So if you read my last Workout Wednesday post I dropped some very obvious hints to Greg that all I wanted for Mother’s Day were some new running tanks, and to relax. Pretty contradictory wouldn’t you say? He must actually read my blog, because he came through and hooked this mama up! Aside from feeling pampered and getting a couple of cute new tank tops, he surprised me with a year long subscription to Stridebox.
Have you heard of them before? I hadn’t until my running inspiration Liz told me about it. Think Birchbox, but with items I’ll actually use. I canceled my Birchbox subscription after 4 months once I realized a full sample of blue eyeliner, and perfume samples weren’t worth the $10 a month to me.
Stridebox is the same concept of a monthly subscription box, only it’s geared towards runners. Think gels, energy bars, drinks, gadgets, apparel, music, apps ….all items that are helpful towards enhancing your trainings, workouts, and races. For $15 a month (shipping is free), I am so curious to see what kind of goodies will be arriving at my doorstep. I will be sure to review the first one I get and let you know what I think of it. If anything, I like the monthly motivation of having new running products to keep me interested, and to keep me pushing myself to run throughout the week Less than 4 weeks until the dreaded 10k Camp Pendleton mud run….think there is anything in these boxes that can help me cross the finish line in one piece?
{That’s me on the right, nearing the end of The Color Run with my Team mate and good friend Amy}
I’m linking up again over at Skinnymeg.com for Workout Wednesday, so be sure to go check out her inspiring story when you’re done over here. Have an awesome Wednesday and be sure to get your workout on! xo
Happy Monday!! To all my mama readers….I hope you had a fabulous Mother’s Day and were spoiled rotten! Obviously, I think moms should be appreciated and loved 365 days a year, but hopefully yesterday was just a little extra special for you!
We had an AWESOME weekend…gorgeous weather, and equal balance of fun and relaxation, got in some great exercise, and most importantly soaked in all the family time we could possibly get.
On Saturday I got up super early to meet my girlfriends to take part in our first ever 5K Color Run. Let me tell you, we had the time of our lives! There were team outfits, running, dancing, laughing, color dust flying everywhere…it was just one huge party of happy and healthy people looking to get messy and have a total blast! Greg and the boys met us after the run and had a great time joining in on the after party. If this race ever comes to your city you MUST do it! If you’re not a runner, don’t let that intimidate you for a second…it’s not timed and there are people of all ages, shapes, sizes, and abilities just there to have an awesome time. It is definitely a family event, and our team name may have been a little inappropriate but it sure got us some funny attention…we even got interviewed on video camera {I have no idea where this will be shown, but I have to find it!}. Enough of the talking….here are some pictures of me and a few of my favorite mamas from the event.
I mean really….can you think of anything that looks more fun than this? I felt like a kid all over again, and can’t wait to do another one!
After the race we went home and I took a long shower and tried to scrub off all the color dust…let’s just say I’m still looking like a smurf in a few spots. We got ready and headed to the airport to pick up Greg’s mom who is staying here for the next week and a half. We are excited to have Nana visiting again, then Grandpa coming in Wednesday, and then my mom coming to town right after. We came home and I cooked a yummy dinner for everyone, we played outside, put the kids to bed and Nana sent out us for a date night! I could get used to this! 
We were exhausted though and after a drink, lettuce wraps and good conversation, we came home and passed out!
Mother’s Day was special from start to finish. Although the little guys woke us early, I shook it off and was ready to get the day started. I went downstairs to beautiful flowers, homemade cards from the boys, and some very thoughtful gifts from Daddy. He had brunch catered for us all, but before we dug in we laced up our running shoes and each got in a 5 mile run with our neighborhood running group. It was a doozy, let me tell you, but I was ready to scarf down my food so it motivated me to get my butt home!
After brunch, Shane went down for a nap and we all hung outside with the neighbors and enjoyed the beautiful weather. As soon as he woke up we walked down to one of our neighborhood pools and had an awesome time splashing around with the boys. This is the only picture I got from Mother’s Day, but at least I have one and both boys are in it together!
After a couple of hours in the sun, we walked home and I snuggled up and took a nap in Nathan’s bed with him. Although I felt so spoiled all day, it’s the simple moments like taking a nap with Nathan that really stand out to me as my favorite.
The rest of the afternoon and evening were spent playing outside, BBQing and ending the night with going out for ice cream. I couldn’t have asked for a better day with my family.
Happy Mother’s Day again, and may all that love you felt yesterday pour into the rest of your week. Have a great one! xo
Well it’s the time of the week again, to hold myself accountable for my workouts, or my lack there of. Last week was good, I got in two Turbo kickboxing classes and a couple of long runs. Then this past weekend happened…Greg got super sick with some random flu-like stomach virus and it knocked him out cold. Friday and Saturday were a total wash with him being stuck in bed all day, so I wasn’t able to get out of the house for a workout. Honestly, when my boys get sick I am in a constant state of worry and can’t really concentrate on anything but them…even when it’s my biggest kid that’s the sick one. Leaving them to go for a run is the last thing I feel like doing.
I did manage to get out for a run on Sunday and I really wanted to make it a good one. Unfortunately my body had other plans. Maybe I was thinking about Greg not feeling well and it made me not feel well, maybe I was just emotionally exhausted from being worried and from the lack of sleep, or maybe it was just a random off day. My legs just wouldn’t move and I just wasn’t mentally into it. I kind of felt like I was starting to hate running, and that was super discouraging to feel that way.
Fast forward two days to yesterday. I really wanted to give it another go and really push myself. I chose a longer and more difficult route and I was determined to stay in a good state of mind. I felt SO much better and couldn’t believe the improvement I made. Running is such a mental game and it’s crazy the way your body reacts to your attitude. (Or it could have been adding Kelly Clarkson’s “My Life Would Suck Without You” to my playlist…GREAT running song haha) I took a minute off my mile pace!
So just like that I fell back in love with running…it’s such a fickle little sport isn’t it? The only problem is my hips are really starting to hurt me. Shins, knees, ankles…all very common running injuries and my weak point seems to be my left hip! Anyone able to give me some advice regarding hip pain? Special stretches, is it my form, can you even tape a hip? I have been running in my new sneakers and I’m loving the ankle support and cushioning, so maybe I’m just adjusting to new shoes, or maybe getting injured while running is just inevitable.
Speaking of new gear, it’s getting warmer out there so I just bought these Lululemon: Run Speed Shorts to try out. I’ll let you know if I like them. I can’t stand having to adjust my clothing while working out, so to me, it’s worth the extra money for good fitting workout clothing. Of course I buy all my regular clothing on sale at Old Navy, but my workout clothing at Lulu…the irony! If anyone else is a fan of Lululemon did you see their No Limits Tanks are back out and in new colors?!?! Greg, if you’re reading this…Mother’s Day is Sunday ::hint hint:: ::cough cough::
Looking forward to a healthy and active week, and celebrating this Saturday at the 5K Color Run with some of my girl friends. This will be my first race, and even though it’s not timed and strictly to have a good time, I’m excited to get into the spirit of participating in races. Hoping it will be my first of many more to come!
PS- Did you enter my Stella & Dot Giveaway? It ends tomorrow so make sure you get in on it HERE
It’s been awhile since I have written about my progress using Advocare products. Since I first started the 24 Day Challenge back in January, I have had a lot of people give it a try along side me. It’s been awesome seeing everyone’s progress, sharing recipes and workouts, and just motivating each other along the way. I often get asked “so, what do you do after the 24 days is over?” and I thought I would write about that for those that are currently doing the challenge or those of you who may be interested in trying it some day.
{If you are reading this and have no idea what the 24 Day Challenge even is, please see THIS post}
It’s been almost 4 months since I started using Advocare products. Here is my April progress photo. I have lost about 22lbs and 16″ from my waistline, arms, hips & thighs (7.5″ off my waist alone). Most importantly I just have so much more energy and have found a love for working out again.
I lost the majority of my weight during the initial 24 days of the challenge. It was the perfect way to jump start Operation Pre-pregnancy Weight! I saw all the progress I was making those first few weeks that I started to get nervous about what I was going to do once the challenge was over. This seems to be the main concern of everyone else who has been doing the challenge as well. Here’s what I have been giving as advice based on what has worked for me.
You can either be happy with the 10-15 lbs you probably lost during the 24 days and go from there. Continue eating well, working out when you can, and just enjoy the quick results you got. This will definitely get you to at least maintain your new weight loss.
I still knew I had more weight to lose, so I decided to find a way to fit Advocare into my day to day routine without having to be quite as strict as the 24 Day Challenge. This included continuing to exercise, to clean eat, and to use some of my favorite products & supplements. Where I became more flexible is definitely on the diet end. Although our family is probably eating about 80% “clean”, Greg and I definitely indulge in weekend date night meals and alcoholic drinks Speaking of Greg….can he get a round of applause for losing over 30lbs these past 4 months too? I’m so proud of him!
While everyone knows diet and exercise are always the most important elements to losing weight, I wanted to share some of my favorite products with you that I’ve been using. I am 100% convinced supplements have made such a huge difference in my progress. They make me feel better, they curb my appetite, the help build lean muscle, they give me energy, and they fill in the gaps nutritionally for any vitamins I may have missed out on throughout the day. Here are a few things I can’t live without these days:
Would you believe I quit coffee and diet soda for good 4 months ago? Thank goodness for Spark! It contains 21 vitamins, tastes awesome, and gives you non-jittery, long-lasting energy and mental focus. It also has amino acids so it helps with fat burning and lean muscle production. I’m in LOVE with this stuff!! Grape and Mandarin orange are our favorite flavors. I start my day with a Spark and you will always find it in my water bottle at the gym.
I’m kind of convinced this product should be illegal. Not because it’s bad for you, but because it almost makes you feel like you’re cheating. I haven’t met a person who didn’t love this stuff. It’s been nicknamed “Liposuction in a bottle”. It’s a blend of essential branched-chain amino acids and L-glutamine that supplies your body with muscle-building components and sustains your muscles during exercise and reduced calorie intake. In other words it sucks away at your fat and preserves and promotes lean muscle production. See why I have 3 bottles of it? :) Actually Greg loves this product too, so although I don’t want to share…I do. It says you can take 3 of them 3x a day. I only take 2 in the morning or before a workout. My sister swears by Catalyst and Spark. Check out her fitness page on Instagram . Insane right?
Greg and I just recently started using this product before we go for longer runs. IT.IS.AWESOME! I don’t know if it’s just the placebo effect or if it truly works, but we both feel like our endurance goes way up after we use them. On Advocare’s website it says “O2 Gold Advanced supplement is an excellent solution for greater energy, endurance and vitality whether you’re a marathon runner, a busy parent or both. Serious athletes will notice the differences that O2 Gold Advanced supplement brings to their regimen, and casual users will notice the refreshing lift to their energy and liveliness. Most importantly, O2 Gold Advanced supplement helps you maximize oxygen usage in your body so that you can feel better and perform better.” SOLD!! And that’s exactly how it makes me feel. My lungs feel like I could run forever now….my hips and ankles? Not so much! We are working on that, but for now I am in love with this product!
The only part of clean eating that I find difficult is quick, on the go, filling and tasty snack/meal options. Clean eating does require some planning, and when I’m in a rush I find myself grabbing an apple or a handful of almonds, but find myself wanting more. That’s why I love these snack bars. Finding a clean nutrition bar isn’t easy to do. Most of them have sugar or processed ingredients in them, but take a look at the ingredients in these: Chia seed, hemp seed, flax seed, walnuts, pecans, peanuts, apples, oats, agave syrup, dates, hemp powder and brown rice protein. Can’t get any more natural than that can you? They are DELICIOUS and so filling. I just tried these out a couple weeks ago for the first time and the box was empty in no time. The kids love them too!
These aren’t “magic pills” or “diet pills”. These are just great, healthy, and effective products that I have really grown to love and have helped me immensely. While I realize that taking supplements isn’t for everyone, I have had so many people ask about Advocare so I thought I would share some information about what we have been using. I’m going to keep trying new product too, so I’ll definitely keep you posted on any new favorites that come along.
Ooooh and something else that is going to really help? NEW RUNNING SHOES! I went to an actual running store today and had my feet measured and electronically scanned. These are the pretties that came home with me today. I’ve never owned Asics before, but I did a nice easy 3 mile loop on these this evening and it felt like I was running on clouds. Can’t wait to put some miles on these!
Hope you all had a great Workout Wednesday and got in some good exercise this week….even if it just included chasing around your kids that totally counts! It’s been a busy week and I’m way behind in blog reading, but I look forward to reading some inspiring Workout Wednesday posts. I got mine in before midnight so that’s gotta be good for something right? Time to shower and pass out! xo
PS- As you know I’m still really new to blogging (again) and recently I have seen bloggers linking up their posts. I have been following Skinny Meg’s weight loss journey and wanted to jump on board linking up with her Workout Wednesday post. If you haven’t seen her success story before definitely give her blog a read! She’s a mama who has lost over 110 lbs!! ::insert shock face here::
Although I haven’t been keeping up with my Monday Meal Plans via the blog, they are always ongoing in our home. I feel like our household has been upside down the last few weeks, but the one thing that remains constant and simple to maintain is what we are eating. I look forward to making dinner because there is some organization to it which seems to be lacking from the rest of my day.
Here are the clean eating meals we enjoyed last week:
MEAL PLAN {4/15-4/21}
Monday- Chicken Summer Wraps {Shown in above photo- omitted mayonnaise and used natural PB}
Tuesday- Turkey chili
Wednesday- Buffalo Chicken Quinoa
Thursday- Breakfast for dinner {made a veggie quiche}
Friday-Homemade turkey meatballs with brown rice pasta
Saturday- BBQ {We did carne asada. Not the cleanest of meals but had some low carb sides- minus all beer & margaritas oops!}
Sunday- Went out to eat at El Torito and had delicious chicken salads.
MEAL PLAN { 4/22-4/28 }
Monday- Chicken & Veggie kabobs on the grill
Tuesday- Zuchini Buffalo turkey burgers with sweet potato wedges
Wednesday- Crockpot Southwestern 2 bean & chicken chili {Shown in above photo}
Thursday- White bean, kale and quinoa soup
Friday- Crockpot salsa chicken taco salads
Saturday- Cucumber California rolls {no rice}
Sunday- Hosting a girly party at our house….aka….cheat day! Hoping to make some fun apps!
As always, I would love to see what your recipe line-up is for the week. Also if you ever want further details on something we ate just let me know and I will be happy to post a recipe if I haven’t already. Hope you all have a tasty and healthy week ahead!
I don’t know about you guys but I am totally dragging this Monday! We had such a fun weekend that I think I am just feeling bummed that’s it over. Or maybe it’s because we were on the constant go go go, and my exhaustion is finally catching up with me. Either way, my eyelids are feeling heavy while I type this.
Friday was in the 80s and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. There was a nice breeze too…it really was an incredibly beautiful day outside. It was the first morning Shane woke up fever free since his stomach bug, so I wanted them to do something fun but still didn’t want him around all our little friends just in case. We went to Toys R Us as soon as they opened and picked up a water table and a giant water gun so the boys could splash around in the backyard all day. Once we got home that’s exactly what we did! I lost track of how long we played for, but my face hurt from laughing all day with them. The best part is that they both took long naps after all that play time, and I may have done the same.
Greg got home from work and we continued playing outside, but moved it to the front of the house where the warm weather was bringing out all the neighbors. A few drinks ended up turning into a firepit in the driveway kind of night! I love where we live so much…any random night can turn into a gathering of friends, drinks, music in an instant. And our houses are within baby monitor distance so once the kids go to bed the fun doesn’t have to end.
Since we all had a late night, the boys slept in (this means anything past 7:00am in our house), and I snuck out to Turbo kick class. When I got home we decided to all go to Nathan’s swim lesson and cheer him on. He is doing so great! I haven’t been in awhile, since it’s his special time with Greg, so I was so impressed to see how much progress he has made.
After class we went to the grocery store and stocked up on food since we decided to throw an impromptu BBQ at our house that afternoon. We had 3 couples over and their corresponding kiddos and had a great time firing up the grill for this first time this Spring/Summer! Of course, just like the night before, the front of our house was swarming with neighbors and their kids so we merged our group and had another night gathered around the firepit.
After two nights of making some bad food and drink choices I was nervous going into our Sunday morning group run. My stomach was in shambles, I was so tired, and I knew we were going to take on our most challenging run to date. I wasn’t looking forward to it. Our mud run team agreed to a 5 mile loop where the 2nd mile was a long and steep uphill climb. Once we got out there a lot of things came into my thoughts…my friend Stasha running a marathon in London at the very moment we were running, my friend Liz busting through her second 10-mile race of the month, and of course the events of the Boston Marathon. I felt INSPIRED and I felt good. Good enough to charge straight up that hill without stopping, good enough to continue the rest of the run at a 9:00 min/mile pace and good enough to run right by the road that leads to our house and continue on, adding an extra mile than I had expected to do that day. I accidentally stopped my Map My Run app early but kept going to what I would think was exactly 6 miles!
I think this is why running is so addicting and so gratifying at the same time. You can continue setting small goals for yourself, and sit back and feel proud each time you hit one of them. There definitely seem to be setbacks along the way….a bad run….an injury….losing the motivation. But for every setback there is day you get out there and feel awesome, have one of your best days of running, and want to get back out there and reach the next goal you have set for yourself. Honestly, the day I hit double digits in continuous miles ran I think I am going to pass out…from pure exhaustion but mainly from the overwhelming sense of accomplishment.
Following our Sunday run, we got ready and walked down the street to a birthday party for one of Nathan’s buddies named Tyson. I can’t believe all these kiddos are turning 4 now, it’s totally mind boggling to think about where the time is going. It was a sports themed party which was so fun because it totally ran the boys ragged….we came home and they completely crashed in exhaustion.
Since they napped late, and at the same time, we thought we would take advantage of their well-rested moods, so we headed down to Dana Point harbor for dinner. The boys love to look at all the boats and birds, and Greg and I get to enjoy the sunset and the ocean view. While a romantic beach side dinner was once a regular weekend occurrence for us, this picture shows how times have changed since having kids. We wouldn’t change it for anything! Hope you all had a thumbs up weekend too!
I’m happy today is hump day, because I’m really hoping to get over it and never look back.
Monday was a really hard day in our house, and well…in our country. The day just wasn’t going as planned, the boys were all out of sorts, no one was napping, I don’t think we got out of our PJs let alone the house. And then I saw the news of what happened in Boston… in real time, via friends who live in Boston and were posting to Facebook as it was all happening. Although I wouldn’t consider myself a “runner” quite yet…I really have grown a large amount of admiration and respect for those that are. I am starting to feel the love for it, the drive, the excitement of accomplishing goals, and seeing the heart involved. I felt connected to the Boston marathon this year. I knew people running in it, I knew some who tried to qualify for it…and I’m really beginning to relate to what it means to take part in such a challenging and rewarding event.
Earlier that day I was glued to Facebook because I wanted to see how my friends did. I wanted to see photos of their children holding signs, of them pushing through the race, and of them crossing that finish line. And I almost did…..one of my friends from college was less than half a mile away from doing just that before the explosions happened. Less than half a mile away…. Instead the photos I saw were ones that I don’t think I will ever be able to erase from my memory. I’m still wrapping my mind around it like the rest of our country is. I wanted to get out and run that night. I wanted to think about something else, to finally get out of the house, and to take my eyes off the news. I just couldn’t bring myself to do it for some reason.
Yesterday morning was still gloomy…both the weather and how I was feeling. I was determined to get the boys up and running for school and to get my errands done that never happened the day before. The day started to turn around…Nathan was so happy to be at school, we sang and danced at chapel, and we picked up his hilarious school photos. How could you not have a better day after seeing these?
Shane and I went grocery shopping and came home to play while Nathan was still at school. We were having a great and productive morning. We drove to school pick-up and as we were leaving Shane just didn’t look right to me. He looked pale and was falling asleep on my shoulder in the parking lot. My kids NEVER fall asleep in public, I knew something was wrong and got a pit in my stomach. He could barely hold his head up on the car ride home. And then I heard it…SPLAT and Nathan let out a blood curdling scream “Stop the car Mommy Shane is throwing up!”. I pulled over and Shane was literally green and wouldn’t stop getting sick. Although my boys seem to catch anything and everything we haven’t had a stomach flu yet so this was a whole new level of sickness…I wasn’t quite sure how to deal with it.
We got home and I tried to get him in the bath to clean him up but he could barely sit up and kept getting sick. Of course Nathan is downstairs screaming that he is hungry for lunch and that he found jelly beans and was just going to eat those…ugh! It’s so hard when you can’t be in two places at once, and really needed to be. I called Greg in a panic, and despite being in a meeting, he left work within 10 minutes and came home to help me. He really is the most wonderful dad/husband on the planet! He scooped up Shane and they spent the rest of the day like this.
After 2 hours of constantly throwing up, he took a nice long nap on Daddy and was able to keep some fluids down once he woke up. His color started to come back, and so did his smile. Everyone got a decent night of sleep and despite a low-grade fever this morning, he seems to be doing so much better.
It’s Wednesday….I think I was supposed to talk about working out. We got off track here the past couple of days but this morning the sun is shining, the boys are cheery and mama is ready to go for a run tonight. I’m going to run tonight because I can….and run because I am even more determined to become a part of the community that has grown even closer because of Monday’s tragedy. So lace up your sneakers and hit the ground running. There is a movement to “Run for Boston”. I plan to track my miles, and also download the Charity Miles app where my mileage goes towards raising money. Please join me in doing the same!
On Monday I stumbled across a Facebook friend’s fitness blog. 1- she looks INCREDIBLE (and recently had a baby) and 2-she is a fitness instructor and challenged her readers/clients to set a goal for themselves…a huge goal, something out of their comfort zone, and make it happen! It made me think for a second, and then I let it sit in the back of my head for the rest of the day since I wasn’t quite sure if I had any one specific goal in mind.
Later that same day I received an e-mail from one of my best friends from college telling me of the marathon she is running in London in 2 weeks. I was actually a little emotional thinking about how proud I was of her. It sparked a second discussion with another one of my college besties about some of her recent fitness achievements….running half marathons, doing a 150 mile bike race next month, signing up to do Tough Mudder. I always knew my Syracuse girls were some of the strongest women I have ever known, but they were now taking it to a whole new level! After a few messages back and forth my girlfriend, with no hesitation, said….Let’s do a marathon together in 2015!! I was looking for a huge goal, and I’m pretty sure she just set it for me….”I’M IN!” I wrote back. October 2015 Chicago marathon anyone??
It’s going to be a slow journey getting there, but I’m up for the challenge. 3 months ago I was hyperventilating trying to run a mile straight, now every run is between 3-5 miles and I actually enjoy it. 5k in May, 10k in June, Half Marathon in the Fall perhaps? I truly believe I need something like this…something to work towards that is all my own.
Do any of you use the Map My Run app? It tracks your runs via GPS, tracks your overall time, pace per mile, elevation changes and so much more. Most importantly you can still play your itunes music playlists at the same time. If you use it please add me as a friend….LaurenH451. I’m all about accountability and I can’t think of any better motivation than sharing my progress and seeing yours as well. I know some of you are avid runners, that I look up to, and would love to follow in your footsteps (or at least be able to see those footsteps in action!).
In looking at different training schedules they all seem to recommend 3-5 mile runs during the week, and then doing longer runs on the weekends that increase by 1 mile per week. Sounds like a good place to start to me! Here is my run from yesterday evening.
I’m excited to use this as my starting point and see how far I can push myself…hopefully to the tune of 26.2 miles. Man that sounds scary, but I’ve got some time and I’m ready to accomplish some short term goals first. What are some of your fitness goals, both big and small? To start walking once the weather is warmer? Try a new class at the gym? Run in a race? Start a new workout DVD? I’d love to hear them if you are open to sharing. I’d also love any running advice, especially from distance runners! On your marks, get set, go!
Although this is posting on a Tuesday I wrote it on a Monday night, so technically I can still call it a “Meal Plan Monday” right?
We got in a lot of exercise this weekend, but we also caved to some bad eating. Between a date night on Friday and all the Easter food and candy I’d give us about a 6 out of 10 on the clean eating scale. Our meals themselves were actually very healthy, it was what we did in between that needed some work. A handful of mini Cadbury eggs here, a mimosa or two there…everything in moderation right? I guess the holidays are for indulging, but I know we could do a lot better when it comes to the sugar intake, especially for the boys. Next year I would love to take a few tips from my friend Samantha who made homemade “Peeps” and put those in her kids’ Easter baskets. Who really likes those sugary things anyways?
We have either thrown away or hidden all the leftover candy, and it’s time for us to get back on track. Here is what I have lined up for this week:
Monday- Cauliflower crust pesto “Pizza” with Roma tomatoes and fresh basil {will share the recipe below}
Tuesday- Clean eating- Vegetarian split pea soup {have leftover ham to add for boys if they would like to add}
Wednesday- Hummus crusted chicken with roasted veggies
Thursday- Ground turkey taco salad with homemade guacamole
Friday- Mama is leaving town for a Bachelorette party so, sorry fam….you can fend for yourselves! I’m kidding. I am actually so nervous to be leaving the boys for 2 nights since I have never left them before, but they will have a great time with Daddy. Friday I have everything for Greg to throw in the crockpot for a shredded chicken, black bean, and veggie chili.
Saturday- I’ll probably be riding a mechanical bull somewhere in Austin, TX (not likely at all), and the boys are going to be watching the Syracuse game and ordering take-out from our favorite Persian restaurant.
Sunday- I’ll be home in the afternoon and we will BBQ up some veggie, pineapple and chicken kabobs for dinner.
I added two new meals to try this week, the first being the “pizza” and the second being the split pea soup. I read a few recipes on how to make a cauliflower pizza crust, made the cleanest version I could, and then added our own toppings. I did exclude the cheese so it ended up being more of a flatbread I suppose, but it was yummy nonetheless. Here is what I came up with:
CAULIFLOWER CRUST PESTO PIZZA
Adapted from Love&Lemons
INGREDIENTS FOR CRUST
-3 cups of ground raw cauliflower {ground in food processor/Vitamix}
-3/4 cup almond flour
-1/4 cup ground flax seed
-3 eggs
-1 teaspoon onion powder
-1 teaspoon garlic powder
TOPPINGS FOR PIZZA
-1 can organic tomato paste
- fresh pesto {you can use store bought or make your own}
- 3 roma tomatoes
- fresh basil
You can definitely add fresh mozzarella cheese but we opted out because Nathan doesn’t like cheese, and we have been eating mostly dairy-free.
Start by preheating your oven to 450 degrees.
Whisk the 3 eggs separately then add all the above ingredients listed to make the crust. Gently knead/mix all the ingredients together. This mixture will not feel like pizza dough and that is ok. Press this “dough” mixture down onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Try to spread it to be a little less than 1/4″ thick.
Bake the crust on it’s own for 15-20 minutes. Once removed from oven spread a thin layer of tomato paste over the crust. Then spread the pesto sauce over top of that. If you are using cheese this is when it should be added. Then slice the Roma tomatoes thin and add those along with the fresh basil. Once toppings are added put back in the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes at 450 degrees.
This was totally easy to make, and was so tasty. Definitely don’t expect the chewiness of a cheesy pizza, but do expect a ton of flavor and none of the guilt. This recipe is definitely going on our weekly lineup!
This week is looking a little different when it comes to my workout schedule. Typically Shane goes down for a nap at 9:00am and I will do the elliptical in the garage while Nathan plays outside with me. This has worked out so great! I can workout for 45 minutes, Nathan gets to play in the yard, and I still get time to shower after and then we head out for the day.
Just when I was really getting into this schedule and enjoying it, Shane has decided that morning naps aren’t his thing anymore. Scratch that, napping in general, isn’t his thing anymore. I’ve been trying to transition him to one nap since that seems to be what he wants, but he ends up only napping 45 minutes-1 hour smack dab in the middle of the day. He spends the rest of the day cranky, and I spend the rest of my day flustered and exhausted.
Starting the day off with a workout has been such a great source of energy and motivation for me to keep the rest of my day going. I know it’s only been a few days of this change, but it’s really throwing me off and I feel like I’m just dragging. I’d love to wake up before the boys and get in my elliptical time but Shane is up between 5:45-6:00am everyday so you do the math on that one. I’m a morning person but that’s not happening.
The last two evenings I’ve really had to dig down deep and find the energy to go for a run as soon as Greg gets home. It’s actually been a nice change to run while it’s still light out, get out my frustrations from the day, get home within 30 minutes (been aiming to keep to 3 miles at around a 9 minute pace), and then dive right into the dinner time madness. It would be nice to be out there longer but there are mouths to be fed, a dog to be walked, kids to be bathed etc etc. Greg would totally do it all but I can’t, in good conscience, let him try to fight that battle on his own after he’s had a long day.
Mamas…when do you find the time to workout? How do you fit it all in, or are you struggling with finding a routine too?
On a side note…I think 99.9% of the reason I enjoy going for a run is because I get to listen to my cheesy music. I actually find myself singing when I run…maybe it helps with my breathing? haha. I wanted to share what’s on my “Workout Mix 2013″. You can either laugh at my song selections, OR let me know a song or two that really gets you going when exercising. I love when a new, fun song pops up on my playlist….so please, let’s hear what’s on yours.
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Hey! I’m Lauren Rene
I'm a So Cal Mommy of 2 boys, and wifey to one handsome fella! Interior Designer by trade, but SAHM by choice. I spend my days loving my family, getting crafty, cooking clean, exercising, snapping photos and sharing it all with you.
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