Oatmeal Toppings & Moonbows

This post is part of a weekly series, Oatmeal Toppings, featuring the best posts of the week in food, cooking, fitness, and challenges on OatmealinmyBowl.com.

Here are some of the best articles I have stumbled upon, read on Facebook, retweeted on @OatmealBowl, and read in RSS subscriptions this week.

Fitness

• stress vs sweat - When Lori and Michelle were having a highly stressful day where nothing was going right, they put a HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workout to the rescue and called it, “Sweat Beats Stress Workout” (great name!). Check out these 6 exercise to help you feel like you can conquer anything! BTW, they like (raw reserve) Amazing Grass Super Food, too.
• Running Your First Marathon – Micheal wrote this 4-part series on running your first marathon. It includes the experience of training, being an athletic supporter, finding motivation, his marathon recap, and how its a great place to meet chicks (aka Whitney).
• Mission Inn Half Marathon Recap - Bobbie is local blogger to me and just ran the Mission Inn 1/2 marathon with friends Susie and Monica (RunEatRepeat). Check out how the race fared for these gals.
• Workout Motivation and How the Right Gear Can Help - Brittany thinks we could all use a little motivation this time of year (I totally agree!). She talks about different things that can we can do to keep ourselves motivated to eat nutritious foods, workout and live a balanced, healthy lifestyle.

Food/Cooking

• Cranberry & Orange Ginger Mango Chutney - OMG! What a gorgeous chutney! And it has all my favorite ingredients in it. Something magical about cranberry and orange wafting through the house during holiday times. Averie found a way to make her favorite Trader Joe’s inspired chutney for pennies on the dollar.
• Pumpkin goat cheese dip with caramelized onions - The title of this recipe just makes me swoon. As Gina says, “How something can go from making you cry in it’s raw form to tasting like sweet candy when cooked is beyond me, but I’m not complaining.” Seriously, go check this deliciousness out!
• 35+ Non-Boring Lunch Ideas - Did you know if you spend $5 minimum on lunch every day, 5 days a week, 50 weeks a year that’s $1,250! Kristin thinks you start packing your own lunches and spend the cash on a 5-day, all-inclusive trip to Mexico. I agree! Here are 35+ ideas to get you started.
• Pumpkin Banana Bread – Two recipes mashed up into one! Courtney from Sweet Tooth Sweet Life creates a ‘special bread’. And I think it would be perfect to serve with the upcoming holidays or to make as Christmas gifts (hey people, its like 5 – 6 weeks away).
• Cappucinno Desert Oatmeal - Not actually the title name, but its part of the post content. After reading Brittany’s motivation post (above), it had me thinking about Heather’s healthy dessert to comfort me during the cold. Bam! Would totally hit the spot.

Organization

• How to Store Pantry Food for Maximum Shelf Life - Okay…Aimee has like the best organized pantry ever (loving the Modular Mates)! With the holidays coming and our nosey girlfriends & relatives judging you on house appearance, I thought this was a good post to mention. On top of making the pantry look good, you are doing yourself a favor by providing the maximum shelf life for your food essentials.

The Great Outdoors

• Top 5 Reasons to go to Yosemite - Sarah shares her awesome trip to Yosemite with us. Even braving the possibility of mountain lions in the area to take a breathtaking 7.5 mile walk with her hubby. And says, “make sure to eat at least one meal at the Ahwahnee”.
• Bienvenido a Miami - Anne and Matt took a weekend trip to Maimi where they stayed at the beautiful JW Marriott Marquis, dined on squid ink pasta, took an awesome run around town, and worked out in a gym with a view to die for (okay, maybe not that extreme but its quite a lovely view). Check out Anne’s post for some great pictures of their trip.
• The End of America - Ever seen a jackalope? I thought they were only myth, too. Until I saw this post. Check out some amazing backpacking pics of Wyoming, Yosemite, Utah, and Minnesota. As for me and Devil’s Tower, I still want to climb up it and see if alien life form will contact me.

Challenges

• Pile on the Miles 2011 - This challenge is being ran by Monica over at Run Eat Repeat. It’s about  encouraging you to pile on miles instead of pounds in November. While this challenge already started, it might be good to follow for some inspiration to keep weight at bay.
• Winter 100 Challenge - Need a longer challenge? The Running Mom challenges you to run 100 miles combined in the months of December, January and February with her. Up for such trek?
• Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge - Did you know the average American gains and maintaining 5 pounds of holiday weight (didn’t know, but believe it). Instead of getting the unwanted gift that keeps on giving, try this challenge for a change. The challenge provides added incentive to find time for workouts, find room for veggies and feel good through the holiday season. And is made to fit whatever level you are at!

Photo of the Week

Camera: Cannon Powershot S5 IS
Processing: Microsoft Photo Editor

Moonbows – Yosemite Nature Notes

Have you ever seen a moonbow? I didn’t even know they existed until recently. During the full moon of the the spring and early summer, lunar rainbows, also known as moonbows, can be seen on many of Yosemites waterfalls. Fascinating!

Here is the link if you have trouble viewing: http://bit.ly/pEThgd

Don’t Miss out on Oatmeal Toppings!

Be sure to catch the weekly roundups by subscribing to Oatmeal in My Bowl full feed via RSS or Email.