Friday Foodspiration

Favorite Breakfasts:

Toast with an over-easy egg, zucchini and BBQ sauce

 Chocolate Protein Pancakes- Recipe is under the RECIPE TAB

 I measure out the dry ingredients for a few batches when I already have all the ingredients out. This way it's more convenient to make them in the future. I label the bag with the wet ingredients needed.

Lunches:
Turkey and tomato sandwich. This may have been so delicious because I got to eat it at the park with friends in 70 degree weather. Ahhh.....so wonderful. 

Leftover Philly Cheese Chicken Salad~ (Recipe for chicken is below)

Dinners:
Philly Cheese Chicken Sandwiches
Peppers, onions, and yogurt spread in the bottom of the crockpot. Put marinated chicken on top and cook on low for 6 hours.

I used Weber Burger seasoning, liquid smoke, Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce and steak sauce to marinate my chicken in.

Salsa Verde Crockpot Chicken~
Put chicken breasts, Trader Joe's Salsa Verde sauce and lime juice in the crockpot. I almost always have some of this type of chicken in my fridge. We use it on quesadillas, salads, and wraps throughout the week.
 

Meatloaf~ We don't eat much beef around here, but I occasionally will use beef to add some variety. I took this RECIPE and made a few adjustments (no bacon). This looks so gross, but it was actually a hit with the family.

Snacks:
Sweet Potato Fries~ Cut sweet potato into fries. Spray pan and fries with coconut oil or olive oil. Roast at 420 for about 20-25 minutes. Flip once. 

Popcorn~ Put about 1/2 cup of kernels, 1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil, and salt in a brown lunch sack. Microwave for about 2 minutes. I put it on a glass plate to catch all of the oil.

 So good we double fist it into our mouths.

Today's Workout:
Front and side raises
Bent over rows
Tricep dumbbell extensions
Bench press
Wall-ups
Pull downs
Bicep cable curls(I did one arm at a time)

Weighted crunches
Bicycle crunches
Side planks
Plank

Dr. Dreadful

So I had to have a cavity filled yesterday. The dentist did a great job (he's not why this post if titled Dr. Dreadful) 

Whenever I go to the dentist I always clean my mouth like my life depended on it. :) It's not like a don't brush and floss, but there's something very intimidating about having people inspect your mouth. This Glide floss is the best and I've tried them all. I have crowded teeth and this stuff is smooth as butter. It also tastes wonderful, if you're into flavored floss.

 

I may look calm in this photo but I assure you my palms were sweaty. I have issues with shots. They terrify me.

 Here's a bit of advice. Don't look at their instruments before having dental work done. It only increases the terror. I survived the ordeal and my hubby only rubbed it in a little that he's only had one cavity and it was as a kid.

 Now you need to meet Dr. Dreadful.


Under pressure to find a way to bribe Cory into getting rid of his fish tank, I agreed to this terrible toy. He LOVES it. Somehow it is just as much work for me as the fish tank was. You have to follow a "recipe" to make the gooey guts and such, and he needs my help to do it. It does facilitate one-on-one time between us, so I guess that's good.

Today's Strength Training Workout
Warm-up
Skaters
Squat kicks
Jumping jacks

3 Rounds
Walking lunges
Dead lifts
Standing leg lifts (using cable)
Seated hamstring curls (machine)
Leg extensions (machine)
Squats - legs together
            - standard squat position
            - sumo squats
(I am not a personal trainer. I made this combination of moves up for myself.)

Abs
Absolute 6-pack workout from the Fitstudio site

Do you feel like you're being "graded" or judged when you go to the dentist?

What's the most regrettable toy you've ever bought for your kid?

What's the plan Stan?

One of my favorite sayings is "If you fail to plan then you plan to fail." One of the many reasons that I love Sundays, is because it's the day where I visualize my week and come up with a plan. I plan our meals, my workouts, my "to do list", etc.
Everyone knows we should try to balance all of the aspects of our lives, but sometimes it's difficult to accomplish balance. I've seen how we seem to be incapable of focusing on more than just a couple things at a time; therefore, we must learn to prioritize where to focus. Top priorities will most likely be different for all of us.
I noticed that while I never neglected to create a running training plan for the week/month/quarter, I didn't approach my spirituality with the same intensity. Feeding myself spiritually is a top priority of mine, but somehow I was treating it as an afterthought. Once I recognized this imbalance, I started approaching my "spiritual exercise" like my "physical exercise". On Sundays I write out my "spiritual training plan". I post it where I will see it and try to be just as dedicated to it as my running plan.
So look at your priorities and decide which ones aren't getting the dedication they deserve. Come up with a plan on how to actually live your priorities. Our actions are louder than our words.

“If you really want to do something, you'll find a way. If you don't, you'll find an excuse.”

― Jim Rohn

Here are some highlights of my weekend:

Lot's of cuddling time. Slim has hit the "terrible twos" so he's either pitching a fit about something or snuggling me. No middle ground. :) Notice the silly photo bomber in the background. 

 

 

 We bought 10lbs of oranges from a local school fundraiser. They are delicious and we can't stop eating them.

 My creative 4 year old drew some family portraits for each of us during church. This one was of Kevin and me. I was already self conscience of my post baby balding. Out of the mouths of babes. He he he.

 This picture was for Slim and is of a devil. I don't know where he comes up with this stuff. I guess all of Slim's tantrums are affecting all of us.

 He drew this picture of me. That is a tiara on my head and the straight line was the dress I wore to church. He said I looked like a ballerina??

What is something that you want to prioritize in your life, but have had a hard time making happen?

What are some ways you prepare for a new week?

Treadmill Strength Training Workouts?

I'm trying to decide what I think about this new craze in treadmill workouts, where you use the treadmill to do your entire workout. Every time I imagine myself doing any of these at the gym, I start to giggle. I start to imagine belt burn on my face when I face plant during a moving burpee.



People are so talented. I would fall in .5 seconds if I tried this.



I accomplished about 5% of the things on my "to do list" today, but sometimes you just need to cuddle with your kiddos and watch Frozen (again). 
I was able to squeeze in a 6 mile run after the kids were ready for bed. The gym closed before we  (Running Buddy Jocelyn and me) were done, so we finished our last mile around Provo. Dark and cold, but still so much fun.

  
Would you ever try doing a non-traditional treadmill workout like in the video?

Have you ever gotten injured by a treadmill?
I have a family member who fell off and got wedged between the belt and the wall while it was still running. He actually was hurt quite badly. :(

Lookin' for a hot date

I found my hot husband 7 years ago, but we still try to "date" each other as much as we can. We often fall into a dating rut, where we race to dinner and race home in order to pay the babysitter. A few weeks ago we shook things up a bit and tried this date idea:
People Watching Bingo
We ate dinner at Costa Vida (one of our favorite places to eat), and then headed to the mall. It was so fun to walk around the mall and "people watch" with a purpose. We decided that this would also make an awesome double/triple date activity, where you played against the other couples. I made up this BINGO board, but there are also some available on Pinterest.

(Yes I starred some of ours out. They were either inside jokes, or just not something I want my mama reading.)

 This picture is from Christmas, but I just realized we don't have any recent pics without the kids. Maybe our next date will be to see how many different places we can take selfies in one night. 

What's the most creative date you've been on?

What's the worst date you've been on?
I went on a blind date where the guy showed up with cat eye contact lenses. The terribleness continued, but I'll leave it at that. 

Creating Happy

Today was one of those days when I woke up in a down mood. It's like my mind started spouting all of these negative ideas, and I started questioning myself. I still get nervous when I have these moods, because it gives me flashbacks to the time when I fought depression. I have to do a lot of positive self talk. I tell myself that this feeling will end. Running is like the magic bullet that shoots down negative feelings in their tracks. Only problem is that today is a rest day, so I have to find another method of creating happiness. Today I picked up a friend and got the heck out of the house. We grabbed some lunch and went to the mall.

Just look at these little cuties! Mood has officially been uplifted. :)

 My sweet friend bought me my first Fuze and I may have a new addiction. It was so yummy. 

I wore my favorite red polka dot shirt, because that's what you do on a funky day.

 This guy must be my child, because he also has a favorite outfit and wears it every day it is clean. I use to judge parents who let their kids run around looking homeless. Oh how we eat our judgements when we become parents.

 I couldn't believe how much Slim enjoyed shopping. I had to pry a pair of sunglasses and this newborn sized hat away from him when we left the store.

It's amazing what a change of scenery and a little sunshine will do for your mood. Today turned out to be a good day and I'm looking forward to an awesome weekend!
 
What are some things you do to turn a "down" day around?

Do you have a favorite article of clothing that you end up wearing all of the time?

Foodspiration

I thought I just made up the word foodspiration, but when I Googled it, I realized I'm just not that creative.
These food ideas may not be creative either, but they were my favorites from this week.

Favorite lunch was grilled turkey, tomato and cheese sandwich.

 Favorite snacks:
Roasted broccoli slaw
Sometimes I have a hard time loving vegetables. I've learned that when I get burned out on steamed veggies, I can roast them. (425 degrees for about 25-30 minutes) I either spray them with olive oil spray or coconut oil spray.

Slim shares my love for roasted vegetables.

Trader Joe's Wasabi Peas
I've loved snacking on handfuls of these, but the best was when my 4 year old ate one. I wish I had that on video. They are a bit spicy, but they don't "hurt". :)

 Favorite dinner was Creamy Tomato Basil Chicken Pasta. I picked up this sauce a few weeks ago hoping I would like it. Not only did I love it, but it was a winner with the entire house. Nothing is easier than pasta for dinner, and this was a nice change from our normal marinara sauce pastas.

 I had read good things about this cilantro dressing from Trader Joe's, and I agree that it is really good. Slim wanted some with his dinner, and it was the first thing gone off of his plate.

I saved the best for last. My favorite "play food" of the week was cookie butter toast. Trader Joe's makes this Cookie Butter, and it basically tastes like the cookies you get on an airplane, mashed up. I am allergic to nuts and REALLY miss peanut butter. I bought this hoping for a replacement for PB, but they're really not comparable. Cookie Butter is a delicious treat, but I think I'll forever have a hole in my heart without PB.