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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Every morning I wake up, brew a large cup of coffee in my Keurig and stretch while watching an episode of a favorite show on Netflix. I love taking my time in the morning.
I wake up extra early on Wednesday mornings to grab coffee and walk around the farmers market before work. The festive atmosphere and fresh produce help me start my day off with a healthy and happy outlook.
My morning ritual involves lots of coffee and a long walk with my three dogs. They love it as much as I do! Also, did I mention coffee? I love Panera because of their rewards, and their amazing bakery items too! I cannot pass up their pumpkin bagels this time of year.
Our morning ritual is a sweet one – our 3 year old wakes up, comes into our room, and we all have a few minutes of family snuggle time before we get up to face the day.
I wake up early too and have a couple cups of coffee before my daughter wakes up.
In college test days I would treat myself to Panera breakfast of a whole grain bagel with raspberry cream cheese and hazelnut coffee. Worked like a charm. My routine now involves COFFEE, cuddling my 3 month old baby on my lap, and eating eggs/avocado/toast! Delicious!
I love Panera! I live up in Phoenix and I’m bummed that there aren’t any here but I always make sure to visit when I go home to Tennessee. My morning ritual involves lots of coffee and usually yogurt or oatmeal while I watch the Today Show.
Get up and get the kids ready for school…every…day! haha
Well currently my morning ritual consists of hitting snooze at least 3 times before actually getting out of bed and turning off the alarm…and then flipping on the coffee maker, hopping in the shower, and enjoying coffee and breakfast while catching up on blogs before heading to work!
Wake up, take care of the dog, cat and other cat, make my coffee, get the coffee ready for my guy and sit down with my coffe for almost an hour while it’s dark out. I love it.
I wake up before my kids to drink coffee and read a devotional. Then when the kids wake up it’s breakfast time
get up at 4:45 for a quick run, shower, grab coffee as i head to the car and i eat breakfast sitting at red lights. and then it’s game on, as i teach K & 1 PE and have to be ready to go when i walk into the school!
my dream morning is to sit at home and take my time drinking coffee and eating breakfast while watching the morning news.
I wake up and then go workout! I LOVE to exercise in the morning, the earlier the better 😉 It also helps that my gym is right by a Panera! I love that place and it has definitely become a go to for my morning coffee!
As a grad student and fitness instructor, my mornings are never the same day to day. I do have a few rituals that help me start my day on the right foot though! I ALWAYS eat breakfast, making sure to get in a good amount of complex carb, protein and healthy fat. I also include coffee in the morning: hot in the colder months and iced in the summer.
My morning ritual, the one that I learned keeps me sane and healthy, is to immediately turn on my laptop and find a yoga video (usually no more than 30 min, but if I can indulge in longer vids on certain days, I do!) before checking my phone or email inbox.
Then I brush my teeth, head to the kitchen and heat water for an individual cup of coffee or yerba mate while I cook up some breakfast. Breakfast is usually eggs with vegetables, or brown rice with vegetables. Yesterday it was leftover blackened chicken with roasted delicata squash.
THEN I check my email, do some work, get dressed, prepare and pack lunch, then head to the bus stop to start my adventures away from home.
On a good morning I wake before my boys, work out, shower and have a little focussed time with God before the littles in this house begin their day. If im being honest, I usually wake in time for either a workout OR time with God. The boys come downstairs at 7:30am and 12+ hours without food has them starving. Or they think so. 🙂 so we immediately start breakfast and I start the coffee. We chit chat while I feed the baby a bottle. After breakfast they get dressed and have some play time. When the baby goes down for a nap we start our school lessons. Saturday mornings are my favorite. It usually always begins with cartoons in our bed just because we are being lazy and trying to buy some more sleep time. 🙂
Panera is about 1.3miles from my house. I loooooooove it!
I wake up and have a cup of coffee while I make breakfast and pack my lunch for the day!
Coffee immediately!!!!
My morning ritual is a workout followed by a rush to the office where I finally sit down with a cup of tea and begin my day. The workout is definitely key!
Morning ritual is 4:30 alarm, feed and let the dogs out, ride the bike or run on the treadmill for 45min-1 hour, shower and get the kids up and off to school, then off to work for me. I was thinking this morning on my way in that by the time I drop the girls off, I have already been up for 3 hours! Then I took a long drink of my very large mug of coffee and smiled! I love mornings! And oh the Panera pumpkin bagel–soooo gooood!!
My doberman is my alarm clock. She starts my morning off right with a good run.
I LOVE their black bean soup. Best thing on the menu
I get up, start the coffee, quickly get ready, and then sit down with food+coffee+blogs. It’s a good way to start the day 🙂 I occasionally treat myself to a Panera study session in the morning if I’m having a rough week. Their hazelnut coffee is ridiculously good!!!
I always wake up, eat breakfast, watch the news then get a workout in!
I have found that consistency is the key with a three year old in the morning. Three days a week she has school, but we follow the same rituals every morning. A quick snuggle in our bed, followed by breakfast, then getting dressed and ready to go, and out the door, some days its to school, other days I come up with an errand we need to run, or out for a morning walk.
My morning ritual: wake up, and change into my running clothes after I feed the pup. We head out the door (he does what a dog needs to do…) and run a few laps around the lake nearby. It used to be hard to get up and get going, especially as the weather gets colder. Knowing that I’m doing something good for my dog and that I will feel great the rest of the day makes getting up early to bundle up and run when I’m half-asleep worth it.
When we get back from our run, I jump in the shower, then watch “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” while I get ready for work. If Carlton dances, I know it will be an extra good day…
I love my morning coffee 🙂
I’ve been tweaking my morning routine, but recently it’s been wake up => drink a glass or two of water => run => make breakfast. I especially love enjoying breakfast – it’s the best meal of the day for me, primarily because I’m not busy yet then, and because I love my breakfast foods. Breakfast is like most people’s dinner for me – I eat all my yummiest, most nutritious foods then.
I love Panera! I used to have one right next to my apartment complex when I was in college, and that was where I went to relax, to study, and to hang out with my friends.
I start my day with fruit and yogurt.
tweet–https://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/401179931947716608
My morning ritual begins with a warm cup of lemon water. If its during the work week I will then shower before enjoying y a BIG cup of and breakfast. If it is during the weekend, I usually lounge a bit more while having coffee before getting in a good workout. Thanks so much for this great giveaway!
My morning starts with a green juice! Every morning I make a juice (depending on veggies and fruits we have on hand) and bring one cup up to my husband in the shower – and down the other myself! Zingggggg!
I wake up and go for a 20 minute walk while my coffee brews and my protein egg coconut flour concoction bakes in the oven. When I arrive home to the smell of breakfast … I know it’s going to be a good day.
My weekend morning routine is to wake up, make my coffee do some lesson planning, and then head to the gym. It’s so nice to wake up early on the weekends, but not have to rush anywhere. 🙂
I enjoy waking up early before my husband. I make our coffee, watch the news, read my favorite blogs and prep my breakfast. I love taking my time in the morning and not feeling rushed before heading to work.
My morning rituals vary day to day–depending on my work schedule..but on my days off…i always start off by getting the coffee pot going for the black stuff with heavy whipping cream and some devotional time with my Bible in my blankets with a candle going in my room.
ill usually whip up some kind of egg sweet potato hash after. =) mmm
im going to coffee at panera tomorrow morning!! perfect post!
My morning ritual usually involves waking up, making coffee and sitting down to get an hour of studying with a purring kitten on my lap. It’s kinda wonderful.
I usually drink a cup of coffee white getting ready and listening to the news, grab something to eat and then off to the bus stop!
My morning routines involve stretching, drinking lots of coffee and eating breakfast while having some quiet time w myself!
I’m in medical school, so my morning routine involves the largest cup of coffee and quickest breakfast possible while I run out the door attempting to look un-disheveled. I do, however, spend many, many afternoons and evenings studying at Panera so this gift card would be fab! The pics of you and Olivia are precious 🙂
I love Panera bread! I actually just had it yesterday. I totally agree with you, I love it so much because of the fresh, real ingedients!
I always always always drink 2 big mugs of coffee before getting ready. Then, I eat eggs and toast and head out the door to work!
I love the solitude in my mornings! The best include coffee, almond butter, and lots of blog posts to catch up on 🙂
The best mornings start with a workout, start the coffee brew and take my dog out in the fresh air….some mornings it feels better to have the coffee first, then get my sweat on. I love mornings!
Love love love panera my favorite routine is snuggling in bed with my two year old he “pretends” to sleep
My morning ritual is enjoying a cup of coffee on a porch watching sunrise
https://twitter.com/elis689/status/401189026624856064
I love waking up, starting the coffee and the tea kettle, letting the dogs out, then jumping back in bed for a few previous moments, til the beverages are ready and calling us out of bed. (:
My mornings usual start pretty early, not because I necessarily need them to but I’m just a morning person. I either wake up and try to hit the gym right away or if my schedule that day will allow it, gym becomes a late morning/right before lunch thing. On those days, I’m usually still up early, make my coffee + breakfast, turn on the TODAY show and start checking my email, reading a few blogs and dive into whatever work I can while still eating. That usually continues with a snack break before I leave for the gym around 11.
I usually eat breakfast immediately after waking..my stomach is growling the minute I wake up. I eat breakfast while watching the Today show, which is usually followed by a quick workout. I’m obsessed with Panera soup! 🙂
I always always always start with tea!