Tag Archives: fit moms

Adult Time

Posted on by
Reply

My husband and I never go out during the week but Monday was our two year wedding anniversary. My mother comes every Tuesday evening to spend time with Ryder for a few hours so we snuck out for a bit to grab a bite to eat and celebrate. It may have been a day late but we celebrated the night of with Ryder as a family, so this was like an extended celebration! 🎉

Everyone has always said “couple time is important.” I rolled my eyes and said yeah yeah I know. But I understand it more when we are out and it’s just us two. Our conversation is different. Not a full 180 but it doesn’t revolve around every minute of Ryder’s day. We discuss more adult related items.

Being a stay at home Mom I forget how much I need that adult conversation. I’ve gotten so used to talking to Ryder, who only responds with sounds or his hands. Or (don’t think I’m crazy) the dogs. Yes I talk to our dogs. Not full on conversations! I’m not completely nuts. But I say things to them every so often. 😳

It’s very strange going from a job where you talk to roughly 200+ people daily, to one where you talk to beings that can’t talk back! Don’t get me wrong, I don’t regret leaving my job to stay home. I’m surprisingly happier than ever. It’s just been a very big adjustment. One I feel like I’m finally getting used to and getting the hang of. It took a full year! Better late than never I guess. 😂

Remember the importance of couple/adult time OUT of the house. You need it for your own sanity!

Egg muffin recipe

Posted on by
Reply

I love breakfast! Some mornings I make avocado toast with eggs. Others it’s protein pancakes and fruit. This week I decided to make egg muffins! They’re an easy grab and go meal! (I of course heat them up before I eat them 😂) They’re so easy, healthy and taste great!

Ingredients:

-6 eggs

-1 1/2 cups Egg whites

-1 red pepper

-1 green pepper

-1 cup spinach

-6 slices turkey bacon

-1 pinch pink salt

-1 pinch pepper

-1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a muffin pan with cooking spray. Chop spinach, red and green pepper. Chop the spinach and cook in a non stick pan till almost crispy.

In a large bowl whisk together eggs and egg whites. Add in spinach, red and green pepper, bacon, salt and pepper.

Divide mixture into muffin pan cups. Top each cup with a little cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes until cooked through.

Enjoy! 🍴🍳

Small Victories

Posted on by
4

I’ve said it before, even small victories should be celebrated! It’s not a huge visible change but it’s one I’m proud of and worked hard for! There is exactly one month between these two pictures. The difference is 5lbs, more muscle and me loving wearing shorts again!

The picture on the left was taken Aug 10. I weighed in at 130lbs at the time. The picture on the right was taken today, Sept 15, and I weighed in at 125lbs. My goal wasn’t to lose a bunch of weight. It was to lean out a little. Build more muscle and lose a little fat. I think I successfully achieved that! My legs are a little more defined than they were a month ago. I am incredibly happy with my progress.

How did I do it? Consistent workouts, fueling and hydrating my body and a HUGE load of support from my husband. Days that I had no energy and was so exhausted my husband would send me a text telling me to get after it, telling me I can do it and remind me how great I always feel after I push through. Sometimes I just need a little kick in the butt and he knows that. It always worked! And he’s right, I always did feel amazing after, even on my most tired days.😉

My goal now is maintenance! I’ll continue to eat healthy while occasionally treating myself! Like tonight! I’ll be enjoying a pizza, or burger or whatever my little heart desires as my celebration!

Everyone has different goals. But make sure you are rewarding yourself and celebrating even the smallest milestones!

Celebrate your small victories! 🎉

The breakfast blame game

Posted on by
Reply

I had a friend tell me she doesn’t have time to make breakfast so she skips it, makes a coffee and heads out the door to work every day. She blames this on why she’s starving before lunch and ends up eating horrible the rest of the day, therefore causing her to gain weight.

So here’s the thing……YOU decide what goes in your belly. We really can’t blame anyone (or anything) but ourselves for the choices we make. That doughnut at your office does not literally call your name every morning. 😡

If you know you battle to eat good during the day and breakfast is something you are clearly struggling with, you have options…..

1. Premake your breakfast the night before to save time! Make a to-go container of Greek yogurt with berries. Or try overnight oats and mix in a few of your favorite items like fruit, chia seeds, almonds, coco powder or almonds!

2. Wake up earlier!!! Seriously there are so many breakfast options that take less than 5 minutes. Things like avocado toast with eggs, peanut butter toast with banana, or even a protein shake with fruit and spinach mixed in. All of these take less than 5 minutes to make. Set your alarm to go off 15 minutes earlier so you have time to make the food and eat it.

You have options! When I was a teacher I had to be to school at 6:30am to be at my morning duty spot at 6:50am, then class started at 7:30am. Not to mention I had a 20 minute drive. Making breakfast at 5:45 in the morning was just not an option for me. Well, it could have been but I’m not the best morning person when it’s THAT early. 😂

I always pre made meals. Sometimes I made these egg muffins that I would just pop in the microwave and eat in the car. I used muffin tins to make them every Sunday (recipe will be on my blog next week). Some days I would just hard boil eggs and leave a bowl of them in the fridge to grab and take to eat while at my duty spot.

Stop making excuses and do something! If you want to eat better and your problem starts with breakfast, then fix it! Small changes make a big difference! 💪🏻

Note: Yes I know there are diets out there that encourage breakfast fasting. But this doesn’t work for everyone. Especially her if she’s repeating the vicious cycle of eating bad daily because she’s hungry from not eating breakfast. Some people lack the self control ability to do a breakfast fast and not destroy the rest of their day after.

Steam for soreness

Posted on by
Reply

I woke up SO sore this morning! Since I changed up my workouts I swear I’m sore after every muscle group workout now! It’s one of those good sore feelings, like you know you pushed yourself just the right amount. It is however making me a little slow today. Bending over to pick up Ryder has been a struggle. I spent most of the morning on the floor with him so I wouldn’t have to do much lifting. 😂

Today will be a leg day so I can give my upper body a little rest to recover. Then I’ll hit up the Four Seasons steam room.

Did you know a steam room not only cleanses your skin but helps relax stiff muscles and joints, which aids in the recovery process! During a steam there is an increase in blood flow and circulation. This is due in part by heat causing the blood vessels in the skin to expand. Steam also helps boost your immune system and remove toxins from your body. What I wouldn’t give to have a steam room in my house! 😍

That voice in your head

Posted on by
Reply

If you hear a voice within you say “you cannot paint,” then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced. -Vincent Van Gogh

Often times when we are reaching for a new goal or trying something new, fear and insecurities kick in and you tell yourself you can’t rather than you can. Don’t let the “voice” in your head tell you you can’t. Other people may be negative and discouraging, that’s expected (sadly). But don’t let your own “voice” be discouraging to you. Think positive and be your own biggest supporter! You’ll never get anywhere with a negative mindset.

Growing up I was always told “you can do anything you put your mind to.” If you have the drive and focus, you can accomplish so much!

Shoulder Workout

Posted on by
Reply

Shoulder day! I changed up my shoulder workout last week. These are a few exercises from my workout. They had my arms burning after. I was actually quite bit sore the next day! I love that feeling. 💪🏻

1️⃣ Upright row with rope 4×10-12

2️⃣ Behind back lat raise 4×10-12

3️⃣ Cable front raise with rope 4×10-12 (my right arm burns out around 8-10)

4️⃣ Single dumbbell front raise 4×10-12

Happy lifting 💪🏻💙

Protein Pancakes

Posted on by
Reply

Today I made my first attempt at protein pancakes. Ryder is being weird about food. He only eats grilled meats so I’m trying to find ways to sneak a little protein into his diet. Momma doesn’t have time to grill meat every day for him. 😂

They weren’t the prettiest looking pancakes but they turned out ok. The flavor was good, they were just a little on the dry side. I’m thinking if I add a banana or avocado next time it’ll help a bit. Below is the recipe. It makes about 9 silver dollar size pancakes. If you know of another way to make protein pancakes that are moist, please send it my way! 💙 🥞

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1 1/2 scoops protein powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup skim milk or almond milk

Recipe:

Place a nonstick pan or pancake pan over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray

Add eggs, protein, and baking powder to large bowl and whisk. Add in the milk slowly till batter becomes smooth.

Pour batter in pan one tbsp at a time. Each pancake should take about 2 tbsp. Flip when bubbles form at top.

Plate and serve with fruit or syrup!🍴

41 cal

1g carb

1g fat

6g protein

Body Dysmorphia

Posted on by
Reply

I found this picture a few years ago and was shocked at how tiny I looked! My arms were so scrawny! I remember thinking back then I was “fat” and had weight to lose. I would spend almost two hours in the gym some days. I wish I could go back and slap my former self! 😳

When I was a teacher, I always started our mental health chapter by showing this picture and beginning the discussion of body dysmorphia. I would explain that sometimes you can’t see what others see, especially when it comes to your body.

Body dismorphia by definition is the obsessive idea that some aspect of one’s own body part or appearance is severely flawed and warrants exceptional measures to hide or fix their dysmorphic part.

This was a topic I actually spent two days on in both my health and leadership classes. Body dismorphia has become so prevalent, especially with the amount of social media channels now available.

Two days may seem like a long time to discuss a topic like body dismorphia but you’d be amazed at how into the topic they got! Kids will tell you the struggles of social media and how it affects their view of themselves. It’s brutal for kids now days. Its just my opinion, but I’m thankful I grew up in a time with no social media and cellphones that didn’t take pictures!

One of my favorite discussion questions to ask was “if we did away with social media (yes I know we never will but let’s just say hypothetically) would body dismorphia be less prevalent?”

We then followed up with a question like….. “do you think social media makes kids/teens now days tougher or weaker?” This question led to a full day of back and forth discussion (most of the time). In my leadership class we actually used it as a debate question when we did our debate section.

I was so incredibly impressed by the raw honesty of some of the kids in my classes. I was pretty quiet in HS and was always afraid to share my opinion for fear of ridicule. Obviously that’s changed now! 😂

I have my moments where I’m critical of myself, but I think I’m more logical now. Maybe that’s something that comes with age. But I look back at old pictures vs current and I feel like I know what “healthy” looks like now on my body. I also use social media as a tool! I love to read what new recipes people are trying or how other moms are getting through similar struggles. Yes social media has negative aspects and some people use it to vent and complain. But if you ignore all of that there are some really fantastic people out there in the world talking about so many great things. Find those people who encourage you and follow them! Remember, positivity breeds positivity! 💙

Gluten Free Chicken Marsala

Posted on by
Reply

Last night for dinner I made a Gluten Free Chicken Marsala. I’m not a huge fan of pasta but it turned out pretty good! Each serving was under 400 calories and it took just 25 minutes to prep and cook.

Ingredients:

•2 boneless chicken breast

•6 oz broccoli

•1 cup pasta noodles (I use gf)

•2 tsp chicken semi glace

•6 oz mushrooms

•4 oz cream

•3 oz Marsala wine

•2 oz peas

•1 shallot

Recipe:

Cut mushrooms into 1/4 slices. Dice shallot. Cut broccoli into bite size pieces. Pat chicken dry and cut into small pieces. Season chicken with salt and pepper.

Heat a pot of water for noodles. Once boiling add in noodles. Cook until soft. If GF 7-8 minutes

Place medium non stick pan over high heat. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and cook chicken for 3-4 minutes. Chicken will finish cooking in a later step. Set chicken aside.

Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to used chicken pan. Toss in shallot and mushrooms. Stir occasionally. 2-4 minutes. Add Marsala and stir occasionally until reduced. 2-3 minutes. Stir and in cream, broccoli, 2 tbsp water, demi glace, 1/4 tbsp salt and a pinch of pepper.

Return chicken to veggie pan to continue cooking. Bring to simmer. Simmer until sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon. Add in pasta and peas. Reduce heat and mix. Let sit for 1 minute to warm peas. Plate and serve!

This will serve about 3 people (can stretch for 4) Happy eating! 🍴

355 Cal

24g Carb

31g Protein

1052g Sodium