Morning rituals + a giveaway
I absolutely love my mornings with Livi. She’ll wake up happy as can be singing in her crib, and I’ll go upstairs to get her. Usually she’ll hand me whatever doll she slept with last night and we’ll sing the “Good morning” song before going downstairs to begin the AM rituals. Breakfast is probably our favorite meal, and we’ll have a mix of fruit, eggs, and oatmeal or pancakes most mornings. While I make our meal, I’ll usually pack up our snacks and water if I haven’t done so the night before. This way, as soon as we’re done, we can get dressed and set off on the day’s adventures. This is usually our routine, unless groceries are getting low… then we’ll have a little breakfast date together. 
Panera is one of our standard options. We frequent there for lunch – especially on the days they have black bean soup – but we also love the breakfast menu. Bagel and smoothie for the little miss: 
and egg sandwich for me.
We share everything. 😉 
I especially love the fact that the ingredients are fresh. The breads are baked that morning by a baker and they crack the eggs as the breakfast sandwiches are ordered. (No microwaved eggs!) Even though I love the food, the company is even better. 
Looking around the restaurant most mornings, you’ll see many types of people. Families, students, professionals, grandmothers, athletes, and in our booth: a mom and her baby laughing with some friends.
Panera was kind to offer a $100 gift card to a lucky reader. Here are the details for this fun giveaway:
Sweepstakes Rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
Leave a comment with your usual morning rituals. What is your favorite way to start the day?
Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winner will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 11/13/13 – 12/8/13.
Be sure to visit the Panera Bread’s page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!
<3 xoxo Gina
Thank you to our friend Matt (Sasha‘s husband) for taking these photos!
This post was sponsored by Panera through a campaign with BlogHer. To learn more about the fresh meals at Panera, check out Panera’s head baker backstory. You can also enter The Panera Breakfast Backstory Challenge, which allows you to learn about Panera’s passion for baking while you gain chances to win great prizes, including a chance to win an all-inclusive, culinary experience trip to New York City for two. Thank you so much for supporting my blog and the sponsors who help make it possible. xo
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My favorite way to start the day is by teaching the 5:30 a.m. bootcamp class at my gym. Love the energy!
I’m a SAHM, and also struggle with getting up before my little bug especially now that I’m pregnant again. So, sometimes I get my cup of coffee in before he wakes up but sometimes I roll out of bed to get him up and we go downstairs and get our morning cups (coffee for me, milk for him), make and eat breakfast together, and then he plays while I clean up. After that we get ready for the day and we’re off! I’m working on that waking early thing…
I usually wake up, read some blogs for a few minutes before it’s time to get ready to go to the hospital for another day as a student nurse!
a cup of coffee while browsing blogs! and the today show if i have time
Coffee with milk and orange juice 🙂
I like to wake up early and take my dog for a run. Then I come back home for coffee and breakfast before work 🙂
My favorite way to start the day is with a bottle of water, a probiotic, and some blog reading! 😀
Stretching for two minutes when I wake up, taking a hot shower, and my new favorite ritual is having toast and two runny eggs for breakfast! I don’t know why I waited 24 years to eat runny eggs…so good!
I start the day with a huge cup of coffee, oatmeal with honey, almond milk, cinnamon, and chia seeds, and a hard boiled egg. Gets me going in the morning and keeps me full for a while 🙂
My favorite way to start the day is coffee and a healthy breakfast while listening to music. I often stop by Panera Bread in the mornings to pick up a bagel or cinnamon roll.
i love starting the day with a warm drink and catching up on some reading!
https://twitter.com/susan1215/status/401546721638895616
My favorite way to start the day is by waking up an hour before I have to get moving, opening up my blinds as they sun is rising, and enjoy a cup of coffee in the calm of the day. I really love mornings!
I have an early 5 a.m. wake up call and I love to enjoy a few quiet minutes to myself while everyone else is still sleeping. Before I begin getting ready I will sit for a few and relax and stretch a little bit. It helps me wake up and starts off my day in such a calm way.
I get up the earliest in our house, feed our cats and dog, and then spend a quiet half hour by myself, eating breakfast, drinking coffee and reading. The ‘me time’ is why I love mornings 🙂
My morning ritual is to start the coffee! While it brews, I drink warm lemon water and do makeup/hair. Next comes lunch prep, then breakfast, then out the door to work:)
I wake up, and make myself an espresso drink (found a realllyyyy great espresso machine & I LOVE it!) I get ready after consuming a little espresso, and head off to work. But, on the weekends I still make my espresso- but enjoy the morning (make breakfast, stretch, workout) and plan for the day with my family! Love weekend mornings 🙂 I’d love some Panera! I am going to make some of your pancakes veryyyy soon… BTW my significant other loved the Amaze Balls and B-fast cookie 🙂
I love to cuddle with my dog Penny before getting up out of bed. It’s funny when she’s hyper because she’ll bound around on the bed like crazy. It certainly wakes me up!
I always start my morning with coffee, oatmeal, and the today show 🙂
I get up every weekday at 5:30 for either work or straight to the gym. On the gym days I’ll go home and have a post workout meal and eventually a cup of coffee, while reading my devotional. Love mornings, especially when you get to see the rest of the world come to life!!
I used to sleep until the last possible minute so that I had just enough time to get ready and out the door for work. Now I really like waking up and having a leisurely breakfast and checking my email and some news. I’m much more relaxed once my day really gets started.
I love to start my day with some quiet time, a cup of hot tea, and catching up on the day’s news.
Walking into my son’s nursery, turning on the light & seeing him beam at me with happiness (and his eyes half closed from the brightness of the light) every morning is the most amazing feeling. Even if it’s long before sunrise and I desperately wish for a few more minutes (or hours) of shuteye, seeing his little face melts my heart.
I drink hot water with lemon on the way to work. Starts my day off in a refreshing way.
I tweeted: https://twitter.com/mindthegap21/status/401695279562620928
toasted english muffin with almond butter and grape jelly and a cup of coffee…every morning
Puppy snuggles and coffee!!
Definitely a warm cup of coffee!
It is funny because I hate the sound of alarms-my body even knows I hate the sound of alarms because I will almost always wake a minute or two before my alarm goes off. No snooze button for this girl. Once I’m up a scolding hot shower that leaves my skin nice and red in the dead of winter is what gets me up and ready to start the day!
I usually have morning practice which means its a quick run out the door but when I don’t or it’s the weekend I like to sleep a little, sit in bed for a couple minutes waking up, get up make coffee and watch the news for maybe 30 minutes before I make some breakfast. Just something light if I’m going to head to the gym soon after.
A big glass of water and coffee or tea. I feel noticeably better when I start my morning hydrated and then I head to the gym to really wake up!
After years of drinking green tea every morning, a weeklong trip to Costa Rica last summer has made me a serious coffee drinker. When I go to bed at night, I am often looking forward to my morning coffee 🙂
I love the idea of exercising in the morning, but it doesn’t always happen. Yoga is usually my best bet, as I can do that in my PJs.
I love mornings, especially Saturday mornings! I start my day with a hot cup of pumpkin spice coffee as I read my Bible for a few minutes. I love getting focused first thing in the morning. Following my reading and coffee sipping, I make a hot bowl of oatmeal with cinnamon, honey, and chopped nuts as I catch up on my blog reading. Next thing I know, it’s time to head out the door!
I start each morning by reading my favorite blogs with a cup of coffee!
Coffee! I can’t do anything – even shower – without a cup of coffee first thing.
My kids are grown so my morning routine is mine: hot tea and reading my Bible. I do love the Panera and their croissants!
I love waking up, drinking coffee and reading through my favorite blogs. Then getting in a long walk or quick workout to really feel awake.
I love my iced coffee before my run!
I love starting the day with blueberry-flavored coffee!
Tweet link: https://twitter.com/shala_darkstone/status/401771819532709888
Gina, I’ve read your blog for a long time but never commented…..but this post? Good grief. You’ve never mentioned going to Panera and you avoid bagels and bread like the plague! I wish I had DVR for my blog reader so I could just fast forward the commercials…
i put the disclaimer at the beginning of sponsored posts so readers who would like to skip them can do so.
we go to panera often -sometimes once a week- and love the food there. the black bean soup has been a favorite of mine for years. i don’t mention going out to eat because i mostly write about the meals we make at home with my own recipes
You’re missing my point. This post is completely disingenuous. Maybe you go to Panera, maybe you don’t. (You post frequently about restaurant meals and take out orders.) But I don’t believe for one second that you’re ordering gluten and (cow’s) dairy-filled bagels with cream cheese or grilled cheese sandwiches!
here’s a post where i explain: http://fitnessista.com/2013/05/eating-everything/
when we go out to eat, i kind of eat whatever now. i don’t care that much anymore, and neither do most people. the sandwich was delicious
My morning ritual involves coffee and blog reading!
Coffee + Devotional !
My favorite way to start the day is always with a few glasses of water and some hot coffee. I like to browse blogs and watch the news while I have my coffee and, if I have no morning plans, I LOVE to watch the morning talk shows!
I wish I had a morning ritual, but since I have to leave my house by 5:50am everyday, my “ritual” is to just get out the door in one piece!
I definitely feel more awake once I’ve got some coffee in me. I also love listening to NPR podcasts on my phone while I’m getting ready for the day.
My favorite way to start the day is with a long workout, followed by a smoothie and a veggie-filled egg white omelet.
Coffee and a “Me” book – anything spiritual or self help or otherwise only for me. I get up at 5:30 so I get about 45 min before the mad rush to get everyone (including me) off to school and work.
I adore the morning hours. My dad is also a morning person so we are always up together when I go home for long weekends or holiday visits. It is our special time to reconnect. Our morning ritual includes putting on some coffee, sharing the paper, and eating “poppy’s” famous belgian waffles. I love traditions and I hope that my kids can share these special morning hours with their dad or grandfather some day 🙂 🙂
My favorite way to start the day is some alone time in my devotions and some hot cinnamon spice tea. I like having slow but productive mornings on the weekends when I can take a second to breath. 🙂