Good morning! I’m riding a pretty sweet endorphin high right now thanks to an a.m. run with these lovely ladies.
I met up with my college buddies Kathleen and Sarah at 7 a.m. down on the National Mall. It had been too long since we all met up since we’ve all been traveling a ton lately! I really missed them – so good to catch up over a little exercise. 
We started our jaunt heading towards/past the Capitol. I love this view of it coming back!
It was super humid and gray out again, but at least we didn’t have the July sun beating down on us. Even if it’s early morning it still feels hotter when the sun is out!
The miles FLEW by this morning thanks to chatting away the whole time! Around mile 4, we decided to stop up at the Washington Monument to take in the views.
So lovely that it’s finally open again to the public!
And so cool to get to take it all in without the crowds. I love early morning on the National Mall – it’s so quiet and calm out, and the only other people around are runners. You feel like you own the place.
The girls and I looped back near the Capital, dropped off Kathleen, and Sarah and I continued back towards Metro Center, where we stopped and got coffee and then strolled a little ways. What a wonderful way to start the day. 6 miles, too – sweet!
As for food, I made a super easy lunch yesterday I wanted to share – have you guys ever tried this Channa Masala from Trader Joe’s?
I’m not normally a frozen/convenience food person at all because I don’t find them very satisfying (and the ingredient lists are usually atrocious), but I really like this stuff – stellar ingredient list and super tasty, too. The key with things like this is to just bulk it up a bit with some veggies and add ins so it’s more satisfying!
I started with a base of wilted spinach – just pop a HUGE handful of baby spinach on a plate, microwave 1 minute, and bam.
Next up – 90 second brown rice.
Followed by the Channa Masala and some cherry tomatoes, to amp up the volume a little.
YUM! The Channa Masala package contains two servings, but I was super hungry and ended up eating all of it. No shame. Don’t be scared to listen to your bodies, friends! Some days you just need more food than others and that’s okay. Second guessing yourself and denying your hunger is what ends up getting you into trouble later. If you’re hungry, eat. Your body knows what it needs, and those needs will change a little day to day, so what might satisfy you one day might not be enough the next, and vice versa.
Zara agrees. She’s a good intuitive eater.
Have a wonderful day, my friends!
A D.C-tastic Morning Run + A 5 Minute Lunch originally appeared on fANNEtastic food | Washington D.C. area Registered Dietitian | Recipes + Healthy Living + Fitness on July 24, 2014.
The post A D.C-tastic Morning Run + A 5 Minute Lunch appeared first on fANNEtastic food | Washington D.C. area Registered Dietitian | Recipes + Healthy Living + Fitness.