Monday, Monday... so good to me!

Short version: I ate reasonably. I took a nap. I went for a run. I drank lots of coffee.

Long version:

The little guy is getting the hang of this "sleeping away from home" gig again. He conked out from 7:45pm to 5:45am, when The H was able to get him back to sleep until 7:30. Great start to the day! The sun was shining, it was not as cold or windy as it was yesterday, and we had a jogging stroller, toys, and booster seat delivered from the rental company.

For breakfast, I mixed up a bowl of steel-cut oats and cup of coffee with half and half while I boiled a half-dozen eggs for the week. Old baby formula dispensers are great for toting single-servings of oats and protein powder! I brought one 4-compartment container with oats, and one 4-part container with protein.

Apparently, I am a better gas-stove cook. Oops.

The end result was good, though. I stirred in a scoop of apple butter, more almond butter than I intended, a shake of pumpkin pie spice (what, you don't travel with that?), and a handful of raw almonds for a change of texture. I also had half of a gigantic banana.

The little guy munched a blueberry muffin, a whole banana, and a few cocoa-vanilla bunnies. He wasn't really a fan of the bunnies.

After breakfast the two of us set out to explore a bit of the shopping area, with the intent of making it down to the water for a snack break. Alas, the Gap outlet sucked us in, so his mid-morning munch was a package of fruit snacks while I tried on some skirts. I had a Kashi honey almond flax granola bar when we were done shopping. By this time the little guy was starting to look a bit sleepy, so we saved the water for another day and headed back to our room for lunch.

His lunch was turkey and black beans, cheddar cheese, egg white, hummus/chips, and grapes. He had milk to drink.

Yes, he is dipping his black beans into the hummus. This kid is all about the musical fruit...

My lunch was half of a whole-wheat wrap with turkey, black beans, salsa, cheese, and spinach, along with a hardboiled egg white, hummus/chips, grapes, dried apple rings, and lots of water. Very filling!

After naptime, which was a vast improvement over yesterday's lack of one, I downed a bowl of cocoa bunnies and low-fat milk while the little guy cried for more fruit snacks. I'm a sucker.

He also had the second half of my banana from breakfast.

Dinner came from Whole Foods, after our attempt to find the gluten-free-crust-making pizza place less than 2 miles away ended when we couldn't figure out a way to get across the highway on foot, about a mile into the journey. A stash of pretzels in my purse kept the little guy from losing his marbles; The H and I each had about 6 M&Ms.

I love the hot food/salad options at Whole Foods! Everything is clearly labeled with ingredients (so I can pick the shortest/cleanest ingredients lists) and allergens (so The H doesn't croak at dinner). We were each able to get what we wanted without hemming and hawing over a menu, annoying other diners with the little guy's operatic tendencies, and we could take our food out wherever we wanted.

We ended up in a little plaza across from the Metro station. It was nice and quiet, and we had a view of trains, a fountain, and a few dogs. Custom-made dining for the little guy!

Since I wanted to go for a run afterwards, I opted for a lighter dinner--Mediterranean salad with chicken, red onion, roasted red peppers, and spinach (I put some fresh spinach underneath) with a side of tomatoes topped with an olive-caper tapenade and too much feta. Super salty! The little guy ate my hardboiled egg.

The H had roast turkey breast--like he did on Saturday--with roasted vegetables and mashed potatoes.

The little guy nibbled half of his slice of pizza (topped with ham, artichoke hearts, and kalamatas) and his sample of mac & cheese before going to wander with The H.

I did get a 4-mile run in--half outside and half on the treadmill, because it got too dark for me to feel safe.

Afterwards, The H and I shared a pot of decaf, and now I'm about to down a 4oz peach Activia yogurt (from the hotel breakfast buffet) before bed.