Perfectly Imperfect

**In light of the progress I have been making while I've been in therapy sessions for my anxiety and depression, I decided I am going to hit "publish" on this incomplete entry that I wrote WAY back in January. I think it is symbolic of and telling of the struggles I have encountered recently. Perfectionism is not something lighthearted for me- it is a crippling tendency that I am trying to detach from as it is rarely helpful for me! This is a personal experience and I know that not everyone can relate. But I am trying to relinquish the power these tendencies have had over me in the past and as Elsa would say, "Let it go, let it go!"

So here you go. A perfectly imperfect (and incomplete) entry from the beginning of 2017. I am sure I didn't finish it because I either A. ran out of the "right" words to say, or B. couldn't find the "perfect" time to get it done. Procrastination is one of my biggest enemies!!


January 11th, 2017
I've been posting to this blog pretty much since I officially became an adult... I think I started right around the time I got married. This blog has seen me through thick and thin, through so many different chapters of my life.

Lately I have been missing my blogging. Online journaling is a perfect outlet for me- I love to write my thoughts and emotions as a way to process them, and honestly my life is a pretty open book and I will share *almost* anything about myself to anyone ;)

Lately my eyes have been opened to something I have always struggled with, but it has been especially crippling lately.... perfectionism. Have you heard of it?

Perfectionism is not just someone who likes things neat and tidy, or having organizational skills, or having your things always in the right place all of the time. If this were true then I would not be "struggling" with perfectionism, because those things sound so nice! But my things are never neat and tidy, I am not really great with organizational skills, and I wish I could say all of my things are in the right place all of the time but the truth is that they rarely are. I guess that is why I struggle with perfectionism- I am constantly striving for this impossible perfection. I strive for it so hard that it is crippling, and often the opposite happens- my life turns into a giant mess of disorganization.

Ultimate Reset- New Dressing Recipe!

I have just had this dressing on my ba-zillionth 3-cup microgreen salad and it was AMAZING :D

It's super easy to make, too. Just throw all of the ingredients in your blender or food processor, and store it in the refrigerator until you've used it all up.

*tip: I store mine in individual serving sizes so they are easy to grab and go!












Here is the recipe I used. Enjoy!

Creamy Garlic Dressing

(makes 8 servings, 2 Tbsp. each)

1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil

1/4 c. apple cider vinegar

3 garlic cloves, crushed

3 Tbsp. lemon juice

2 Tbsp. fresh parsley

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. dijon mustard

1 Tbsp. raw honey

Cucumber and Tomato Salad: RECIPE

A few months ago I did a 3 Day Refresh from Beachbody and it was amazing! It only lasted 3 days, I got to EAT my food (as opposed to most 3 day cleanses) and I felt awesome afterwards!

There were a few recipes that really stuck out to me, and I wanted to share one of them with you today.

The cucumber and tomato salad was fresh, easy to make, and doesn't have any crazy ingredients involved. It is especially nice to make in the summer when you might be growing some fresh herbs in your garden :D


CUCUMBER AND TOMATO SALAD
(makes 1 serving)

1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 medium cucumber, sliced and halved
1/2 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
1 Tbsp. red onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh italian parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
dash of sea salt

1. Combine vinegars, lemon juice and oil in a small bowl. Mix well to create dressing and set aside.

2. Combine cucumber, tomato, onion, parsley, basil, and sea salt in a large bowl.

3. Drizle dressing over cucumber mixture. Toss gently to blend.


Tips:
- Multiply this recipe by 4-6 and serve your salad at a party!
- Buy your herbs "lightly dried" in the cooler section of your grocery store. They last a lot longer than fresh herbs but pack the same kind of flavor as fresh!
- Allow your salad to chill in the fridge for 20-30 minutes before enjoying. This lets the flavors blend together better.

If you want more information on the 3 Day Refresh or any other Beachbody products, please contact me! I'd love to chat with you more on your goals and come up with a plan to get them done!

Everything is Just Right. Breathe.

I have been really working on my meditation practice each morning and evening. It helps ground me. My brain is loud and a little bit chatty, sometimes it is a lot for me to handle. Sitting in meditation helps me really focus on "right now" and then the chatter doesn't feel like too much anymore. 

Today I found myself being extremely self-critical. I woke up with a to-do list a mile long and I wasn't sure how to handle it. When I feel like I have too much to do, of course the first thing I do is think of all the things I have already done (or haven't done) any all of the reasons why they are so in adequate. 

Today I wanted to stop that negative self talk in its place. It is not helping me at all. There is nothing beneficial about it. It's not like I am providing myself constructive criticism. I am basically bullying myself into submission, and I refuse to do it to myself anymore. Sometimes I am my own worst enemy, and it can be pretty rough. 

My thoughts were pretty powerful ones this morning. I felt drawn to journaling them for some reason. Usually my meditation is a pretty intimate experience, but for some reason as soon as I was done I felt compelled to write this out. So here I am. Maybe my experience can help at least one person to not feel so alone. 

You talk too much. 

You can’t sit still enough. 

You’re too slow. 

You didn’t get enough done. 

You were too harsh with the kids. 

Just right. 

Just right. 

Just right. 

Just right. 

Just right. 

With each breathe, remind yourself that everything is just right. 

This moment. It’s where you are right now. And it is just right. When you are speaking to your kids, you will be just right. There is nothing wrong with you. You are doing everything just right. 

Breathe. This moment is exactly as it should be. There is nothing you need to change. No need for any judgement or harshnesses. With each breath, notice that this is exactly where you are right now, and exactly where you need to be. Everything is just right. 

The Master's Hammer and Chisel- the first 4 days!

Most of my followers might already know that I started a new fitness program this week. It is a Beachbody program called The Master's Hammer and Chisel. It is the first time that Beachbody has taken 2 of their master trainers and put them into one fitness program. It is a resistance training based program that focuses on 3 things: Stabilization, Strength and Power (SSP) and let me tell you, I am already in love with it! 

On Day 1 I did Chisel Balance. This workout uses 1-2 weights and lots of moves where you are standing on one foot, jumping from one foot to the other, and overall focusing on your core for stabilization and balance. I had to modify during the workout for most of the moves, and I didn't break a sweat, but the next day I could feel it in every one of my muscles (especially my legs and my core!)

On Day 2 I did Hammer Plyometrics. I will be honest when I assumed it would not be too difficult- Sagi Kalev is the trainer in this video and he is a really big guy! I assumed that his version of plyometrics (basically jump training) would be mediocre considering I assumed his size would limit his ability to jump. Boy was I wrong! This workout was the shortest but it made me break a sweat like crazy!

On Day 3 I did Iso Strength Chisel. This workout focuses on doing 3 sets of 10 reps each, with a 10 second hold in between each of the sets. So for example, you would do 10 sumo squats, 10 second hold, 10 sumo squats, 10 second hold, 10 sumo squats, 10 second hold. Then you would stretch that particular muscle group before moving on to the next move. I think this workout was my favorite so far, but my arms were shaking pretty intensely before I was done. This workout was the one that convinced me to try the new Beachbody Performance Line. I purchased Energize (a pre-workout drink) and Recover (a post-workout drink) and I will give my review on them after I try them for a few days. 

Day 4 (today) was a rest day. Autumn Calabrese (one of the master trainers in this program) emphasized strongly today in our Challenge Group how important the rest day is. She encouraged us to NOT do yoga, running, another program, etc. but to just let our bodies restore and recover from the intense workouts over the last 3 days. I did do 15 minutes of foam rolling, but I am not sure if that is considered exercising or not. I mostly wanted to massage my sore muscles and get them moving a little bit today to increase circulation. Today was my first day using my foam roller and I really like it!

Tomorrow I will move onto Iso Speed Hammer. The name of that one makes me a little nervous, but I am sure I will enjoy it. So far I have nothing but great things to say about this program. Most of all, I am excited to see how I feel after 60 days!

 

Sunday Morning Thoughts

I got up to my alarm this morning. Woohoo! This is one of my biggest goals this month. I have developed a habit of laying in bed after my alarm goes off, which means I inevitably fall back asleep most of the time. I also have developed a habit of moving really slowly once I am up. So if I am up at 5am, it is often 5:45 before I actually start my workout. Between the time I get out of bed and the time I press play for my workout, I only have a few things to do- go to the bathroom, drink some water, brush me teeth, get dressed. That is really it. On a good day this takes me 20 minutes. My goals is to have it done in 10 minutes by the end of the month. 

After I got out of bed this morning, I went downstairs and turned on my Insight Timer app. I did a 1 minute meditation on "60 moments" and then another 3 minute mindfulness exercise meditation. This was difficult because I was uncomfortable sitting on the floor with no cushion (I am going to start sitting on a pillow until I can find a nice sitting cushion for myself) and my dog kept coming up to me when my eyes were closed and touching my nose with her nose. Apparently she wanted some attention, or to go outside ;)  After my meditations, I found a guided yoga routine to listen to on the same app. This was great, because I have often found it difficult to do yoga to a video- I have to crane my neck or look up from a downward position to see what the next move is. And I don't like to turn the volume up too loud because my kids are asleep- this routine allowed me to do it from my phone in my pocket with my headphones in :)

Once I finished that, I got online to do some research. I have been wanting to study buddhism and see how to go about creating more discipline in my daily life. It is really interesting to me, and I was able to bookmark a few educational sites and resources to read later this afternoon. After that, I logged onto Facebook and checked in with my challengers in my online accountability group. 

As I sit here drinking my coffee and listening to my kids play, I have been thinking a lot about how to bring more discipline, consistency, and compassion into my life. I made a comment in to my coaching team about how I was already planning on being at a certain webinar next month- one that I would need to "earn" by successfully helping 3 new people change their lives with a new health and fitness program during the month on January. I didn't say that I would try to meet my goal, or that I was working towards my goal. I said that I would be there. Period. End of sentence. 

Yoda popped into my mind at that point. This is one of my favorite lines in a movie because it means so much to me. It's like this- imagine you are sitting in a chair at a table. There is a pencil on the table. You are instructed to try to pick the pencil up. So, you pick the pencil up. Did you *try* to pick the pencil up? No, you just picked it up. There is no try- only do or do not. It's that simple. 

I am really thankful for this shift in my mindset. I am ready for it to help me attract positive energy and do some amazing things in my life. 

Today has started off on the right foot for sure. I was disciplined enough to hop out of bed right away, and I got my "quiet mind" time in first thing this morning as well. 

Tomorrow I start a new fitness program, The Master's Hammer and Chisel. I really need to practice discipline and get out of bed on time every morning, just like I did today. Later today, I will finish my meal plan for the week and post it here when it is complete. Here's to a great week ahead of me! 

Learning how to meditate

I've been wanting to find a way to quiet my mind for some time now. One of my plans for 2016 is to find time everyday to sit in silence. I can pray, I can meditate, I can focus on a word. Whatever I do, I am going to find some time each day to sit in silence (or guided meditation)

I downloaded an app called Insight Timer and I love it! You can do your own meditation and set up for a bell to chime as you begin and as you end (that way you are not constantly wondering how long it's been, and you can come out of a deep meditation gradually if need be.) It also tells you when you are finished how many other users are meditating at the same time as you and where they are around the world. It's pretty cool! 

Before my meditation, I did my workout. It was a cardio workout and it felt awesome. I am still on my endorphin high :) I am really excited to start a new schedule on Monday. I am doing it alongside a bunch of my friends and it feels great to have a workout plan for the next 60 days. 

That's it. Not such an exciting post, I know. But I really miss blogging regularly, so I have told myself to write anytime I think about it, even if it is a boring post ;)

Welcome 2016 with Open Arms!

I had a fantastic 2015. And 2016 will be even better!

I have big dreams, big goals. I have places I want to go and things I want to do. I want to better myself as a person. I have decided on 3 words to focus on this year. 

DISCIPLINE

CONSISTENCY

COMPASSION

I was thinking long and hard about the words I want to focus on in order to meet my goals. These are the top 3 and I am going to post them on sticky notes all over the house so that they are constantly in my thoughts. 

Discipline- in my meditation and mindfulness practice. In my fitness routines. In taking care of myself. I want to develop this important skill so that I can be the best me that I can be!

Consistency- a word that often scares me! I am letting go of the constant label that I place on myself, that I am not a consistent person. I can be what I want to be, and this year I want to be consistent. 

Compassion- for myself, and for those around me. If I can feel compassion for complete strangers, I should be able to apply the same for myself and those I love the most. 

I have goals to grow my health and fitness business this year. I am going to make it a priority so that I can have the freedom of time to do what I want to do. I have 2 passions- helping people like me discover their fullest potential in health, and working with preschoolers. This year I want to use my job of helping others with their health and fitness goals to create a sustainable and passive income, so that I may work with preschoolers part time and take away the stress of having a full time job as a teacher. 

I have goals to update our home. We may be in this home through the next several years (maybe while the kids are still in school) but eventually we want to own a large piece of land with cows and chickens and fruit trees and bees. In order to be ready for our dream home, we need to take care of the home we are in, and be ahead of the game. In the past, we have made some mistakes with our home investing but this year we are smarter and we will work harder. 

I have goals to create a deeper sense of understanding within myself. To know my truest self from within. I want to develop a meditation and prayer practice. This year I am going to make it happen. 

Today's blog post is an important one. I am going to print it out and hang it on the wall in my office. I have big goals for my life and I am making the plans I need to get there. 

Fill Your Own Cup

It is in my nature to take care of others, and to build them up to believe in themselves as they grow. This is why I love teaching, and coaching, and being a mom!! 

But it is also why I struggle DAILY with taking care of myself. Everyday I consciously make the decision to take care of ME- to exercise, shower, eat healthy, and to get enough sleep. I am also constantly fighting with each of those activities in my head, with OTHER things that need to be done for OTHER people. I come up with excuses to put off my own needs until everyone else is taken care of. 

I don’t have time to work out- I need to get the kids up/fed/dressed/played with/whatever. 

I don’t have time to shower- I need to get to this event/appointment/activity and people are depending on me to be there.  

I don’t have time to eat healthy- I need to get out the door now so I will grab something quick from the pantry. Or I will just eat the leftovers from my kids lunch.  

I don’t have time to go to bed early- I need to send this email/clean the kitchen/organize this thing. I need to get everything together for everyone else so it’s ready for tomorrow. 

I have a natural tendency to I gravitate towards activities that others will benefit from/ Sometimes I will benefit from them too! But I have a hard time doing anything for JUST ME and not feeling guilty about it! I end up putting things off until the end of the day, and then often times I never even get to do those things at all.

What I have learned over time (and what I need to remind myself of daily) is that I am a BETTER caregiver and helper when I am taken care of first. I have more energy, more smiles, more love to give when my own cup is full. If I can carve out a block of time each day to fill my own cup, I am so much better at filling other people’s cups. And in the end, that is what I love to do!

Recipe: Maple-Sweetened Pumpkin Muffins with Oats

Hey everyone! It's November, and for the last month everyone has been raving about Pumpkin Spice Lattes and pumpkin ice cream and pumpkin bread and pumpkin EVERYTHING. I have been meaning to try pumpkin in my chocolate Shakeology, so yesterday I busted it out. Of course, I bought the huge cans of pumpkin at Costco and only needed 3/4 cup scoop for my shake. So afterwards I went on a mission to find a recipe for healthy, but still moist and delicious, pumpkin muffins.

I used to make pumpkin muffins by mixing 1 small can of pumpkin into one box of spiced cake mix. These come out DELICIOUS, but as you can probably guess, they are not the healthiest thing for you ;) After much searching, I finally came across a recipe at Cookie and Kate. You can find the link to the blog *here* I picked this recipe because not only did I have everything I needed on hand, but they are all things that I usually keep on hand. I hate buying specific baking items for things I will only use occasionally.  I will say that I don't *think* I used whole wheat flour. I had some flour in an unmarked bag in my pantry. I knew it wasn't regular white flour, and it didn't smell like almond or coconut flour. But it wasn't dark like whole what flour either. My best guess is that it was bread flour. Either way, I used 1 cup of the mystery flour and 3/4 cup of regular white flour. Next time I will try with whole wheat flour and white flour mixed. These muffins are moist enough that I am sure they would be good with all whole wheat flour if you wanted.

Ok, so here is the recipe. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as we did!!

(click on the link above for a printer friendly version and to see the original recipe and variations and other ideas)

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Maple-Sweetened Pumpkin Muffins with Oats

Easy, one bowl, maple-sweetened, pumpkin muffins made with whole wheat flour, oats, coconut oil and spices! These healthy muffins are as light, fluffy and delicious as their coffee shop counterparts. Tip: measure your pumpkin purée by packing it into a dry measuring cup and leveling the top, instead of using a liquid measuring cup.

INGREDIENTS

• ⅓ cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ cup maple syrup or honey
• 2 eggs*, at room temperature
• 1 cup pumpkin purée
• ¼ cup milk of choice (I used almond milk)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling on top
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon allspice or cloves
• 1¾ cups whole wheat pastry flour or regular whole wheat flour
• ⅓ cup old-fashioned oats, plus more for sprinkling on top

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius). If necessary, grease ten cups of your muffin tin with butter or non-stick cooking spray (my pan is non-stick and didn’t require any grease).
2. In a large bowl, beat the oil and maple syrup or honey together with a whisk. Add eggs, and beat well. Mix in the pumpkin purée and milk, followed by the baking soda, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice or cloves.
3. Add the flour and oats to the bowl and mix with a large spoon, just until combined. If you’d like to add any additional mix-ins, like nuts, chocolate or dried fruit, fold them in now.
4. Divide the batter evenly between the ten muffin cups. For these muffins, it’s ok to fill the cups a little higher than you normally would. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with a small amount of oats, followed by a sprinkle of cinnamon. Bake muffins for 23 to 26 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean. Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack. These muffins are delicate until they cool down (you have been warned!), so it’s best to wait until they have cooled down to remove them from the tin. You might need to run a butter knife along the outer edge of the muffins to loosen them from the pan. Enjoy muffins as is or with a spread of nut butter or regular butter.

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PS- I did the calculations to try and get container counts for the 21 Day Fix. It is not supposed to be really complex and crazy, so I did my best guess. I am going to call it 1/4 purple, 1 yellow, and 1 tsp. per muffin. Mathematically speaking, I might be overestimating the container counts so it very well could be only 1/2 yellow per muffin. But these muffins are so delicious it's hard for me to call it anything less than a whole yellow. I will give you the per muffin measurements below, please feel free to comment if you think the container counts should be different.

Per muffin:
1.5 tsp. coconut oil
2.5 tsp. maple syrup
1/5 egg
1.5 Tbsp. pumpkin
1.2 tsp. milk
3 Tbsp. flour
1.5 tsp. oats
(spices, etc. are negligible)

Recipe: Butternut Squash Soup with Ginger

I noticed that lately I haven't been craving my fresh veggies like I normally do. Ever since starting a new health and fitness journey back in April, I have a garden salad of some sort almost everyday. And I crave it! I believe that part of getting all of the toxins out of your body is that you start to crave the right kinds of foods rather than the junky ones. So maybe part of the reason I have not been craving my healthier foods is that I have allowed some of the junk to slowly slip back into my diet. I have decided to take control of this, though, and I am starting fresh on the 21 Day Fix again on Monday.

In the meantime, I thought about how to come up with more creative ways to get my veggies into my system without burning myself out on salads. Then it hit me- the weather has changed dramatically over the last few weeks. If you look outside, it definitely feels like fall! Grey skies, cooler breeze, rain here and there. I realized I haven't roasted veggies in a long time (it makes my house too hot in the summer and we don't have A/C) and I also haven't embraced the fall veggies available at the store!

I found a recipe for Butternut Squash Soup with Ginger on the Beachbody Blog. I will post the link to it here but I will also lay it all out for you. If you were to buy pre-peeled and cut butternut squash, this recipe would be easy peasy to bust out on a weeknight! I am frugal and didn't want to spend the $3.99/lb. on the precut stuff, so I bought a huge, whole butternut squash for $0.98/lb. and just did all of the dirty work myself. It really didn't take that long, but my hands smelled like squash afterwards!

The soup turned out delicious!! Even my husband liked it, and he's not a big soup fan. It was like a big bowl of warm comfort food and I was so thankful to have run across the recipe and I'm glad I actually made it! It filled me up with a full serving of my veggies and I have been craving it since I made it!

PS- I'll tell you a secret! My husband doesn't typically like curry, either. And this soup has yellow curry in it! It's so good, I am almost feeling bold enough to serve it to my kids! They have gotten extremely picky lately. It's not that I won't serve them something new. It's really just that sometimes my pride cannot take my son's "ew this is the grossest thing I've ever eaten!" face anymore!

Anyways, enough talk. Here is the recipe and a few pics while I was making it!

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH GINGER

Total Time: 36 min.
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cooking Time: 25 min.
Yield: 12 servings, 1 cup each

This butternut squash soup recipe gets maximum flavor from ginger. curry, and coconut milk. Freeze individual portions for quick meals anytime.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 thin slice fresh ginger, peeled, grated
10 cups cubed butternut squash (about 3½ lbs.)
1 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. yellow curry powder
6 cups low-sodium organic vegetable broth
1 cup coconut milk

Preparation:
1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add onion, garlic, and ginger; cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until soft and fragrant.
3. Add squash, salt, and curry powder; cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes.
4. Add broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until squash is soft.
5. Place soup in a blender or food processor, in small batches; cover with lid and kitchen towel. Blend until smooth.
6. Place blended soup back into saucepan. Add coconut milk; cook, over medium heat, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until heated through.

Tip: Blend small batches of hot liquids in blender or food processor since they expand during the blending process, therefore increasing the chance of overflowing.

21 Day Fix Counts: 1 green, 1 blue, 1 tsp.

* A few alterations I made: I didn't have quite enough vegetable broth (and we are not vegetarians in this house!) so I did water with "better than bullion" for most of the broth base. I am also lucky enough to have an immersion blender so I didn't have to take this soup out of the pot to blend it! 

* I also updated the container counts. The ones listed on the blog seemed off to me. So I looked over one of the comments and I am basing my containers off of that instead. It just made more sense, and the 21 Day Fix portion control system is not meant to be rocket science (aka too complicated!) 

If you end up making this soup, I would love to hear what you think of it! Message me or comment below! 

I started with a pot that was too small. I didn't really think about how much soup this would end up being!

About halfway into eating it, I realized maybe I should take a picture of the finished product ;)

Here are most of the ingredients I used (minus the actual squash and onion)

After 2 bowls eaten, and one packed up for my husband to take to work, this is how much was leftover! I think I might need to freeze some of the extra!! 

Madi is 15 months old now!

She is a walking, running, climbing, crazy and spontaneous girl! She loves to be involved in everything that is going on around her, and her spunk is incredibly loving and contagious. 

Here are the words she uses:

Mama

Mom (Mam)

Dada

Dog (Da)

Milk (Muh)

Water (Wah)

Book (Boo)

Bath (Ba)

Eat (Eeee!)

Shoes (Shhh)

Diaper (Die)

Potty (Kwah-ti)

Outside (Ow)

Sometimes she prompts these words on her own, and other times her go-to word is “Mam!!” and then she points to what she wants, I will say it, and she repeats it back to me. Her non-verbal communication is very good!! 

Her favorite foods are toast, bananas, strawberries, meatloaf, sandwiches, grapes, salad (with minimal dressing), tomatoes, rice, mac n cheese, hamburgers, pasta with any kind of sauce, almost any fruits. This girl loves to eat! She still doesn’t drink a whole lot of milk but she does like to drink it sometimes and she also loves to drink water. She can usually drink pretty well from a regular cup but she enjoys walking and spilling too much so she only gets one in her high chair. She is also already starting to be good with her fork and spoon which is also fun for her. 

The potty has come out of storage, but more as a way to satisfy her curiosity and get used to being around it, she is not communicating well enough to start any real potty training and that is fine because it is still early! She loves to pull her diaper off and sit on it, and when she goes with Mommy into the bathroom she likes to help by getting out the toilet paper ;) 

She is finally starting to enjoy books, and can *almost* sit through an entire Sandra Boynton book before slamming it closed or getting up to do something else! She loves simple books with one word per page and will ask to read those ones over and over again. She also like to color on paper, pull stickers off paper, and play outside in the dirt. She got a sandbox for her first birthday and we are getting ready to finally put some sand in it for her to play in (with a June birthday it made more sense to use it as a mini pool when we first got it!) Inside, she loves to play with duplo and mega-blocks, her baby doll, toy phone, a ride on motorcycle, and chunky puzzles.

Madi sleeps pretty darn well and we have no real complaints in this area. She goes to bed around 6:30/7pm and gets up between 6:30-7:30am. She often wakes up early (around 4-5am) but puts herself back to sleep without assistance. She recently dropped to one nap a day, and as long as she falls asleep after 10am for her nap she will typically nap 2.5-3 hours. She loves her crib! She moves around over the place and is never in the same position when we check on her. 

We love our little girl and we are so thankful that she is a part of our family! 

Meal Plan!

I have been doing a new fitness routine called ChaLEAN Extreme. It's mostly about lifting free weights in the comfort of your living room.

I'll be honest, it's not my favorite program. I am such a cardio junkie!! But I can definitely tell it is working muscles that I have never worked before! And I am getting stronger for sure. I can now do push ups on my toes as opposed to only on my knees! I can do about 4 regular pushups on my toes now before dropping to my knees. This was a goal of mine from back in April when I first started my new health and fitness Journey and I am so glad that I have met that goal!

The last few weeks I have been feeling my nutrition going down the drain.... I was trying to follow the nutrition guide from ChaLEAN Extreme. But it's basically a calorie counting program, with an emphasis on low fat or low carb at various phases in the program (burn phase, push phase, and lean phase) After doing the 21 Day Fix nutrition plan for so long, I had a hard time going back to calorie counting! So I decided to use my new cookbook Fixate and create a 21 Day Fix meal plan for this week to use with my ChaLEAN Extreme fitness plan!

Here is my meal plan for this week.

One part of this plan that you don't see is my "activities" section on this spreadsheet. One of the things I HAVE to do when meal planning is consult my calendar and see what I have going on during the week. That way I can take into account the days where we are leaving the house early so I won't have time to cook oatmeal or pancakes for breakfast. Or we will be grocery shopping one day which might mean less time available to cook dinner than normal. I have found this to be crucial in my meal planning so that I am more likely to stick to the plan!

Tonight I will be making a new recipe for tomato sauce, out of my Fixate cookbook. I hope to take some pics and share the recipe with you later this week! This tomato sauce is the basis for several of my recipes that I plan to cook this week, and it takes about 90 minutes to make so Sunday is a good day to prep for it! 

A few Crazy Days, and Some Delicious Pancakes!

We have been through quite the whirlwind of events the last few days!

On Sunday, my car was broken into. Well, I don't know if you can say "broken into," because I left it unlocked in my driveway. It was stupid, I know. Totally my fault. But it was still so violating to see that my car door was open the next morning, my bags were emptied and all over the car, and my garage door opener was gone. Boo-urns. Police report filed, and garage door motor unplugged until we can get it reprogrammed.

Then I took my son back-to-school shopping. I thought that would be a nice way for us to bond and get our minds off of the car thing. Yeah, I didn't think about the fact that I would become an emotional wreck as I was buying my son size 6 clothes (when did that happen?!?!) and he's telling me what is cool or uncool, and we are picking out folders and gluesticks and crayons, and looking at backpacks and lunch boxes. My baby is starting full time kindergarten in a month. What the heck???

On Monday, my one year old daughter had a cardiac catheterization scheduled in Seattle. We had to be at the hospital at 6:45am and planned on being there most of the day! She has a PDA (see this link here for a simple explanation) and it needed to be closed up. This was probably one of the scariest times of my life (aside from when my son spent his first 10 days of life in the NICU for the same condition!) and I think in the end we all handled it ok, but my own heart is still not fully recovered! And I think I may have a few extra grey hairs on my head today!

My mom left to go back to her home in Oregon this afternoon, so the kids and I were finally home alone again in the evening, as usual. I decided I felt like making pancakes for dinner. I got this new cookbook the other day and I love it!! It goes along with the 21 Day Fix nutrition guide and it is full of great go-to recipes like tomato sauce, mac and cheese, salad dressings, etc. And they are all made from whole, healthy ingredients with the container amounts listed for each portion.

So here is the recipe for the yummy pancakes I made!

Banana Oat Pancakes (From the cookbook Fixate)

• 1 c. unsweetened almond milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large ripe banana
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 c. old fashioned oats
• dash salt

Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Heat 1/2 tsp. coconut oil in a skillet over medium to medium-low heat, pour 1/4 cup batter into skillet per pancake. Cook 2-3 minutes on one side (until bubbles form on edges of pancake) and flip to cook another 1-2 minutes on the other side. 

Makes approx. 8 pancakes. 
Serving size is 2 pancakes.
Container equivalents for 1 serving: 1 yellow, 1/2 purple.

*You can ensure that these are totally gluten free by getting certified gluten free oats and baking powder. 





They were a hit with both of my kids! We like to eat our pancakes with some peanut butter and a little bit of maple syrup. Yum!

Body Image and its Importance in Parenthood

The topic of body image has been coming up for me a lot lately. Maybe it is because my daughter is one now, and she watches me more carefully than she used to. Maybe because my son is 5 and asks so many questions, and he can be so observant, so blunt about certain things.

When I first started exercising daily and paying attention to the food going into my mouth, I started to worry that I would be setting a bad example for my kids. I didn't want them to see me questioning my imperfections, worrying about my body, picking at my food like a bird or squeezing my love handles while frowning into the mirror.

Then as I got deeper into my Journey, I realized that I can use this opportunity to set a good example for my kids- eating food that makes me feel good and helps me function my best. I'm exercising because it is good for my heart, lungs, muscles, brain, everything.

I can also use it as an opportunity to demonstrate where "junk food" belongs in our lives. I try to view everything as ok in moderation at some point, but the things that make our bodies strong and feel the best are the things we should be eating every single day. We don't buy candy, soda, etc. on our weekly grocery shopping trip, but we might have some on occasion, in small amounts, at celebrations and such. We load our refrigerator with fresh fruits, veggies, meat, eggs, and cheese. I stopped buying granola bars and fruit snacks to keep where my son can reach them and instead he has taken to grabbing things like fruit, applesauce, nuts, cheese, etc. (The granola bars and fruit snacks still make their way into my purse for those moments at the grocery store or the doctor's office where I just need them to be quiet, so no judgement LOL)

Most importantly I have used this as an opportunity to "check" myself before I look into the mirror. How would it look to someone else whenever I am looking into the mirror. Am I smiling? Am I frowning? Am I taking inventory of every stretch mark, every buldge, every grey hair, every pimple? Or am I using my mirror to simply assessing my outfit for the day, making sure that I don't have baby snot on my shoulder, and then I'm out the door?

Currently I have a big sign on my mirror that says, "You Are Beautiful and Strong!" And my sweet husband wrote "Yup!" underneath it. I am so thankful to have a supportive spouse, one who loves me no matter what I look like. One who supports me on my journey to better health, but never pushes me to do it for vanity reasons.

I love my body. It has done amazing things. It continues to do amazing things. I am thankful for what I have been given and I will take care of it for as long as I live. I choose to exercise and eat clean because I LOVE my body and it deserves the very best. I hope that I can relay the same message to my children as they grow up.

Helping People

Do you read books or listen to podcasts for personal development? This is something I have learned to make time for each day. 15-20 minutes is all that I need into order to fill myself with positive energy that I can pass on to the people I am around that day. 

On Monday mornings, I have the opportunity to listen to a National Wake-Up call from Beachbody. And if I can’t make the 8am call, I can always call in later to listen or I can download the podcast. I love to use these as a form of personal development because they always have someone inspirational speaking- an underdog, or an everyday person like you or me who worked hard to get from point A to point B. 

I also love listening to these calls because it reminds me of what in incredible company Beachbody is. You hear about people becoming financially successful for sure. But more often the reoccurring theme that I hear over and over again is “helping people.” Helping people achieve their health and fitness goals, helping people stay motivated, helping people achieve financial freedom by becoming a coach. 

Since becoming a Beachbody coach I have discovered that my job is not so much to sell you products. I am in the people business. I can help you find the products that you want or the product that is best designed to fit your needs. But at the end of it all, my job is to help you, to work with you, to talk to you about your health and fitness goals, to listen and learn about you so that I can help you make the dream a reality. 

You don’t actually have to have a “beach body” to do this job. You just have to love what these programs can provide for personally, and see what potential the have to help others. And you have to have a desire to share it with everyone you know. And if you have seen results, I can almost guarantee that you will want to share with others. If you found something that worked, why wouldn’t you want other people to know about it? 

If you are interested in learning more about what I have been doing as a coach, please feel free to PM me. Or even if you are just interested in learning more about a Beachbody program. I can help you find the perfect fit for you and get you started on your own Journey to meet your personal goals. Let’s do it! 

Recipe: Easy Crock Pot Chicken and Mexican Fried Rice

It is pretty much summer weather here in Washington state. When you live in the Pacific Northwest, often times your house does not have A/C. I mean, we seriously would only NEED to use it about 2-3 months out of the year, tops. It's actually a rarity that is has been above 80 these past few days, considering it's only mid-June. So a lot of us just make do without!

The only times I  get seriously upset about not having any A/C (other than when it's time to go to bed and my room is still too hot) is when it is time to cook dinner. I don't want to eat salads and sandwiches until September, but I seriously do not want to turn on my oven when it's 85 degrees in my house. 

So today I thought I might use the crock pot and see if that helped. I threw together one of my all-time versatile favorites. I hope you like it!

Shown in this picture: 1 yellow container of Mexican Fried Rice, one red container of Easy Crock Pot Chicken, 1 blue container split in half between cheese and avocado. I also added 1/2 purple to my tally sheet tonight to account for the salsa/tomato sauce in both recipes. 

Easy Crock Pot Chicken

2-3 lbs. chicken (I use breasts because it is what I always have on hand, but it turns out well with thighs too)

2 cups salsa

2 Tbsp. taco seasoning (I blend my own so I can leave out the salt and other garbage! But a taco seasoning packet would work too)

Optional:

1 can black beans

1 can corn

(if you add these ingredients, you may or may not want to add more salsa, but you really can't go wrong either way!)

Put all ingredients into slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours. When chicken is cooked all the way through, pull apart using two forks and stir to allow chicken to absorb the salsa/taco seasoning juices. 

Various Ways to Serve:

• My favorite way to serve this chicken is with my Mexican Fried Rice (see recipe below) in a bowl with a little cheese, avocado, and/or sour cream. 
• My husband likes to just dip into it with chips.
• My son likes to put it on nachos with cheese. 
• It also makes a good (but somewhat messy) burrito filling. 
• Sometimes we use the leftovers to make quesadillas. 
• I will also use the leftovers to make a "taco salad."
• My husband has even thrown it into his scrambled eggs before!

You get the idea- it's very versatile!! 

Mexican Fried Rice

3 Tbsp. oil

1 cup rice

1 diced onion

1 tsp. granulated garlic

salt/pepper

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 cup tomato sauce

2 cups chicken broth

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add rice. Cook and stir constantly until rice is puffed and golden. Sprinkle with garlic, salt, pepper, cumin. Add onion and cook for 2 minutes until onion is tender, but do not overcook the rice. Stir in chicken broth and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer on medium-low heat for 20-25 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. Fluff with fork. 

So I am not gonna lie- I always use long grain white rice with this recipe. Technically it is not 21 Day Fix approved, but I have tried to use this recipe with brown rice before and I just cannot figure out what I need to tweak in order to get it right. If you find success in re-creating this dish using brown rice, PLEASE share with me your secrets!! 

Coach Training and Finding Your "Why?"

I recently joined a coach training group. When I first signed up to be a Beachbody coach I did not ever think I would be interested in being a coach. I never thought I was in good enough shape or was the kind of person who looked like a coach so how could I be one? But Beachbody coaches are not nutrition experts or fitness gurus. They are normal people just like you who have found something that they LOVE and they cannot help but share it with others!!

Part of my coach training was to get outside of my comfort zone and make a video to share with our training group. The video was supposed to be about your "why." Your "why" is your driving force- it is the deep rooted reason for doing what you are doing. 

What is your "why?" Typically people will first respond with weight loss or getting healthy. But this is probably not really your "why." These are actually your goals. Your "why" is the thing that will help you preserver when you lose your motivation (because this happens to everyone!) Your why is the reason why you get out of bed each morning, the thing that you would sacrifice to protect without thinking twice. Your "why" is what helps you to achieve your goals!

Today I want you think about your health and fitness goals. What are they? Write them down. Then I want you to take a good look at your goals and think, why is this so important for me? Why do I want to reach these goals? And write that down as well. 

If after doing this activity you feel empowered, I want you to take your goals and your "why" and I want you to hang them up in a place where you can always look at them. Maybe it is on your mirror in your bathroom, or on they wall next to your computer, or next to your kitchen sink where you wash dishes. Hang it up where you will look at it everyday and it will help you on those days where you can't help but think, "I don't want to try today."

I want to help you to achieve your health and fitness goals. Please reach out to me and let's find a way for you to work towards them every single day! 

Round 2 is over!

I did it! I finished the 21 Day Fix for the 2nd time! I made the decision to commit to clean eating, exercising for 30 minutes everyday, and to have a positive mental attitude for 21 days while I took control of my life. Here are my results :D

I am down an additional 6 pounds! That is huge for me! This means that I am down a total of 11 lbs. since starting the 21 Day Fix, and a grand total of 15 lbs. from my highest weight ever. I actually lost 4 lbs. in the 5 days that I was waiting for the 21 day fix to come in the mail, ha! I was eating clean(er) than before, cutting out about 1/2 of my after-the-kids-go-to-bed snacks, and increasing my water intake. I also added Shakeology into my diet at that time. Go figure! Proof that diet is more beneficial for weight loss than exercise.

I lost a total of 2 inches after this round. 1/2 inch in my chest, 1/2 inch in my waist, and 1 inch in my hips. I am down a grand total of 11.5 inches since my first measurements were taken on the first day of Round 1. 

Today I woke up and did my Cardio Fix. One reason I did it is because it is one of my favorite workouts (I am a cardio junkie) and the other reason is because I have made a choice to change my lifestyle now. I am not going to stop eating well and working out just because those 21 days are over! I might not tally my containers today, and I do know that we are planning on going out for ice cream later :D But I fully intend to keep my results, and in order to do that I have to keep at it every day. 

I have a few ideas that I keep in my head, and they help me to keep my perspective of this as a lifestyle change rather than a diet. One rule for me is to not call them "cheats" but to call them "treats." I have no problem enjoying a treat every once in a while. A treat is something special and typically (for me anyways) something delicious. It is not a ritual or a habit or a regular meal. Having ice cream on occasion is a treat for me. I'll admit, I went through a phase of my life where I used to have ice cream almost every night! But now I view it as a treat. I do NOT view it as a cheat. That gives my delicious bowl of ice cream a negative connotation, like it is something I should not be doing. There is nothing wrong with enjoying a bowl of ice cream!! I refuse to call it a cheat and make myself feel bad about enjoying it. I will call it a treat and remind myself that I don't need too much in order to enjoy it, and I definitely do not need to have it on a regular basis. 

Another thing I like to ask myself, especially when we are eating at a restaurant (and I learned this from my Beachbody coach Vanessa) is "Am I eating this food for Fuel or for Celebration?" Just like you regularly put gasoline into your car, you eat regular meals to fuel your body. It is what gets you through the day, regulates your energy levels, your blood sugar, etc. A celebration, however, is more of a social event that is often centered around food, and is rarely centered around clean choices of food. That is ok! We don't typically have celebrations on a regular basis. There is nothing wrong with enjoying a meal that you wouldn't typically have made for yourself at home. There is nothing wrong with occasionally ordering that not-so-clean meal at a restaurant IF you are not eating to fuel yourself and if it is not a regular choice. If I go out to eat with my family on a Wednesday night because we don't feel like cooking or doing the dishes, I will absolutely look on the menu for the cleanest items or the things that are most like what I would typically choose to fuel my body. But if I am going to a restaurant to celebrate my 9th wedding anniversary with my husband (which is coming up next month!!) then you'd better believe I am having a glass of wine, something creamy and delicious (in a reasonable portion size!) and the chocolate mud pie or raspberry cheesecake for dessert :D 

Now everyone is different. Some people cannot just have a treat once and call it good. Sometimes you are at a point in your Journey where it is not worth the risk. One bowl of ice cream might set you up for failure. That is ok too. Everyone has a different Journey, and if yours includes saying no to ice cream indefinitely (or soda or cheetos or whatever) then good for you for recognizing your abilities and your needs! I personally have not touched soda for the last 6 weeks because that one can cause me to slip up too easily. You do whatever works best for you- attack whatever challenges are the most difficult for you, and I promise you will see results. 

I will leave you with some pics of me after my Cardio Fix, and also some pics of me my beautiful children enjoying breakfast this morning. 

Sweaty Selfie- ready to go take a shower!!

 After my shower, drinking my Shakeology before breakfast

My sweet baby girl, eating her breakfast of strawberries, eggs and toast

My sweet baby boy, eating his breakfast of the same thing, plus oatmeal (which he used to HATE, and now he asks for it every single morning!)

My breakfast this morning. On my plate I have 1 red, 1 yellow, and 1/2 purple. I also have my Shakeology blended with coffee and 1/2 banana (my favorite way to drink it!!) 

This is typical for me after Cardio days- I was so excited to drink my Shake after my intense workout, and I ended up being way too full after having both together. Tomorrow I will remind myself to either eat breakfast later or save my Shake for later!!