TRX

Well to shake up the workout routine I tried a TRX class last night. TRX is a workout where you use support cables and your own body weight to do a variety of cross training/strength training moves. I loved it! I took the class at my local rec center rather than going to a TRX-only gym. I found it a lot less intimidating. I highly suggest giving it a try. You can adjust each move based on your current fitness level and I feel like I got a really good variety of movements. I even did a 15 minute jog beforehand. It's crunch time! The cruise is around the corner...

Easy Access Fridge

One of the things I am now doing is making my home accessible for healthy eating. That means my fridge is not just stocked with healthy items, but they need to be accessible healthy items. Washing and cutting fresh veggies, making enough at dinner for leftovers the next day (especially the cooked veggie portion of the meal), and making a batch of hard boiled eggs each week. I think I'm going to add the oatmeal muffins to this regular routine. I'm sure to come across more accessibility ideas...

Greek Yogurt Sauce - good on everything

I really spiced up some of our dishes this week with a healthy sauce. I'm not going to credit anyone with this "recipe" because I really read tons of different greek yogurt sauce ideas and then combined them into one. I used 1 cup of plain greek yogurt, juice from half a lemon, probably one teaspoon of dill, and one garlic clove minced. I mixed it all together and then added salt & pepper to taste. Yum! I put this sauce on salmon, I used it as sandwich spread for an open-faced turkey and swiss broiled sandwich, and I even put it in my beef veggie stew. I think it would also make a great addition to a greek souvelaki meal. If you don't like dill I think this one would be good with some ranch or italian seasoning mixed in. I think you could substitute almost any sour cream recipe with the greek yogurt. Delish!

Oatmeal Cupcakes

This recipe is a major keeper - in fact, it might end up in my routine of regularly cooked foods. They are great for on the go snacks, or even for breakfast. Yum!!!

Check out sugarfreemom.com for what I am calling oatmeal "cupcakes." I changed the recipe up a little. They are sweet enough without using any stevia. I only used 1/2 cup honey for sweetener and they were plenty sweet. I also tried a portion without applesauce and instead used an extra banana - it tasted just as good. I put different toppings on each one: chocolate chips, craisens, real blueberries, dried blueberries. Each one was delicious! My son thought these were double "mmmm." Next time I am going to try and add some plain greek yogurt for protein, and maybe even some protein powder for the adults.

Broiled Veggies

I tried some new healthy recipes this past week. All of my new healthy recipes will be pinned on my Healthy Food Board on Pinterest for future reference.  Here is a review of two different broiled veggie recipies I tried this week.

1. My favorite was a Kayln's Kitchen version of roasted green beans and mushrooms. Hello, yum!!! I love the texture and flavor that the mushrooms take on - and that the green beans stay crispy. I used less oil and a little more balsalmic than the recipe called for and man alive was this my favorite veggie dish ever. My husband doesn't like mushrooms so he only ate the green beans. He said it was good but not amazing. I think it's because the mushrooms truly absorb most of the flavor. I will be making these a lot! I will probably try it with some other veggies as well.
2. Last, the one that was just blah. Not that it was bad at all - it was totally fine. It just didn't ring my bells. Amatuer Gourmet posted this recipe for broiled brocolli with parm cheese. Hubby and I both thought it was good as brocolli normally is but it didn't compare with the "wow" factor of the balsalmic on the veggies above.

Kickin' it Off

I don't keep any sort of journal. I would be bored to read about my life in print so I know others would rather watch paint dry. I do however want to keep track of some of the events and things I am doing to learn and grow.

This will be a long post - but I feel I have to get all the background info out. I promise to shorten them up in the future.

Currently I am the mother of an 11 month old high-energy boy. I have never been so happy and so anxious all at the same time. Who knew motherhood made everything feel so much more intense!

While I love every part of being his mom, I hate the after-effects it has had on my body. I of course gained way too much weight with my pregnancy (52 pounds - yikes), and waited far too long to do anything about it after he was born. I ate non-stop and didn't work-out at all during the pregnancy. Getting back into shape has proved difficult not only because it hurts, but also because I just can't seem to find the time and energy. Besides the fact, my body just isn't what it used to be in my20's.

But alas I found some motivation...For Christmas this year my family (my parents, sister & boyfriend, and husband and babe) didn't get gifts but are instead going on a cruise together in February. This really got my fire started. I started working out and eating "healthy" the day after Thanksgiving (with a week break for Christmas, and a overdose of ice cream last week). BUT my goal was to get back to pre-pregnancy size by the cruise. The cruise also marks the 1 year anniversary of my baby boy's birth - also known as his first birthday. Perfect timing to get my old body back, right?

Well here we are, just 2.5 weeks away from sail date. How have I done? Not as good as I had hoped, but at least I'm doing better than I was. In some ways I'm not far off my goal. I am 4 pounds more than my pre-prego weight. But in terms of a toned body and fitting in my old clothes... I still have a lot of room for improvement. I only wish I had measured myself that week of Thanksgiving- just to see what the real size difference has been.

The good thing though is that I FEEL a lot better. I notice how my arms hang straight at my sides. I also have more energy, and I can run again...kinda. I am up to 20 minute treadmill runs. I know that won't compute to street running time, but it's way too cold to run outside right now. I have also been trying out new healthy recipes - and putting a real focus on my baby eating nutritiously has motivated me all the more. I have a really good eater on my hands... he even makes the "mmm" sound with every bite. The things he "mmm's" the most for are veggies and fruit! Hopefully keeping up with healthy eating in our household will pay off with a toddler who still enjoys his healthy foods. I admit it would be so much easier to feed him frozen nuggets and prepackaged baby meals BUT since he likes healthy stuff just as much I don't see the point. I've got to take the time to feed him right from the start.

Here he is - my little Rome! Don't mind the bumps on his head - he is boy afterall.

Honestly, I have been "healthy" most of my life... but now I've really got to work at it. In my single years (got married at age 28, baby at 30) I had all the time in the world to hit the gym, hike, run.. and I even played in adult outdoor AND indoor soccer leagues and traveled the world with a dance team. I did eat junk food, but most of the time I tried to make good food choices. Most of all I just had the time and energy to spend on my health. Oh, and money. Now I have to squeeze healthy into my already packed life. Between work and taking care of a baby and being a good wife there just isn't a whole lot of time for the things I did before. So I'm just going to have to learn to do it differently. Here's to a new kind of healthy lifestyle!