Oh my WORD….I’m so sorry I’ve been neglecting this little blog! Yes, I’m still alive!! I’ve decided I need about 14 more hours each day….without kids….and with no distractions.
Wouldn’t that be nice?? I think so.
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Well, my world has been rocked this past week! The kids started back up to school. We had a wonderful summer, but I’m ready for a little more structure and order ’round here. I’ve had to go back to waking up at 6:30 every morning again. I know that’s not early to most of you, but it’s early to ME!
But, y’all would be so proud of me! I’ve been going to bed early as well! What a novel concept, I know! It’s amazing how much better I feel, how much more energy I have and how much sweeter/easier/happier life is when I’m well rested!! I love it.
But, that’s part of the reason why I haven’t been able to blog!! My sleep is taking precedence. I think it’s a good thing! But, I have SO MANY THINGS to put on here! TONS and TONS! I’m hoping this week will be a little less busy so I can get it all on here!
Anyway….I will just give you all a quick summary of what I’ve been up to lately and then I’m going to go to BED!
Here are some cute pics of the kids on their first day of school,
(8th, 6th and 3rd grade) What in thee heck?? How did I get such OLD children??
Love these guys!
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Here’s a summary of the Exercise I’ve been doing lately….
I’ve been doing well at sticking to my exercise schedule. I strive to go to the gym and work my BUM off 4 times a week. I love all my classes so so much. They seriously KILL me! In fact, I had subs (for instructors) in 2 of my classes this week. Lame. But, it makes me so grateful for my wonderful instructors that kick my can! One of the subs did a great job, but the other one was servery lacking. 🙁
She was super nice, but the workout was pretty weak. She kept telling us not to lift too heavy or we would get injured. But, then we didn’t end up doing anything too complicated and I wished I lifted heavier! She also took a million water breaks and kept telling us to catch our breath. What!? AND….she had us do pushups….on our knees! Seriously??? I do pushups in a lot of my classes, but the instructor never tells us to do them on our knees!! NEVER! Most people still do them on their knees (and I do some on my knees sometimes too), but you don’t want the instructor telling you to do them on your knees!! Seriously. We only did about 30 pushups too. So so lame.
When I go to a class, I want my instructor to challenge me! In fact, I don’t want to be able to do everything they tell us to do! I want to leave it all on the floor and go home feeling like I have nothing left in the tank.
There is nothing worse than taking the time to go to gym and then getting a lame workout.
Okay, I’m done venting now. 😉
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Here’s a summary of some of the healthy food I’ve been enjoying (warning: lots of pictures!)
I’ve been eating well for the most part and I’m loving it. For breakfast I’ve been having protein pancakes or oatmeal most mornings…
Chocolate Protein Pancakes topped with almond butter and agave nectar. I was all out of fruit (!!!???), so I didn’t top it with any. 🙁 I also had 3 scrambled egg whites on the side topped with low sugar ketchup. YUM!
OIAJ (Oats in a Jar) with a side of raspberries! I made my typical PB Chocolate Oatmeal and put the warm oatmeal in this (mostly) empty peanut butter jar. It was so so yummy and filling!
Here’s a peek inside the jar…
Yet another OIAJ! Yes, all my jars of peanut butter decided to be gone at the same time!
This oatmeal was so so good! I made it into a Banana Vanilla Peanut Butter Version. Here’s how I made it…
- I mixed 1/3 C. oatmeal and water in a microwave safe bowl.
- I microwaved it for 2 minutes.
- When it came out I added 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder and 1 T. ground flax seed and mixed it all together.
- I put the warm oatmeal into this empty PB jar and mixed it around.
- I then topped it all with 1/2 of a small banana.
SO SO SO GOOD! In fact, I’m going to make this tomorrow morning I’ve decided. 😉 Here’s a peak into the jar….
Here are some things I’ve had for lunch/snacks…
Fat free cottage cheese with DILL Triscuits (yum!), raspberries, cucumbers and cherry tomatoes from the garden. This is a pretty typical lunch for me. I usually just open the fridge and eat whatever is about to die. Love it.
Cheese crisps (my kids love these too!) with a side of cherry tomatoes. Looks weird, I know. But, they are GOOD!
A yummy salad (romaine, spinach, raspberries, cucumber, blueberries, tomatoes and leftover chicken) topped with Walden Farms ranch and served with a side of Pirate’s Booty! I love making salads because I again can open the fridge and use up whatever dying produce I have. Win, win. 😉
Oh and in case you’ve never had Pirate’s Booty, I’m here to tell you that it is YU…MMY! My kids love it too! In fact, this bag was gone in about 3 days. Ya. It’s kind of like a healthier version of puffy Cheetos.
Sliced cucumbers from the garden and some leftover chicken. I dipped both of them in this yummy Greek Yogurt Dip from Costco. It’s perty good. I thought it was going to be similar to Tzatziki, but it’s completely different. I still like Tzatziki better, but I can’t find it at Costco anymore. 🙁 This dip is still mighty tasty though.
I’ve also been loving protein shakes lately too. I try to have one after my workout if I can…
Almond Joy Protein Shake (freaking awesome)…
Mint Chocolate Chip Protein Shake (the bomb!)…
I also like to take portable protein shakes with me in the car. They are perfect if I have to run a few errands after I go to the gym. I love the Premier brand from Costco….
I’ve also made a bunch of yummy dinners lately too. I will put the recipes on separate posts though because they are a lot more complicated.
Well, I’m so sorry for the GINORMOUS post! I guess that’s what ya get when I go AWOL for a week! Like drinking from a fire hose….
Well I need to go to bed now. It is late!! I hope y’all had a wonderful Labor Day holiday! xoxo
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