Mt. Bonnell Workout + Egg White Vegetable Bars

Today was an absolutely beautiful day in Austin, Texas. I knew it from the moment I left my house to go to church this morning, and though I was cooped up a lot of the day doing homework and such, I managed to get out of the house to complete a new workout.

I wanted to run, but since I ran yesterday and my toe isn't completely healed, I still decided to take my workout outside so that I could enjoy the sunshine, get in a killer workout, and spend some time at one of my very favorite places in the world - Mt. Bonnell. It is the highest point in Austin and you get a beautiful view of the skyline, as well as a picture perfect view of Lake Austin. I wasn't alone in my idea to go there, because people were constantly coming up and down while I was there.

The beginning of the climb

I have made many a visits to Mt. Bonnell, and believe it or not, it makes for a good workout spot, too. There are exactly 106 steps to the top of Mt. Bonnell, so just imagine running up that many big slabs of rock ten times. It was tough, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself, especially because there was another woman there who was walking up and down the steps and we were able to encourage one another the entire way. It also didn't hurt that after my workout I got to enjoy a beautiful view. Views like this make it all worth it. I am definitely going to try and make this a regular part of my exercise routine - a workout with a view, you just can't beat it!

After Mt. Bonnell I knew that I wanted to do something else, but I still wasn't feeling like taking my workout to the gym. The weather was just too perfect. I drove on over to Town Lake and walked the three-mile loop, while also capturing some beautiful pictures. I wouldn't mind staying in Austin for the rest of my life. Days like today are my favorite and I hope there are many more coming our way this semester.

Egg White Vegetable Bars

I mentioned a few posts ago about my first-time experience with making my own scrambled egg whites. Well, I made them again for breakfast yesterday and while they were good, I didn't know if I was going to want them again before they went bad. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and I don't like to be tied down to one thing. So, I perused the Internet for a healthy and delicious recipe that uses egg whites. The end result? My egg white vegetable bars.

Ingredients

• 1 carton of liquid egg whites
• Diced vegetables - I used pico de gallo and diced zucchini and squash

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit

2. Spray PAM cooking spray in each individual hole so that the bars don't stick to the pan

3. Put your diced vegetables at the bottom of the pan

This pan is the greatest - it makes for perfectly proportioned baked goods

4. Pour egg whites over the vegetables - I filled each hole about halfway, but I would probably do a bit more next time - I was just running out of egg whites!

5. Place in oven and cook for 25-30 minutes

6. You probably won't eat them all at once, so place them in a tupperware container that will go in the fridge. When you want to eat one (or two), just heat it up in the microwave for 10-15 seconds

And it's as easy as that. I had two last night with my dinner and I was hooked. Perfect for using up the last of my liquid egg whites so that they don't go to waste.

Enjoy your Sunday, and the fact that you don't have work or school tomorrow! Thanks, MLK!