Dinner’s ready! #WIAW

I’m not really sure how we are at the end of November already. I’m also not sure how Genevieve is already eight and a half weeks old. My maternity leave is half over. Waaaaah 😦

I’ve been really focused on eating well over the last 8 weeks, more so than I was when I was pregnant, (and I was pretty healthy then too). I just want to make sure Genevieve gets the best nutrition she can, and it is helping me make better choices. It will hopefully help me fit into my pre-preg wardrobe soon too 🙂

pre-B

kids cliff bar when G nursed around 6 this morning.

B

Pumpkin Pie Green Monster: 1/3 cup oatmeal (ground up into powder before adding remaining ingredients), 2 large handfuls spinach, 1 scoop vanilla protein powder, 1 TBS chia seeds, 1/4 cup pumpkin, sprinkling of cinnamon, stevia & pumpkin pie spice.

I’ve been drinking a lot of smoothies for breakfast lately. They are just so easy, and a great way to ensure I get veggies first thing in the morning mid-morning.

L

Portability was key to help me run errands: leftover farro + black beans with cheddar, salsa, & avocado.

S

Peppermint White Mocha and an apple while decorating the tree.

D

Freezer meal! This is another one of my freezer meals I made pre-baby. Tonight we’re having cream cheese chicken over farro. We’ll probably have it in tortillas for dinner tomorrow.

Some chocolate may be consumed later too 🙂

What is your favorite crock pot or freezer meal?

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Baby Weight [WIAW]

Not what’s leftover (2 pounds pre-preg weight, but I got pregnant right after Christmas…so more like 8-10 to lose), but what I used today in place of  weights for my squats was Genevieve! A squirmy baby is much more difficult to work out with than dumbbells, haha. She let me do 2 sets of 10 squats after her nap before she had a little melt down. I was going to do crunches with her too, but no dice today.

Yesterday was my 6-week post-partum check up, and I was cleared for normal exercise, whoo hoo! I am soooo ready to get my sweat on.

Before my elliptical session I noshed on a nanner, British style English muffin topped with pumpkin spice cream cheese (why is this not available year round, waaaa), and coffee.

After working out, and feeding/soothing Genevieve, I was able to snag a shower and make lunch from last night’s leftovers – bean, cheese, & veggie burrito w/celery sticks. I also nibbled on a few cheddar beer chips (Kettle brand).

While waiting for the hubs to get home from work I sipped on some sugar cookie sleigh ride tea. ‘Tis the season!

Dinner was the oh-so-tasty cream cheese spaghetti I made and froze pre-baby. I made two batches, and now I need to make more. I did half organic ground beef, and half turkey Italian sausage, used whole wheat pasta, and doubled up the veggies. So good!

Pasta was paired with red table wine from Sweet Valley Wines,  and salad (romaine, spinach, onion, red bell pepper, avocado, goat cheese, and pom seeds) with homemade salad dressing.

And, finally, dessert! Yesterday the hubs brought home cupcakes from my favorite bakery in town, but I was too tired to enjoy one. Tonight was the night. I’m glad there is only one, I could eat these every night and it would not be good for my previously mentioned goal! Nor would I be falling into good habits 😉

What should I do with my peanut flour? I just purchased my first jar.

I’m thinking stirring into plain Greek yogurt, and adding to oatmeal. What else?

I’m back! [WIAW]

I haven’t written a What I Ate Wednesday post since July 25th! The beginning of the school year, and all the crazy planning before hand, took up all my time. And I’ve been a tad preoccupied as of late 😉 But I managed to snap some pics of all of my meals yesterday, and wanted to join back in the fun. Soon I’ll be starting up Weigh in Wednesdays again too…although I might need to push them to Thursday. When I combined the two before my posts were too massive. But I need a “t” word to replace weigh in. Weigh in with your suggestions please 😉

I promise to fall into good exercise habits as soon as I’m allowed…for now I’m just walking. I know this is a good form of exercise, but it just isn’t the same as a good ol’ fashioned sweat session.

Yesterday I started my day with my standard 3 am snack, a Luna bar, followed by some homemade trail mix while I waited for a coffee date.

[trail mix: salted cashews, almonds, dried pineapple, & cherry flavored craisins]

I enjoyed a sesame bagel + cream cheese* and a grande double shot 1/2 vanilla latte at The Rocket while catching up with my friend who is also on maternity leave. Her son is 5 weeks older than Genevieve, and it is so fun to see him interact. It is like a foreshadowing of what is to come with Miss G.

*I need to update y’all on the dairy-free post…

Lunch was a 99 cent day-old sandwich I snagged from The Rocket and a delicious salad of spinach topped with bell pepper, avocado, grapes, goat cheese, and red wine vinegar + blood orange olive oil.

After lunch Miss G and I enjoyed the beautiful sunny fall day with a walk. She napped in the Baby Bjorn, while I listened to a Parent Savers podcast. I think we covered about 3/4ths of a mile. My 6-week post-partum appointment is next Tuesday and I hope to be cleared for normal exercise. I am sooooo ready to get moving!

Post-walk I inhaled my current favorite snack: Justin’s maple almond butter stuffed dates. I could eat these every day.

And dinner was leftover turkey tacos in front of the t.v. as the hubs and I watched the election results. Miss G snoozed through most of them.

And finally, dessert:  a few hubs-baked pecan + dark chocolate chip cookies. Yum!

Starvin’ marvin [WIAW]

I don’t think I ate enough yesterday because today I have been ravenous! I woke up with the hubs alarm and couldn’t fall back asleep because of my hunger. I attempted to satisfy it with a banana, but that didn’t work out. Enter endless eating for the remainder of the day!

So what did I eat that I need to beef up?

B

Fauxbux breakfast sandwich made with a parbaked ciabatta roll I found at Trader Joe’s. These bad boys are delicious, only take 5 minutes to heat, and make my sandwich even more like the Starbucks one I love. On the side I had a big bowl of cherries and some decaf with half & half.

L

Hugh Jass salad with spinach, romaine, tomato, bell pepper, grapes, goat cheese, Costco rotisserie chicken, and homemade dressing. Another ciabatta roll and a big bowl of cherries were consumed as well.

S

Cottage cheese with cinnamon and a nanner.

S2

Iced grande soy chai consumed while I met with a potential maternity, birth, and newborn photog 🙂

D

My first Chipotle bowl! Spokane welcomed its first Chipotle a month or so ago, but I avoided it because I’m not a fan of crowds. But now I see what all the fuss is about. Yes, I could totally make this at home (and often do), but the convenience factor of something yummy and fairly nutritious is very nice. My bowl included brown cilantro rice, black beans, chicken, cheese, mild salsa, corn salsa, and lettuce. I wish they had more fresh chopped veggies to add, however.

D

a few squares of Lindt milk chocolate

No workout yesterday, unless you count the 6+ hours I spent cleaning/organizing my house. I am VERY stressed out about the state of my house right now. Between refinishing the floors upstairs, and the hubs renovating our 4th bedroom, nothing is where it belongs! I start the new school year in 5ish weeks and am running out of time to make everything “perfect” before I don’t have time during the day. Stress counts as fitness, right?

Instagrammin WIAW

Today was pretty productive: I cleaned up a bit, exercised, went fabric shopping for Baby Spinach’s quilt, mailed off my foodie pen pals package, and did some laundry. Later I’ll be applying some more paint to the bookcase that is becoming a huge pain in my arse. Fun stuff I tell ya.

Thanks Jenn for hosting another round of what I ate Wednesday!

I woke up around 9 and watched a little of the Today Show while munching on a nanner with Justin’s Maple Almond Butter and then I busted out a few miles on the elliptical while watching A Baby Story. I’ve recently decided to time my elliptical workouts during the 10 o’clock hour for this reason.

Afterward I was starving and had an early lunch of Mexicanish quinoa salad (subbed pinto beans for black beans and didn’t include cheese),

some 1% cottage cheese topped with a peach, and some iced coffee.

After going fabric shopping and hitting the post office I whipped up a monster protein smoothie with blueberries and pineapple, and tried out some roasted seaweed I picked up yesterday at Trader Joe’s.

It took a few bites before I enjoyed the seaweed, but after a few thins I couldn’t stop reaching for more. They are oddly addicting.

Dinner will be some basil pesto tilapia, brown rice/quinoa blend, and a green salad.

recycled photo, meh

Dessert will happen, I’m just not sure what form it will take.

What’s made you feel productive lately?

Happy 4th of July! [WIAW]

I’m back in Spokane after spending all of July in Yakima 😉 I am loving July’s challenge from Jenn – get your fitness in friends!

Breakfast was eaten on my parents deck with a lovely view,

and Zoey begging for food 🙂

Egg + bacon + Tillamook cheddar on Dave’s Killer Bread (my dad calls it Dave’s prison bread),

and 2% cottage cheese with a peach and some cherries.

Fitness: 50 minutes/3 miles on my mom’s elliptical while watching House Hunters. I am not supposed to get my heart rate above 140, which used to be really difficult to achieve. But now that I am 6 months along I am moving much slooooooower and am easily in the 140 range 🙂

L/S

Eaten en route to Yakima – peanut butter and honey on Dave’s Killer Bread, 1 orange bell pepper, 1/2 an English cucumber, an apple,

a Venti SBUX passion iced tea lemonade and some trail mix

The drive between Yakima and Spokane is very drab, but there is one beautiful spot that lasts about 5 minutes when you cross the Columbia River. I took the opportunity to stretch at the Wild Horses Monument.

D

Sadly, pizza – our propane tank wasn’t full enough for steak, so we ran out to get some only to discover they didn’t fill after 7. So we went around to find one, but by the time we filled up I was starving and was not going to wait unil 9 to eat.

DPatriotic homemade blueberry pie a la mode (recipe soon)

How did you celebrate the 4th of July?

Summer’s here! [WIAW]

Not that you’d know it by yesterday’s weather. It was a whopping 50 degrees and rainy. Gross.

Now that I’ve recovered from my bronchitus-like-caugh-for-10-days cold, I’m attacking each day with a goal in mind. It is too easy to fall into the sleep til noon/laze around all afternoon mentality if I don’t. Not that sleeping until 10 is much better…but I’ll take any improvement I can get. The reality will be a huge slap in the face when Baby Spinach arrives and I’m up around the clock if I don’t reign things in now!

So far I’ve attacked the following goals:

Monday – sweep/mop living room, dining room, and kitchen (omg this took forever – any tips to make this go faster? Vaccuming is much quicker!), and clean/organize the pantry

Tuesday – go into school and get organized and clean basement family room

Wednesday – go into school and get organized

In addition to these goals I have a daily goal of 30 minutes exercise in any shape or form and walk the dog. I also need to add read for an hour to this list, because it is too easy to get sucked into blogs and pinterest and not my ever growing book pile.

And of course, one goal that never leaves my list: eat healthy!

Thanks Jenn for the sensible snack goal for June, I’m excited to see what you cook up for July!

Monday’s eats:

BFauxbux bacon gouda breakfast sandwich

Salmonds pre-elliptical

LFauxbux passion iced tea lemonade (recipe tomorrow)apple and saladThe hubs grilled a bunch of tenderloins and I froze them for easy lunches. My Hugh Jass salad was quite colorful and delicious. In the bowl: lettuce and chives from the garden, yellow bell pepper, tomatoes, avocado, toasted pecans, dried cherries, grilled chicken, and homemade dressing.

S

DSesame soba noodle salad and a green saladThis soba salad was delish! It is great hot or cold.

DWarheads sour cubes…I’m not proud of this. But 80/20 rule, right?

How do you attack goals? Daily, weekly, monthly?