I buy plain oatmeal with no added flavoring, this is one of the ways I can get my two munchkins to eat their entire bowl of oatmeal. The best part is they too are getting good, healthy fat and protein with a minimal amount of sugar for breakfast.
Give it a shot, add some yogurt to your next bowl of oatmeal and let me know what you think. Start by adding a little, tasting it and then adding more as you please.
Your turn- tell me?
How do you incorporate dairy into your diet?
What is your go-to pre workout meal?
So how do you incorporate the yogurt? You cook the oatmeal first and add in yogurt? Is it a cold dish or a warm dish? Trying to figure out this whole oatmeal thing
Deborah, I add it cold right after it is done cooking. So yummy… it is a warm dish. I will add that to the post for better clarification.
I love oatmeal! Since I’m lactose-intolerant, I stay away from yogurt, but I mix protein powder into my to add protein. Top it with nut butter and it’s glorious!
Great idea. I am figuring out my body and dairy. I can’t do milk. I love ice cream but it doesn’t love me. I can do only certain brands of yogurt and certain types of cheese. Weird, right?
I love Siggi’s and adding it to oatmeal is an awesome idea!
Your oatmeal looks so much better than mine! I need to try adding yogurt. Looks yummy!
I would have never thought to add oatmeal to my yogurt before. Thanks!
I love oatmeal, but I don’t think I could add yogurt to it. Milk, yes, but anything thicker than that is a no go. It’s definitely a popular serving method, though.
I love oatmeal. Sometimes when we are out of regular milk, I make mine with soy milk. I could do yogurt too. That’s a great idea!
This looks good! Other than milk in cereal, I usually don’t do a lot of protein first thing in the morning, I usually save it for my mid-mrning snack. But this looks so good!! I definitely need to mix it up.
I used to be the same way with oatmeal and then realized I needed more protein in the morning. And I had to add dark chocolate chips to it, get them a little melted with some frozen berried and yummo! This is awesome, though. I love Siggi’s too but I never thought to mix it with oatmeal! Great idea!
Sue, I bet your littles would like it too. Mine love it!