1,000 Hours Outside

 Hello there! I hope you all had a nice Mother's Day weekend. Our weekend was a good mix of busy and relaxing. On Friday night we had some close friends drop off "build your own pizza" kits for our Meal Train and the kids had a blast making their pizzas. 

On Saturday we went to Bluey Live, 

and now today, (Sunday as I write this) we are taking it easy!

Today I am sharing a little bit about our experience spending 1,000 hours outside as a family.

 

Health and Healing Through Food Part 1

 Good morning friends! I hope you all had a nice week. This was our first week back after spring break and it's funny to me how my kids reacted very differently to going back. Lily Grace couldn't get out the door fast enough to go see her teachers and her friends. She told me multiple times over spring break that she "didn't like breaks, I love school!" Liam on the other hand... also loves school, but is quite the homebody. Liam is the kid that loves school once he's there, but getting him out the door can be an ordeal. 😅 

Kid Tested Healthy Recipes from Our Meal Train

 Hello there and happy Friday! Today's post is going to be short and sweet. Hopefully it'll give you an idea of a new recipe to test out over the weekend. Since my diagnosis we have had a Meal Train to help alleviate the burden of cooking/cleaning while feeling sick. The Meal Train has been wonderful and I am very grateful to live in 2023 where Meal Trains are so organized and easy for everyone involved! Anyway, we have had some REALLY good food delivered to us and I wanted to share some of the recipes. Not everyone has shared their recipes with us, which is fine of course, but I wanted to share with you our favorite healthy meals that we did have a recipe for. Starting with breakfast:

75 Soft

 Good morning friends and happy Friday! Last week I shared some of the goals I had for the upcoming year, one of them being to complete the 75 Soft program. There were a few questions about the 75 Soft program, so I figured I clear it up today and tell you a little more about the version I will be doing. 

What is 75 Soft?

75 Soft is the much easier/more realistic/healthier (in my opinion) version of the 75 Hard that went viral awhile back. 75 Hard is a "mental toughness program," lasting for 75 days, that is supposed to help get good habits back on track and build self-discipline, perseverance, and fortitude. The rules are:

Thanks to Pinterest for the graphic. 😉

I like some of the ideas in the program, but 75 Hard is way too tough/strict/time-consuming for me. I don't have time for two 45-minute workouts a day, nor do I want to spend my time that way anyway. I'm also not taking progress pics every day, that feels unnecessary and my phone doesn't have that much storage anyway. 😆

Before I knew 75 Soft existed, I thought "I'd like to do that but maybe just do it my own way," and then after searching Pinterest found out I was clearly not the only one who thought that-- there are ideas/recommendations for 75 Soft everywhere! You can modify it to fit your needs, or choose a 75 Soft program/tracker that someone else has already created. This one is the one I plan to follow:

I'm pretty sure that's supposed to say take a progress picture on days 1 and 75, not 57. 😉

Why Am I Doing This?

I have REALLY been struggling to find my new routine since going back to work. If I'm being 100% honest, I am real quick to say "oh I'll just workout tomorrow" or "oh whatever it's fine to eat junk food, I'm tired" or spend my evenings scrolling social media instead of reading, when reading is obviously so much better for you. I also have been hoping to get more into journaling (my form of quieting my mind/meditating) each day. All of those things were things I wanted to make more of a priority going into 2023, and the 75 Hard/Soft program felt like a way to do all 4 at once under the same umbrella. 

How's It Going So Far?

As I write this, I am on day 12 and it has been GREAT! It feels so good to be back into a routine of working out, eating healthier, reading, and journaling. My favorite part so far has actually been journaling. There is something so therapeutic about putting into writing what's worrying me, or conversely, writing positive things about the day. And not surprisingly at all, after eating healthier, exercising, journaling, and reading a book at night, I have been sleeping better-- which just makes everything better!

I really love the flexibility with exercise too. In 75 Hard if you skip a day, you need to start over again at Day 1. In 75 Soft, you only need to work out 4 days a week. This is obviously more realistic for people who have busy schedules, and also better during winter flu/cold season. For example, last week we all had minor head colds and I needed to take a few days off from exercise to rest (obviously that's the smarter, healthier thing to do). I had already been able to get 4 workouts in that week, so it there was no need to start over from Day 1. 

It feels like the perfect amount of a "challenge" without being too difficult. 

Today I am linking up with Andrea and Erika for Friday Favorites. Have a great weekend!

What's In My Fridge? A Healthy Snack Haul to Setup for a Healthy Week (Or At Least An Attempt at One)

 Hello friends and happy Halloween! We are all buzzing with energy over here today planning to soak up all the Halloween fun! Today is going to be a GREAT day! Lily Grace gets to wear her costume to school for a Halloween parade, then her class party is later in the day. After school, my parents will stop by to see the kiddos and have dinner with us before we head out to trick or treat! It will be a very busy, but wonderful day. Needless to say, I am happy we all have off school on Tuesday. 😅

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Well now we are officially in the heat of the unhealthy food/overindulging season and since I know we will be gobbling up all the tasty but unhealthy foods that seem to surround us, I am trying to offset that by loading up our fridge with healthy snacks. I don't know about you, but I seem to struggle with grabbing whatever is easiest when I'm hungry or in a rush. Whatever is easiest isn't usually the most nourishing food for my body, and I almost always end up feeling sluggish/junky afterwards. I am trying to prevent that as much as possible as we move forward. It's all a balance right? It's totally fine to hack into your kids' Halloween candy if you're having some veggies throughout the day too. 😉

In an effort to plan ahead, I have been trying to wash/prep all our snacks for the week on Sundays. I've been doing this for the past month now and it has honestly been a huge time saver. This new habit was born out of necessity since Devin had been traveling a lot and I needed to make it as easy as possible to prep meals while single-momming it. It's easier to throw some fajitas together if your veggies are already sliced, ya know? This also makes it easier to grab a snack on the go, or to pack lunches when I am tired or trying to multitask. Here's a look at our fridge this week:

Friday Favorites-- a Summer Giveaway!

 Hello friends! I hope you are having a nice week. We officially have a kindergartner in our house and I am equal parts excited and also wondering where my tiny little baby went. 

Friday Favorites: Favorite Workouts

Hello there and happy Friday! Last week we all shared "What We Eat in a Week" and it got me thinking about my typical workouts in a week and how those two go hand in hand. I started keeping track of my workouts for the week and realized that my typical workouts in February look very different from my typical workouts in spring, summer and fall. So rather than show you one week of workouts, I figured I'd share some of my all time favorites. So today, for Friday Favorites, I am sharing my favorite ways to get some exercise. 😊

Fall Harvest Salad

 Hello friends! Today I wanted to share the recipe I was telling you about last week. I have been making this salad for lunch on repeat the past few weeks and I just cannot seem to get enough of it. This recipe makes enough for two people, or if you're like me, enough for a salad at lunch today and a salad at lunch again tomorrow 😊. 

Crispy Air Fryer Green Beans

 Hello hello! I know I have been sharing recipes less frequently, but to be honest as we navigate this whole plant-based thing, I've been following other people's recipes more often than not. Today however, I have a quick healthy side item we've been whipping up pretty frequently. Bonus: it's kid approved!

Plant-Based Diet Grocery Haul

 Good morning friends and happy Monday! I hope you all had a nice weekend! We spent a majority of our weekend in our favorite place, the US National Whitewater Center. We got to kayak and paddle board, then lay in the hammock and eat popsicles. 

Protein Packed Acai Bowl

 Good morning! One of the questions we have been getting asked the most since we switched to a plant-based diet has been "how do you make sure you're getting enough protein?" This was my biggest concern with making the switch too and I am happy to share some ways that we make sure we are getting enough protein in our diets. The example I'm sharing today, an açai bowl, is nothing new.. but by making it a little bit differently we are able to pack as much protein into it as possible. Let's have a look:

Thoughts on Plant-Based Diet

 Good morning everyone and happy Monday! A little over a month ago I had written that we were going to try switching to a fully plant-based diet for the month of July. You can read that post here. Today I am here to report back on how it went and our plan moving forward. 

First of all, I have had so many friends and family members ask "what exactly is a plant based diet? Vegetarian? Vegan? What's the difference?" Now after having done it for a month I have a much better understanding of it! I have watched documentaries, read countless articles, and plant-based magazines (Forks Over Knives is my fave!). Plant based is most similar to vegan, but they actually have quite a few differences. A plant based diet is about eating more whole foods and eliminating meat, dairy, and processed foods from your diet. A vegan diet eliminates meat and dairy, but not processed foods. Basically I could live off of Fritos and Swedish Fish and that would technically still be considered vegan. A plant based diet would recommend having carrot sticks and cucumbers as a snack instead. This infographic sums up some of the differences pretty well:

Gym Childcare/What's In My Gym Bag

 Good morning friends and happy Wednesday! I had a different post planned to go out today but I just wasn't really feeling it. I started unpacking my gym bag from heading to the gym this morning and thought "our gym, gym childcare, etc. is such a big part of my life... why don't I write about that?" Also, at the end of last year I did a survey asking what types of posts you all would like to read here and fitness was one of the top ranked categories on the survey. This fits that category, so I decided to switch it up!

We are members of the YMCA of Greater Charlotte, which is wonderful because it gives us access to all of the branches in our area. This means we can use all the pools, take classes at different gyms, and the kids can go to the different child care locations-- all of which have been great (at least the ones we have tried). 

Making the Switch to Go Fully Plant-Based in July

 Good morning friends and happy Monday! I hope you all had a nice weekend. Our weekend was the perfect mix of family fun, relaxation, and spending time with friends. It was much needed-- especially the relaxation!

My Fitness Routine: Half Marathon Training

 Good morning friends! So at the end of last year I posted a little survey about what kinds of things you were hoping to read more of on here in 2021. One of the most common things you all asked for was an update on my fitness routine, specifically on running. I made a mental note to add that to my calendar at some point this year, and then this little email found its way into my inbox last week:

Air Fryer Honey Balsamic Zucchini

Good morning friends! Sorry I haven't posted a recipe in awhile. When I posted my end-of-the-year survey about a month ago I learned that most of you genuinely like the recipes and wanted more of them in 2021. I cannot tell you how happy that made me! I feel like I am still learning more about cooking as I go, but every time we are able to make a new delicious recipe I want to make sure I share it. Now, I probably won't be sharing them every single week again, but just from time to time whenever we try something new that we really like. Just like this recipe here today, our air fryer honey balsamic zucchini:

 

Here's What You'll Need:

- 2 zucchini, chopped

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 1 tbsp honey

- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

- salt and pepper to taste

1. Add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Add to air fryer basket (you may have to do two batches depending on size of air fryer).

2. Preheat air fryer to 375. Cook zucchini for 15 minutes, stopping to shake basket 2-3 times throughout. 

3. Enjoy! 

Lily Grace and Liam LOVE these! They are always the first thing gone on their plates 😀 I love it when my kids love a vegetable and know you all do too. Maybe try this next time you're looking to whip up something quick, easy and healthy?

Have a good day! See you back here tomorrow!

Super Simple Braised Broccoli

 Hi there! Earlier this week I was whipping up dinner for the fam and we needed a quick side item. I went to make our all time favorite broccoli recipe and it dawned on me that I've never shared it with you guys-- which is weird because we eat this probably twice a week! More than likely I've never shared this because it hardly seems like a "recipe". It's too easy. But that being said, this is my kids' favorite way to eat broccoli, and if it means helping one of your kids eat a vegetable too then I am happy to share our super simple "recipe".

Berry Kiwi Smoothie Bowl

 Good morning friends! I was on a big smoothie kick there for awhile and was making different ones for breakfast each morning. This is one I made a few weeks back but never got around to posting. Enjoy!!

Southwest Quinoa Bowl

 Hello there! I don't know about you but Mexican/Tex-Mex food is probably our favorite cuisine around here. We have some form of Mexican/Tex-Mex food for either breakfast, lunch or dinner probably 5 days a week, no exaggeration! Between Breakfast Burritos, Southwest Salads, Tacos, Quesadillas and Chipotle Bowls there's so much variety. It's convenient too since the various recipes use pretty all the same basic ingredients. Even the kids love it all, we just use less spices when we make theirs. This is one of my favorites to make for lunch-- it keeps me full for hours and I don't get that afternoon energy slump since it's all healthy/nourishing food.

Crock Pot Butternut Squash, Carrot, and Apple Soup with Goat Cheese & Candied Pecans

 Hi there! I hope you're all having a great day so far. Last week I made this crock-pot carrot apple soup and posted it on Instagram and had several of you ask for the recipe (I love it when that happens! It makes my day!). The crock pot is one of my favorite cooking tools and I use mine ALL.THE.TIME. Especially this time of year. I mean who doesn't love coming home to a house that smells like delicious food?