Hey everyone! I’m sorry my last post was a little serious and somber. My emotions were close to the surface and it’s just how I was feeling that day! Since that post, I’ve had a few phone calls and emails from people expressing concern and inquiring about how me and my family are doing. Thank you all for your kindness and concern.
I know it’s annoying when people post things on social media about struggles and hard things, but then never elaborate. It leaves people to worry and speculate. I didn’t mean to do that! So sorry.
I actually have quite a few friends and family members who are struggling at the moment (that’s the way life goes!), but I was especially worried the other day for my sweet niece and her husband who have a darling baby with some severe health problems. They are such a strong and inspiring family and I just love them sooooo much! It just hurts my heart to know how difficult things are for them. 🙁
But right now, me, Kev and the kiddos are doing great! I hope I didn’t just jinx us. 🙂
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I’m still stickin’ to the macro counting thing and I really love it! I haven’t been 100% perfect at it, but I’ve been learning so much in the process! The thing I love most of all is that I feel very much in control and accountable for my health and what I’m putting in my body! I’ve become very aware of the nutritional content of the foods I’m eating and it’s empowering in a weird kind of way.
I don’t feel deprived at all either! It’s certainly a lifestyle that I could live with, probably forever. It’s so exciting to me to have finally found something that makes sense to me, is livable, healthy, balanced and not super restrictive or hard! Yay!
I’m not the type of person who feels “guilty” when I eat foods I’m trying to avoid. I might feel a little disappointed or frustrated with myself, especially if I’m trying to reach goals, but I don’t really feel guilty. With that being said, I loooove that macro counting allows me to splurge a little bit, but still stick to my goals. It still takes a lot of self discipline because my “splurges” are usually very small amounts (I’d always love to have more!), but it’s teaching me to enjoy just a little bit and be satisfied.
Case in point, I was happy to fit this into my macros yesterday…
This was some Baskin Robbins mint chocolate chip ice cream (left over from my birthday!) I topped it with some Walden Farms chocolate syrup and it was fabulous! Even though it looks like a big serving in that picture, it was only 1/2 cup. I ate it with a small baby spoon so I could savor every bite. It was sooooo good!
I would have loved to have had more, but I was happy I could at least enjoy a little bit.
Okay, I want to talk about that Walden Farms syrup for a minute! HOLY smokes guys, it is going to be a game changer for me! Yay! I’ve tried several Walden Farms salad dressings over the years and they’re kind of a little bit gross, so I didn’t really want to try any of their other products. But, I kept hearing about how good the Walden Farms syrups were, so I decided to give them a try!
I stopped by Harmon’s (a wonderful healthy local grocery store) the other day and stocked up on some random things…
I, of course, got that Walden Farms chocolate syrup. I also got some of their maple pancake syrup and blueberry syrup. I haven’t tried them yet though. I got some Ezekiel bread; a low sodium one and a cinnamon raisin one. Yum! I also saw that Protein cereal and I was like, “Score! Cheerios with protein.” I love to add them to my protein pudding.
I keep hearing about how good Bolthouse Farms salad dressings are too, however I was afraid to try them because I thought they’d be like Walden Farms. What’s up with all the different kinds of “Farms” brands? Huh? Weird. I guess the whole “farm” thing makes it sound healthy. 😉
Anyway, I tried the Creamy Balsamic one the other day and it was GOOD! I was pleasantly surprised. It’s only 40 calories for 2 tablespoons and I usually only use one tablespoon! I’m happy ’bout that. I made myself a big ol’ salad the other day and it was fabulous!
This was just a mixture of romaine, cucumbers, tomatoes, artichokes (I looove them on salads, but always forget to use them!) and some crunched up Food Should Taste Good chips. After I took this picture, I realized I forgot to add my chicken! Sooo, I added about 4 ounces of rotisserie chicken on top of this too. Soooo good.
I had this for breakfast this morning and it was soooo good!
It was some of my Chocolate Chip Cookie Oatmeal and I topped it with some of that Walden Farms chocolate syrup! Ya, I’m pretty much putting it on everything lately. This was fabulous and filled me up for hours! I’m sure I’ll have the same thing tomorrow morning. Oh, and I had some scrambled egg whites topped with natural ketchup on the side. Yay for extra protein!
I made this for dinner last night and it was delish!
It was homemade baked chicken nuggets, roasted red potatoes and broccoli. Seriously so good. I haven’t made baked chicken nuggets in a long time and I’ve missed them! I must say that I was in a hurry last night, so they didn’t look pretty. I also made them with a mixture of bread crumbs made from Dave’s Killer Powerseed Bread and SaraLee Delightful bread. I thought it tasted fabulous, but my kiddos were skeptical. They still gobbled it right up though!
Those roasted red potatoes are sooo dang good folks! My family loves them so much! I had a small portion since I was counting my carbs, but I enjoyed every bite!
I also got some things in the mail yesterday that I was so excited about! I already shared these things on Instagram, so if you follow me there, you may have already seem them!
I got me a legit Spiral Slicer so I can make legit zucchini noodles! Boom!
I’ve been making zucchini noodles for years, but I just use my trusty julienne slicer. It works just fine, so I never felt like I needed a spiral slicer. However, I kept hearing good things about this particular slicer AND when I realized it was only like 8 bucks on Amazon, I decided to splurge. Ha ha. I haven’t used it yet, but I’m sure I’ll love it.
I’m a weird one, folks. I remember when DVDs first came out….I wondered why in the world I’d need a DVD when VHS tapes work just fine!??! I felt the same way about CDs and cassette tapes (that makes me sound old!) I also felt that way about rice cookers, mini choppers, legit blenders, running watches, smart phones….the list goes on. I think I’m doing just fine without all of these wonderful inventions and then when I finally decide to try one of them out, I think, “WOW.” “Where have I been and why didn’t I think I needed this!???”
Ya, I’m definitely not one of those people that needs the latest and greatest of everything.
Anyway, I also got me this incredible Green Superfood that I’m stoked about! I’ve seen it at Costco the past several months, but haven’t bought it. Ya know, every time I go to Costco I spend a gazillion $$, so it’s hard to justify spending the additional $30ish on “Superfood.” However, when I saw this Green Superfood on sale on Amazon (you have to click on the “save 20%” thing), I decided IT WAS TIME.
This is incredible guys! Check out the ingredients!!!!!
It’s full of so much goodness! I keep reading about the health benefits of Spirulina, Chlorella, Maca and Digestive Enzymes, so I was stoked to see them ALL in the same product! I also love that this has Wheat Grass, Probiotics and stuff like Alfalfa, Spinach and Broccoli. So Dang Cool.
It also has the cutest UPC that I ever did see…
I mixed a scoop into my protein shake today and I was so happy ’bout it.
I have to say, it was a little bit gross.
There were several reviews on Amazon that said it tasted nasty, so I was expecting that. It also says “Now Better Taste” on the bottle, so I hate to think about how it used to taste! Ewwww. It wasn’t terrible, but it just had a “yummy” earthy, grassy taste to it. But, you know what???? I DON’T CARE! When I know something is good for me and has so much incredible stuff packed into it, I don’t care if it tastes awesome.
In fact, I plan to have some every day! I may add a bit more peppermint or almond extract to drown out the taste though. Ha ha.
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Well, let’s talk just a bit about exercise for a sec, shall we? I’ve told you guys that I’ve been taking it easy the past couple months with my exercise regimen. It’s been great and was just what I needed! However, lately I’ve been missing my tough workouts and have been wanting to take it up a notch. I’ve been running 2-3 times a week and have started weight training again. I’m just working out from home, for now, but I’m hoping to start going back to the gym soon!
I got a killer weights workout in the other day and it felt soooo good! However, it is SO TOUGH to workout from home with a baby! I’m sure all you moms out there know just what I’m talkin’ about!
I snapped a few pics of my workout the other day. Ha ha!
It was actually pretty darn cute. Every time I got down on the floor for any reason, he climbed on top of me! I employed the help of my almost 8 year old to entertain the baby more than once. I also stopped halfway through my workout to get the baby some snacks and a sippy cup too (you can see him on the couch with his treats!)
It was a wee bit frustrating, but I got my workout done nonetheless! It made me realize that I NEED to get back to the gym! I stopped going for various reasons, but one of those reasons was that my baby did not do well in the daycare! I think he’ll do better now though, so I plan to try it out again in a week or two.
I always, always, always get in much better shape, workout harder and more consistently when I go to the gym!
I miss it!
I am very much in the “busy baby” stage of life right now! But, since he’s my last little baby I’ve actually been enjoying it….sort of. He makes me laugh every single day and melts my heart. He is probably my most active baby EVER though! I shared a post a few months ago about some of the struggles I’d been having with him. He is full of it!
I’ve also been taking a few pictures of him this past week of all the crazy things he does! I have my hands full! First off, he loves to climb and pretty much climbs on anything that’s climbable!
This one freaked me out yesterday, so I quickly snapped this picture and then rescued him!
Now, that he’s discovered that light switch, it’s his new favorite thing! I’m seriously considering just getting rid of all of the chairs in our house!
But, how cute is that little diaper poking out of the back of his pants??? Awwwww.
He’s also figured out how to crawl under the baby gate!
He does it in about 2 seconds flat and even turns his head to fit underneath!!! Kev says we should just take the gate off, but I’m like….”Uhhhh, no.” BTW, we experimented for about 5 minutes with the gate off and he tried to WALK down the stairs holding onto the railing! He has no fear!
Oh, and he loves going through the trash…
I’ve pretty much “baby locked” everything that I can, but I haven’t really wanted to baby lock the trash! I may have to though! He also loves to get into the dog food about 10 times a day. It’s great fun.
He’s in such a funny, sweet, cute, but STINKER stage! He’s a sweetheart though and I know he’s growing up way faster than I want him to, so I’m trying not to sweat it.
Well, I gotta go to bed! Tomorrow is FRIDAY! Woot! I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!
Oh my goodness. He’s too cute for words and looks a tad mischievous. Lol! I’m glad the macro counting is working so well for you. My prayers are with your niece and her family.
Thanks so much Charlotte. Yes, this baby is a handful, but soooooo much fun! As crazy as it sounds, I would love to freeze him at this age forever. I think I would go nuts though! Ha ha.
Glad your immediate family is OK, and sending love to those close to you that are struggling! I have to mix green powders into smoothies with lots of banana to hide the flavor, although at times I enjoy the grassy taste they have ha. Lookin good mama!
Thanks Brittany! Ya know, I kind of sort of liked the grassy flavor just a little bit too. It was gross, but it’s a reminder of how much goodness I’m putting in my body. It’s quite rewarding in a strange kinda way. Ha.
My husband and I use Green Superfood almost daily.
I’m glad to hear that Jill! I’ve been wanting to try it forever. It is amazing!
My youngest learned to crawl out of his crib and over the baby gate (at the top of the stairs) in the middle of the night to come to our room at that age. He also figured out how to open the cupboards even though we had safety latches on them. He’s the reason we got an alarm for our house – not to keep people out, but to make sure we knew when he tried to leave in the middle of the night! He would also climb up bookshelves that went almost to the ceiling in a vaulted room. When I said he shouldn’t do that, he said “you shouldn’t put stuff I want up there.” I don’t know how we survived. He sure is a nice kid now. Not a thrill seeker at all.
He also used to climb on me when I tried to do pilates or yoga. It was pretty frustrating. Hang in there!
Oh, and I love the Bolthouse dressings! The Cesear Parmigiano especially. Yum!
Ha ha ha Beth, I’m worried to find out what our future holds with this child! I have a few bookshelves I could imagine him climbing on! My third baby was quite a climber, but I think this one is our most active!! I’ll have to try that Cesear Parmigiano flavor dressing. Yum!!!