It’s been one of those weeks. You know what I mean? I think it partially has to do with this annoying winter that just does not want to end.  Seriously, winter, it’s been swell but it’s time to let spring have its turn. Let’s not get greedy.

The GOOD thing about this week is that I’ve had the blog to keep me distracted. I really hope y’all are enjoying it so far.

Other highlights of the week included getting to do an awesome Partner WOD.

And doing some delicious (and nutritious) cooking with a friend. Actually, I think I mostly just enjoyed seeing him in an apron.

Hokay, moving on to my favorite things. Hmmm, where to start…

Ah, my Zensah compression sleeves. These guys are truly awesome. Maybe the best gift I’ve ever received. I really need to get some more colors, although I do love my pink. If you follow the blog, you’ll be seeing these a lot.

 For those who don’t know about compression sleeves, they help with everything from calf support to shin splint relief and also help decrease fatigue. They can be worn during training/running or afterwards for recovery. I like to wear them for sprints, box jumps, jump ropes, or anything else where you’re on your toes and putting a lot of stress on your shins.

Plus, they come in NEON. What’s not to love?

Next on the list of favorites is my workout buddies.

Seriously, I love these girls. They get me in all my craziness. They are my outlet when I need to let off steam, tell someone about a new PR or whine about being sore. People hate on “globo” gyms, but if it weren’t for mine, I never would have met some awesome people. And let me tell you, knowing that I get to see friendly faces each morning is a HUGE motivator to drag my butt out of bed at 530am on a cold winter day.

And we have matching compression socks, duh.

Finally, PANCAKES! I love pancakes. For breakfast, lunch or dinner. They’re always yummy. Top them with Greek yogurt and berries. Throw an egg  and some bacon on them. Eat one plain for a little pre-workout fuel. They’re just wonderful.

A lot of people have requested this recipe so here it is! I adapted it from several different sources, and it can take a while to get them the right consistency, so you may have to play around with the proportions a bit.

Gluten-free (Spinach) Banana Pancakes

Yields 6-8 pancakes

1 (very) ripe banana

3 eggs

1 cup egg whites

1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk (I use vanilla)

1/2 cup coconut flour (sometimes I do half coconut flour/half almond meal)

1 tsp baking powder

Dash of cinnamon

Optional: Add handful of spinach to make them green!

Mix the banana, spinach, eggs and milk in a blender. Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl. Pour wet into dry and mix well. Grease skillet with fat of choice, place over medium heat, pour on the batter and get to flippin’!

YUM.

Enjoy the weekend!

Julia