Breakfast/ Exercise/ Fitness/ Travel

Live from Quaker Headquarters!

Brrrrrrrr

This morning is significantly colder than yesterday! I keep asking everyone everywhere I go if they think it will snow and I think they are shocked when I say “yay!!!!” 🙂 I have to explain that I am from Florida and this is all the winter (and all the chance I get to wear my cute winter clothes) I get all year round. This 48 hours of chilliness. 😉

This morning I woke up at 6:45 and since breakfast probably won’t be until about 9:00, I snacked on a granola bar (courtesy of Quaker of course).

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It had huge chunks of dark chocolate in it and seemed like the perfect thing to start my day!

After that, I set off in search of Starbucks. I found one, got a coffee, and continued to walk up and down Michigan Ave for about half an hour. I definitely woke up with enough time to hit the gym 0r do a yoga download, but I’m in this amazing city and I want to SEE it! So, I bundled up and got a chance to wear my snug little hat the kind people at Oikos sent me:

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I probably looked like a crazy tourist, walking around super bundled up and taking pictures of everything but oh well!!!!!

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When I got back to my hotel room, I relaxed a bit and then took a shower and got ready for my day! I never sleep amazingly well the first night in a hotel room, so last night was pretty standard for me….but the coffee and adrenaline of being in such a cool city is getting to me and overbearing the tiredness that I feel.

At 8:30, we all met downstairs in the lobby and headed over to the Quaker headquarters for a day of oaty education:

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And I met the oatmeal man! His name is Larry! Who knew he had a real name?!

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He was sort of hot 😉

For breakfast, we feasted on the Oatmealapalooza breakfast bar!!!!!!!

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Leslie, from the Weighting Game, Kath and I fill our bowls!

I filled my bowl up with steel cut oats and layered on brown sugar, walnuts, blueberries, bananas and strawberries and added a splash of soymilk.

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Along with a plate of fresh fruit:

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Currently I am blogging while listening to different speakers that are educating me on everything oats. Follow me on Twitter throughout the day while I share what I learn!!

Quaker Oatmeal Fact:

All oats ARE created equal! Steel cut, rolled AND instant all have the exact same health benefits. No one form of oats has more fiber or more nutritional benefits than the other. I had no idea!

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  • bobbi
    November 8, 2008 at 10:06 am

    Girl you look so pretty, yummy oats! How fun, I just love CHI TOWN!!!!

  • Laura
    November 8, 2008 at 10:08 am

    What a cool experience! Glad you got to meet Larry. 😉

  • Ryane
    November 8, 2008 at 10:18 am

    I’m obsessed with Chicago but haven’t been yet – so I’ll be living vicariously through you this weekend : )

    Panera or whole foods or someplace should have an oatmeal bar everyday in the morning… or maybe you and Kath can open up a chain someday… Take down waffle house?

  • ashley (sweet & natural)
    November 8, 2008 at 10:31 am

    Chicago!! Thanks for those pictures. 🙂

  • VeggieGirl
    November 8, 2008 at 10:36 am

    Haha yes, you better get used to the cold, girl!! It’s only going to get colder in these parts of the country 😀

    The oatmeal man’s name is Larry??? Haha, love it.

    ENJOY THE REST OF YOUR FABULOUS DAY!!!

  • jsr
    November 8, 2008 at 10:38 am

    Love seeing your pics of our great city!!

  • Mara
    November 8, 2008 at 10:42 am

    MMMMM oatmeal….
    Funny story: I grew up with this boy whose mom helped develop Larry as he’s known today! She was a graphic artist for Quaker!

  • Lindsey
    November 8, 2008 at 10:43 am

    All oats are created equal??!! No way! Seriously thank you for posting that. My mother in law was just asking me the diff. between steel cut oats and rolled oats, and nutritionally I didn’t know! Def. will have to share with her. THANK YOU!

  • adrianna
    November 8, 2008 at 10:43 am

    i cant believe i had to move 1 week before you guys came to town! wouldve loved to meet the bloggers i read so religiously. hope you’re having fun…chicago is a great time 🙂 hope you and kath live it up, and stay warm.

  • Angie
    November 8, 2008 at 11:19 am

    Good morning Jenna! Glad to hear you were able to get up early and take a walk around the city. It’s so beautiful. Those buildings are amazing to me.

    Sounds like ya’ll are having a blast at Quaker. Love reading all the tweets on Twitter. Everyone can keep up in one place by going to http://search.twitter.com and type in quaker. Just keep refreshing throughout the day.

    So jealous about the oatmealapalooza. Looks yummy!

  • Amanda
    November 8, 2008 at 11:23 am

    YAY U ARE ON TWITTER…SO EXCITED TO FOLLO YOU:)

  • Amy
    November 8, 2008 at 11:23 am

    What a fun experience for you! Chicago is such a fun city. And the oatmealapalooza–right up your ally, girl! Awesome. Stay warm 😀

  • Hil
    November 8, 2008 at 11:24 am

    All oats are not created equal! They are completely equal in terms fo fiber and nutrition, but when you crush the protective hull, the starch in the oats becomes much more readily available to your body and hits your bloodstream much faster. Thus, steel cut oats are lower on the glycemic index and provide “slow release” energy when compared to instant, which provides more of a “quick hit”. Instant oats typically don’t fill me up for any period of time, and this is why. But if a bowl of instant oatmeal really keeps you full just as long as a bowl of old-fashioned or steel cut oats, there isn’t any difference in the nutrients you are putting in your body…just the rate your body will absorb them.

  • seelivelee (for the love of peanut butter)
    November 8, 2008 at 11:32 am

    this is sooo cool! i did not know 1 serving is 22 cents…that makes me soooo happy :-)! i tend to go through my oats very quickly though!! yummmm!

  • Justy2003
    November 8, 2008 at 11:49 am

    That is a HUGE pot of oats! YUM!

  • Megan
    November 8, 2008 at 12:06 pm

    It looks amazing there! What a way to start the day…an oatmeal bar!

  • Julia
    November 8, 2008 at 12:19 pm

    Haha Jenna, I can totally relate to you getting excited about the cold. When I first moved to CA from Tokyo, I went out at night with my friends and the first thing I said was “OMG you guys! You can see the stars!” Of course I was met by “duh”‘s and “are you kidding?” stares, but I didn’t care; you can hardly see the stars, let alone the sky in Tokyo! (Too many bright lights and tall buildings)
    ANYWAY, it looks like one big party over in Chicago! Good to hear you’re learning lots of cool new things and having fun!

  • Oh She Glows
    November 8, 2008 at 12:30 pm

    LOL @ the Quaker man’s name being Larry!!!! Who knew??? 😀

    Jenna you are too cute in all your photos!

    I loved seeing the pictures you took on your walk…it looks like a great city.

  • Megan
    November 8, 2008 at 12:33 pm

    It looks so pretty there! I love your yellow scarf, too 🙂 How cool is that- an oatmeal bar?! Love your pic with Larry the oatmeal guy. Have fun today!

  • Amy
    November 8, 2008 at 1:01 pm

    Hil, Thank you for clarifying the difference between steel cut, regular, and instant oats. Instant oats do not fill me up either, and I had heard the same thing about them being released more quickly into the bloodstream. But, it makes sense that Quaker would want you to believe that “all oats are equal” because they market a lot of products with instant oats!

  • jenna
    November 8, 2008 at 1:04 pm

    Correction: When I said all oats are equal, I meant all oats are equal nutritionally, not in the amount of time it takes your bloodsteam to absorb the nutrients.

  • HangryPants
    November 8, 2008 at 1:50 pm

    Oatmealpalooza! Love it. It’s like heaven over there! Have fun.

  • Marlow
    November 8, 2008 at 4:50 pm

    I’m glad you love Chicago! The first time I visited I fell in LOVE!! Make sure you make time to visit Millennium Park!! Oikos is SO GOOD! They are my favorite yogurt and my fav breakfast too. It leaves me filled until at least 1030! It’s so fun to read your and kath’s blog with the two of you together! You each have unique perspectives.

  • Kate
    November 9, 2008 at 7:33 am

    Hey Jenna, I know my question is non-food related, but I love your jeans! WHat kind are they? Looks like Chicago is fantastic, so glad you are having fun:)

  • jenna
    November 9, 2008 at 7:41 am

    Kate,
    Thanks!!! Those are actually 4 years old now!!!!! They are my “comfy jeans”. I think they are Citizens of Humanity…I could sleep in them. I have before!

  • runjess
    November 9, 2008 at 5:25 pm

    I like those Simple Harvest bars too.

  • alma :D;
    May 12, 2009 at 8:49 am

    dude;his name is william penn;