Pure Fit Pure Food 10 week !

Wow I can't believe it's over! If you follow me on Instagram or follow the girls over at Pure Fit Pure Food you will have seen my post.  I just love this food lifestyle of theirs so much.  It's healthy, and realistic, and tasty.  I'm going to copy and paste my thoughts below from that post. But in case you were wondering I lost a total of 8 pounds and a ton of bloat! My husband lost 12 pounds! We are actually starting it all over tomorrow with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law! The cool thing about this program is that I don't need to keep doing the program because I now have the tools to make the right food choices, I'm simply doing the whole thing again for some family fun.  I just can't recommend them enough. It's not some MLM company, I'm not sponsored by them. I just simply love their philosophy, did the whole program, and want people to know about them! Below is my post:

"I cannot even begin to tell you my love of PFPFs food philosophy. It has completely changed my relationship with food forever. The guilt is gone, the binging is gone, and I am just so much happier. Besides pounds I really lost a lot of bloat. I was in a tough place mentally bc I was in between sizes after having my baby. Nothing fit , but bigger sizes looked baggy on me. I weighed 210 pounds when I had my baby 9 months ago 😱😱. Yeop I just gain a ton with pregnancy and there isn't a whole lot of ways around that for me. But I was stuck at about 40 pounds down for a long time and still not fitting in to my clothes . With this program the scale is moving again, I don't look 5 months pregnant anymore, and my clothes fit again , fitting back in to my jeans is the best feeling ever! 

As my husband says now, it's not a program, it's just how we eat now. We both have more weight to loose and now we have the tools to do it. 

This program is the healthy, realistic way towards lasting weight loss. "

Zucchini "Ravioli"

I love the weeks in the program where I don't follow a pre-made meal plan because it means I get to get back in touch with my creative side in the kitchen.  I get to take my new eating habits and apply them to real life.  SO I found this great recipe online to curb my Italian craving! It was healthy, easy, delicious, and very pretty! I would totally serve this at a dinner party.
SO here are the deets. I found the recipe HERE and only did a few tweeks to it.  So I halved the recipe for my husband and myself and it was still plenty.  Also, I accidentally bought low-fat ricotta, which is fine, but i'm also not afraid of fats so regular would be just fine as it is only a little bit in this recipe (we used only half a cup).  Also I added 1/4 of a pound of cooked ground beef for some extra protein (you could do ground chicken or turkey too).  Other than that I followed the recipe and it came out fabulous! Here is the pic, hope you enjoy!

                        

Body Image Thoughts

So Logan and I are just finishing up week 7 of our 10 week challenge! Soooo that means 3 more weeks until I reveal our results. Let's just say they are good people :) Very very good. But also healthy! Nothing crazy going on over here!
I've just had so many thoughts buzzing around in my head through doing this challenge so I thought I would jot them down.  Maybe a numerical list? They probably aren't connected at all and will just sound like ramblings but here it goes.

1) Through this challenge I have felt a lot of the guilt that I have associated with food and eating in the past pretty much disappear. I don't remember the exact words but on one of the pages of the program it says something along the lines of "You recognize that splurges (or eating items outside of your normal guidelines) are normal and trust your body to make up for mistakes in eating".  How powerful! It really REALLY irks me to NO end when people around me shame themselves for eating certain things! Like OH MY GOODNESS if you want a cookie, have a friggen cookie, but enjoy it and don't complain about it. Okay I am being so harsh because I MENTALLY say those things to myself a lot (not as much anymore) but constantly filling the universe, and not to mention your soul, with negative emotions regarding food is so so sad to me. LOVE YOSELF!

2) I love my mom, seriously, I love my mom. Seems random, but it is related to that above thought. Growing up I can not even recall one time that my mom talked negatively about her body (or mine) in front of me. Seriously! I realize now what a rare and precious gift that is. We definitely (especially now) talk about health and fitness but not in a negative head space.  I grew up with three brothers and no sisters so I was definitely able to avoid a lot of those learned behaviors that a lot of those negative food associations come from simply because there weren't a lot of females around to instill them! My mom cooked, baked, and ate with us. I can never recall my mom saying "I'm on a diet", or "I need to loose weight" or "ugh I had dessert yesterday", phrases like that are SO damaging (in my opinion).  We ate awesome food, we were and are a very active family, and that was that.  This is something I so desperately want to pass on to my children.  To love their bodies, to enjoy food, and not feel guilty about eating!

3) And lastly.  Loving MY body.  It's interesting because I gained A TON of weight during pregnancy (can you say two hundo club?!) And slowly but surely I have been losing that weight.  But I'm never going to look like the girlfriend next to me, or the Instagram account I follow, or that chick I workout behind in my HIIT classes.  Simply because my body is the only one like it on this earth. I've been through different experiences than anyone else on this earth so why would I expect to ever be like someone else?? Guess what, I'm coming back from being the heaviest I've ever been in my life. But I also have never been more comfortable in my own skin as I have at this point in time. I wouldn't change being 30 pounds thinner like I was my sophomore year in college for where I am at now! Cause guess what, I wasn't happy.  I was doing high impact workouts twice a day, eating next to nothing, and drinking A TON of soda.  I wasn't healthy, I was skinny, but I wasn't healthy. That's not to say that I'm not dedicated to being the healthiest me, but skinny and healthy are not synonymous. For my child (and future children) I will wear a swimsuit and swim even if I'm not bikini ready, I will eat a piece of pizza (or 3) if I feel like it, I will exercise and treat my body like it deserves to be treated, and I will love MY body.

***Sorry for the random post but I just feel a lot of gratitude and happiness through this program journey and I wanted to jot it down. Here is a pic from a couple of weeks ago because I felt really confident and pretty in this outfit.



xoxo, Katelin-Jane

Pure Fit Pure Food 10 Week Challenge

I love a good challenge, a goal to work towards, something tangible. I find it keeps me motivated, driven, and overall a happier person. So after completing our half marathon I wanted a new challenge! But something different! I feel that I have come to a plateau with my postpartum weight loss, and although 40 pounds is a big accomplishment I still have more to go to reach what I know is healthiest for my body. 

I knew I wanted to do a food challenge, but it took me a while to figure out how exactly I wanted to go about it.  If you know me, or my philosophy on food/body image you know that there are a few words I find very toxic, especially for  myself.  One of them is the word "diet" in the popular culture sense our world uses it today. I do not agree with depriving oneself of calories or nutrients that the body needs. I don't believe in cutting out entire food groups or labeling foods "good" and "bad". I don't believe in juice cleanses . I hate the word "skinny" and find it to be a toxic and superficial way to express the worth of self or someone else. How many times when a girl posts a cute picture on social media are her friends quick to say "You look so skinny!!" as if that is the ultimate compliment? How about, healthy, strong, or happy? HEALTH is what is important not thinness. 

 I do however believe that we have all of the food groups for a reason, they each play a vital role in how we fuel our bodies.  I believe that sometimes we need to reset and figure out how to best fuel our bodies with the food we consume.  I believe that we should take care of our bodies and fuel them with healthy options when it comes to food.  I believe exercise is extremely important but not something to be obsessive about (something I've struggled with in the past). I believe our bodies are a gift and we should treat them as such, not pick them apart, not practice self-loathing every time we decide to indulge and have a treat. 

SO with that being said I researched, and researched, and researched.  And I came across a plan, and a couple of girls whose philosophy spoke to me on a deeper level .  The girls over at Pure Fit Pure Food have it going on. They are moms (that was a big one for me, I want someone who gets me on that level), registered nutritionist/dietician, certified personal trainer/group fitness instructor, and overall realists (I need that too).  

This is a 10-Week program and Logan and I are currently on week 3. It is a nutrition and exercise program with specific instructions of what to eat/do each day which I love. What I like MOST about this plan so far is the education I am receiving. The meal plan is broken up in to proteins, carbs, and fats and really teaches you what food falls in to what category, and why it is important to include all of those categories. Also, we eat everything: Meat, dairy, veggies, fruit, whole grains, fats, and even some yummy treats.  6 days a week are structured with a complete meal plan (and shopping list, love that) and 1 day is a relaxed day where we get to splurge within reason.  Pizza has been my splurge both weeks so far :) 

We have been really dedicated to the program but our little family did get the stomach flu this past weekend which threw off our meal plan a bit (although we weren't really eating much of anything so it was really fine) .  

We weighed (and measured) ourselves at the beginning and are supposed to weigh in again at the end of this week.  I'll be honest and say I weighed myself a couple of times each week so far (too addicted to that scale people, I'm working on it) and I am soooooo happy to say the scale is moving, it's been stuck at this one number for a while now and to see it moving again is the best motivator in the world.

Logan and I have really been enjoying the program and we love to ask "How are you feeling?" before and after we eat things so we can really discuss how certain foods, levels of hunger, etc. make us feel.  Logan is OBSESSED with the plan, I post the weeks layout on our fridge and he is always referring to it. For work he has to eat out a lot so he will text me saying whats on the plan, so he can order something similar wherever it is he has to eat at.   

Below are some of the foods we have eaten with the plan, I have to say most of the recipes/food choices have been not just good, they've been AMAZING.  One thing I can't get myself to love, turkey, it's weird I know but I've never liked it, and I still don't like it.  I sub for chicken and feel happier about life :)

I'll post again at 6 weeks for another update !

xoxo

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've said it time and again. I am not a big baker. I just don't have the patience or precision that it takes to be a good baker. I like that with cooking I don't have to follow a recipe exactly to get a great end result. BUT I do have a few killer baking recipes in my back pocket and this is one of them. This is my mom's recipe and is well loved in our family. Anytime my brothers are in town these usually get made at some point. And they are EASY so that is a big plus.

Ingredients: 

3/4 cup of softened butter

1 cup of sugar

1 egg

1 cup of mashed overly ripe bananas (I usually do 3-4 bananas)

1 1/2 cups of flour

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

1 3/4 cups of rolled oats

chocolate chips 

Directions:

1. Cream together butter and sugar

2. Beat the egg and then add it to the butter/sugar mixture

3. Add mashed bananas

4. Add flour

5. Add salt, baking soda, nutmeg and cinnamon

6. Add oats

7. Add chocolate chips (more or less depending on your preference)

8. REFRIGERATE for 30 minutes before scooping cookies and baking. This is very important! It creates the correct consistency before baking. 

9. Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes and then allow to cool for a few minutes

ENJOY!! XX

Half Marathon

I still can't really believe that I am saying this but I ran a half marathon! I did it! And I didn't have to walk or stop! Boy this day had a bit of anxiety tied to it as it approached but I am so proud of myself.  I wanted a clear cut work out goal after baby.  Between not working out while I was pregnant, and knowing the weight wasn't going to magically disappear with breastfeeding (that's an annoying myth that only happens for some people) I just wanted to work towards something.  Saying I'm going to "eat healthy" and "go to the gym" were far too vague for me so my husband and I signed up for the half marathon.  We started very slowly, 1.5 miles to be exact.  And I remember thinking I was going to die during those 1.5 miles. But before I knew it we were running 5, 6, 7 miles at a time with no problem.  Then we ran a 9 miler! And a 10! And before I knew it the day had come. I am so lucky to have so many friends and family who watched Gray on those long run days when we couldn't take him with us.   On the shorter ones we took the jogging stroller but boy was it nice to just be alone sometimes on those long run days. Just myself, and my thoughts as I pushed myself mentally and physically. Along with the physical training Logan and I really changed our eating habits quite drastically.  We really haven't had fast food except maybe once after Gray was born, and when we are in the mood for something quick we opt for sandwich shops instead. We don't drink soda anymore (5 months clean for me now!).  We try to go low or no carb at dinner time. And we don't keep too many unhealthy foods in the house anymore.  Don't get me wrong we are still foodies through and through and there is nothing I appreciate more than a good steak or burger but we've definitely made some really healthy steps and are continuing to do so.  I am really grateful to have parents (and in-laws) who are healthy and active and can enjoy all kinds of activities with their children! I want to be this way for Gray and that has been a big motivating factor for me.
The day of the marathon my Sister-In-Law Bethany got Gray all ready to go in the morning (my brother-in-law, Logan, and I, had to be at the buses at 5 a.m.) and my father and mother in law, and my brother all came to greet us at the finish line.  They timed it perfectly so that I could breastfeed Gray as soon as I finished! I have to say I felt like SUPER MOM running a half and then feeding my kid right after. It was so nice to have so much support on our big day!
Here are some pics!!






I'm sure some of you are wondering about my weight loss journey since having Gray. I am about to get really real and really personal.  When I had Gray at 40 weeks I weighted 209 pounds (oh. my. gosh.) I have officially lost a little more than 40 pounds and still would like to loose another 15.  These last 15 are being extra stubborn and according to my doctor might not go anywhere until I am done nursing. But besides the actual weight I have toned up A LOT, and just feel really really good. I feel happy, I have so much more energy, and feel like a good wife and mom which is most important to me.  Below is a progress pic so far. I posted one a couple of years ago after I did Insanity so I thought why not again. Stretch marks and all people. I'm a work in progress but aren't we all?

The Photo On The Left: 38 weeks pregnant
Middle Photo: 12 Weeks PP (1 month of working out)
Photo On The Right: 16 Weeks PP (2 Months of Working Out)

*I am now at 22 Weeks PP so I should take some more photos soon*

Eggs, Eggs, and More Eggs Ya'll

I had a few friends text me last week about a little snapchat video I did on some soft-boiled eggs I made for dinner. Like i've said before I eat steel-cut oatmeal almost every morning for breakfast (I know so boring but it helps me with breastfeeding). BUT that often leads me CRAVING some kind of meat/protein come lunch time, so a lot of times I have eggs for lunch, which means I have 2 breakfasts each day OOPS.  Eggs may seem intimating if you've never prepared them before but trust me they are SO easy and a good thing to have in your cooking repertoire. Below is a little rundown of a few of the ways I like to cook my eggs! 

1. Scrambled--easy enough right?? Let me give you a few pointers.  First, I always add about a tablespoon of milk to each egg that I scramble. I know I know, some people say if you are using good, farm-fresh eggs you don't need to add anything to your eggs, but I'm a normal person, who buys my eggs from the grocery store so I find that a little splash of milk makes my eggs creamier. Second, cook your eggs on medium heat, if you cook them too high, and too fast they will be over-cooked and rubbery.  Which brings me to my next point... DON'T OVER COOK EGGS. There is nothing that makes me sadder in this whole world than overcooked eggs. Okay, that was dramatic, but nothing is worse than dry scrambled eggs, or when I go to bite in to a delicious burger with a fried egg on top and the egg yolk doesn't run all over...such a disappointment. In my world I'd rather have an undercooked egg than an overcooked one...just sayin'.  Lastly, salt those babies! Salt brings out the natural taste of eggs in the best friggen way possible, so if someone gives me a plate of eggs that hasn't been properly seasoned? You bet I am reaching for the salt shaker. But as with all food it's better to salt them while you are cooking them as opposed to after. 

2. Soft-Boiled eggs--a personal fav. Don't let these scare you, I've got it down to a science.  First bring your pot of water to a boil, then turn down the heat so the water is at a rapid simmer. Add 2-3 eggs. Set your timer for 5 minutes EXACTLY.   After five minutes remove the eggs and rinse under cold water until they can be handled.  Then peel them. This is the hardest part but with a little practice you'll be a pro. I use a spoon to crack the shell horizontally in a circle and then run my spoon between the egg and the shell to remove the shell.  They should look like this:

And then they should do this:

3. Fried Eggs. YUM. Melt a tiny bit of butter in a non-stock pan over medium heat (remember never too hot for eggs!) and crack your eggs in to the pan.  Wait until the egg white turns from an opaque color to a more set white (about 4 minutes) and then gently, but quickly flip them over. I like my eggs over easy so I literally cook them for like 30 seconds to a minute on the second side and then they are ready. 

4. Poached. The trickiest of the egg preparations.  But if I'm being honest I have an egg poaching pan. Fill the pan with 1/2 inch water, set over medium heat and bring the water to a simmer. Lightly oil the poaching cups and warm the cups in the pan. Crack an egg into each cup, cover the pan and cook about 2-3 minutes. 

5. Lastly are hard boiled eggs, and again, I cheat. I buy the pre-made ones from Coscto. They are awesome for a quick snack but also for making a big bowl of egg-salad! YUM. 

Some More Favorite Products

Our half marathon is only a few weeks away (oh my!) 

I can't even believe it. I'm excited and a little nervous but training has been going really well.

As Logan and I have been trying to eat healthier we've come across some more really great products out there to help us in our quest. Now don't get me wrong, we were never crap eaters, but we've particularly been trying to cut down on our carb intake (especially at night!) Anyways, here are some products that have become staples for us! 

1. Sweet Potato Ribbons (Trader Joe's) 

Trader Joe's is my main grocery store, that and Costco.  I find shopping at a smaller store with less options helps me to not over shop. I was throwing away a lot of food and buying too much pre-packaged junk. Trader's isn't the perfect store you can still find unhealthy stuff (HELLO MINI PEANUT BUTTER CUPS... SO GOOD)  but it has some really good healthy products that we've come to love. 

Logan and I both never really grew up eating sweet potatoes. But they are SO good and SO good for you so they have definitely been added to our rotation. I chop them up all the time myself but it's really nice to have these on hand just to be able to throw in the oven without any prep, i'm all about easy these days. 

I couldn't find a photo of the ribbons I buy but they look a lot like this:

2. Chicken and Basil Meatballs (Costco)

These are fabulous on pizzas, pasta, salad, or even for breakfast with some eggs. And a plus...they are organic! 

3. Oven Roasted Turkey Breast (Trader Joe's, Columbus Brand)

I am not a big fan of deli meat (kinda grosses me out) but this looks and tastes like real turkey (ya know it's not slimy and smooth like that prepackaged stuff?) I know I'm crazy, but textures of food can really throw me off.  My mom actually turned me on to this turkey and I remember when she brought it to the hospital after I had Gray and thinking this is SO good! 

4. Filet Mignon (Costco) 

I am SUPER picky when it comes to steak. Mainly because it is one of my favorite foods, but I have the cooking it down to a science (I'll blog about that later) but the process means nothing if your cut is sub-par. I ALWAYS buy our filet's from Costco. Yes they are pricy, but not really considering how much you would pay in a restaurant (about $8 per steak).  I remember a few months ago I didn't want to brave the Costco crowd so I picked up some steaks from our grocery store by our house. Well long story short we ended up throwing them away because they tasted so bad.  Anyways they come in packages of four so we freeze them in twos so they are ready for whenever we want steak. 

5. Grass Fed Angus Beef Burgers (Trader Joe's) 

Again, I'm picky about my meat, but these burgers are so good! They come pre-packaged frozen raw in twos and they are so good in a lettuce wrap, or on top of some veggies, or of course on a regular bun (because ya know, sometimes you want a legit. burger) 

6. Cauliflower Rice (Trader Joe's) 

We recently added this to our diet as a substitute for regular rice and we REALLY enjoy it.  It's not the same texture but its a good texture non the less. And it's like 150 calories for the whole dang bag of cauliflower rice. I just steam it covered in a sautee pan with a tiny bit of EVOO and some salt and pepper. Also when they run out at Trader's i've just made it myself by grating a head of cauliflower with a box grater (EASY). 

Well there it is for now ! Can you tell protein is on my mind ?? Ha I just can't get enough of it between the running and the breastfeeding.  I would love to hear some of YOUR favorite products! 

xoxo

It Takes A Village.

Working in social work I came to believe in this saying whole heartedly. It truly does take a village to raise a child. Unfortunately our society is becoming increasingly and increasingly self-centered making this an un-fulfilled need in so many cases! It definitely wasn't until I became a mom myself that I realized just how important my village really is! 

I'll never forget the day I came home from the hospital with Logan and our sweet boy in tow.  We walked in to our little house and it was like pure heaven. REALLY I swear that is what heaven will be like. My mother had deep cleaned the entire house, like seriously, she even cleaned the inside of my oven (it was gross), stocked me up on recovery supplies, gotten some hygiene products for baby Gray, taken all of our flowers/balloons home from the hospital and displayed them around the house, and my kitchen was full steam ahead with freshly baked bread, rolls, cinnamon rolls, and soup. I remember walking upstairs to my clean house and just crying a little and being so so grateful for my sweet mother.  

From that moment forward my village would only grow.  My dad, brother, and sister in law all came in to town to meet their new family member. And after my mom went home, my mother in law came to town.  She made sure to give Logan and I lots of opportunity to rest and have extra naps, she was on top of the food game making sure I never had to even think about what to make for dinner, and spoiled baby rotten buying him lots of baby clothes! (we thought we had what we needed but turns out he never even fit in to newborn clothes so we were kind of lacking on the 0-3 month stuff). 

Women/friends from my church provided the most delicious meals and treats in the coming weeks that Logan and I lived off of for weeks to come. I will never forget this time because we felt so very loved by all of our friends.

When you don't have family who live nearby your friends truly become family and this is definitely how we have felt living in Las Vegas.

As the newborn stage wore off and the holidays were over it was back to "real life".  But amazingly enough the help didn't stop coming.  Looking back it is SO important to accept help where it is offered or even just to plain ask for help! I have never been in a position in my life where I needed help in this magnitude before, but when people offer I really try my hardest to take them up on it, because people truly want to help! 

Logan and I have been able to our long runs on Saturdays while friends watch Gray for an hour or two. We've had friends come to the house to watch Gray while we go out for date nights. We've had friends help with our doggy Sundance (who is my other child for sure). And I even had to call a friend to drop Gray off at her house last minute to have a root canal. 

Could I do it all? Probably. Granted that would probably mean no running, no date nights, and just being with my baby 24/7 which don't get me wrong I love being with him. But I also love my me time still! 

My village is truly something I am beyond grateful for. Gray has so many people who love and care for him and that is the greatest feeling in the world.  So I guess the moral of the story is whatever stage of life you are in cultivate your village, be a part of someone else's, because no one was meant to go through this life alone, we are a gift to each other when we serve and allow to be served.

xoxo

Blackened Mahi Bowl

I've been messing around with some different "bowl" recipes the past few weeks and finally perfected it.  Log and I pretty much inhaled these last night after a run and both agreed we want these on the weekly. I was MAJORLY sick last week, sinus/ear infection so I wasn't able to run hardly at all and my nutrition took a major hit. But the antibiotics are starting to kick in and my appetite has returned so so has my cooking. Hope you enjoy!

Blackened Mahi Bowls (Serves 2)

Ingredients:

2 mahi mahi filet's (I buy the frozen pre-packaged ones from Costco)

1 lime

seafood seasoning (any brand will do)

1 bag of cauliflower rice (Trader Joe's)

2 small-medium sized zucchini's

1 sweet potato 

1 red pepper (or any pepper)

EVOO

Directions:

1. To start dice all of your veggies to desired size (keep diced sweet potatoes separate)

1. Place sweet potato on a baking sheet and coat with a couple of Tbsp. of EVOO salt/pepper, garlic powder, and season salt.  Bake in oven at 375 for about 15-20 minutes. 

2. After the sweet potatoes have been baking for 15-20 minutes add your zucchini and peppers and stir all together on the baking sheet, return to the oven for additional 10-15 minutes. I add these veggies after because the sweet potatoes take longer to cook and I don't want my zucchini and peppers to be soggy. 

3. While your veggies are baking cook your cauliflower rice. I cook the cauliflower in a sauté pan with a little bit of EVOO and salt and pepper and cover it with a lid until tender.

4. While everything else is cooking away prepare the fish.  Salt and pepper your filets (both sides) then squeeze the lime all over the filets. Then coat both sides with seafood seasoning (I have also used Mccormick's mojito lime seasoning packet which is great for seafood). You want the fish to be completely coated. 

5. Heat some EVOO in a grill pan (or just grill outside) and cook fish over medium/high heat, 5 minutes each side (approximately or until fish is cooked through but not dry!) 

6. Assemble your bowls!! We added a little bit of avocado on the side for some extra healthy fat! 

Enjoy!! 

xoxo 

p.s. If you wanted to mix up the flavor profile you could do a teriyaki bowl, or sweet chili sauce bowl!  Also use any of your favorite veggies! Endless possibilities for this healthy dinner. 

Pregnancy Vs. Mommyhood Real Talk

I've told many of my friends this but I did not enjoy being pregnant.  I could go through the birthing process over and over but pregnancy for me was ROUGH. I don't say that to be a complainer or ungrateful. I'm just being real. I was beyond grateful to be pregnant as it took us a little bit longer than anticipated to get pregnant BUT I just struggled.

I was throwing up sick for the first 20 weeks.  Then I got in a car accident at around 6 months that required a chiropractor/physical therapy 3 x per week for the rest of my pregnancy and in to postpartum. My acne was that of a 16 year old teenager. I gained no weight during my first 20 weeks because of the throwing up. But then my last 20 weeks I packed on 40 pounds. That is a VERY short amount of time to gain so much weight. My sides, butt, and inner thighs will never be the same (my stretch marks look like I was attacked by a lion). The swelling in my legs/ankles/feet got so bad that the last two months I could only fit in to one pair of sandals, a pair of Birkenstocks (ew) but they were so comfy and I still wear them on occasion. In fact my last week of pregnancy I didn't even fit in to the Birkenstocks and ended up wearing slippers to church, classic. 

By the end I was miserable. Check out the pic below people! HA. 

I give you all the complainer details only to juxtapose how I have felt during mommyhood. 

It is something I can't even quite put words to. 

From day one Gray has been a doll baby. He has slept great, ate great, and been a VERY content baby. The only time this boy gets fussy is if he is hungry or overly tired. These things have absolutely nothing to do with me or Logan (although "sleep training" has certainly been a big priority and focus from day one) and I feel mostly to do with 1. Gray's demeanor/personality and 2. The fact that that he was a nine and a half pound baby.  

I was worried about how I would feel not working anymore. I LOVED social work people. That work fulfilled me. But that was all quickly put to rest as those feelings were replaced with feelings of completeness, happiness, and fulfillment unlike anything I had every experienced prior. 

Gray is the light of my life. 

I love parenting him with my best friend. His smile, giggles, and talking crack me up. He is an independent dude and it amazes me. I love going in to get him after a nap and hime laughing/smiling at me.

Now don't get me wrong I'm not seeing mommyhood through rose colored glasses. Of course there are hard things. But the joy I feel overshadows all of the hard things. 

I also know that not all mommies feel the way I do and thats okay too!! Different strokes for different folks I think! I also think that a BIG part of the easy transition to mommyhood for me is the village that surrounds me (I will write a blog post about that later). We have had SO much love and support from our friends and family that I have never felt alone or like I didn't have someone I could ask the bazillion questions I have on the daily about raising a baby. Or that I couldn't have a break, I mean how lucky are we that we have friends near us that I trust my baby with! Coming from a social work background I couldn't leave my dude with just anyone (too many horror stories). But we truly have a lot of friends that we can, and have left Gray with so we could have adult only time! Being able to have time to go to dinner together, run together, catch a show together has been VITAL to the transition process as well! (Wow, I feel yet another post coming on about that one) 

All in all, life is so sweet right now. I wish I could slow the clock because it's just been flying by us. 

God is good people. 

Salmon Cakes and Cauliflower Fried Rice

As Logan and I are getting more and more in to our half marathon training schedule I find myself wanting to fuel us with healthier and yummier things! (It's much easier to run when we are fueled with whole, non-processed stuff, than a tummy full of bacon, ya that happened one Saturday and I almost yacked on our run...oops!)

My friend Kristi sent me these two recipes and we tried them out this week. They were both a hit. 

The link for the Cauliflower Fried Rice is HERE. 

My notes I will add for you is that you can find cauliflower rice at trader joe's next to the bagged salad. I went to grab some and they were sold out so I made my own by simply grating a head of cauliflower with a box grater. SUPER easy. Also, we used pancetta from trader joe's instead of the ham (not a big ham fan) and it worked great. My last piece of advice on that recipe is to start out with just a couple of tablespoons of soy sauce and work up from there until you are satisfied with the taste. I find soy sauce to be overpowering and the amount suggested was a bit much.  

The next recipe, the Salmon Cakes I ended up modifying a TON from the original recipe just for taste purposes (I substituted green onions for white, regular flour for the coconut flour, and carrots for the celery) so my take on the salmon cakes is below: 

Serves 2 people with 2 cakes each. 

Ingredients: 

1 6 oz. can of boneless/skinless wild salmon (got mine at Trader Joe's, but Costco also carries it)

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1 handful of chopped carrots

4 Tbsp. flour (for thickening)

2 eggs

1 tsp. of dried dill (you can add more if you really like dill, but I just wanted a little bit)

1 tsp. of garlic pepper

splash of lemon juice

1/2 tsp. of sea salt

EVOO

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients except for EVOO in a bowl. Make sure to add the flour last. The mixture should be about pancake batter consistency so if you need to add more flour do so. 

2. Heat up a few tbsp. of EVOO in a grill pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is nice and hot scoop 4 patty sized scoops of batter in to the pan.

3. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side and enjoy! 

Serve plain or with a little Greek Yogurt, creme fraiche, or sour cream. 

ENJOY XOXO

Zuppas Veggie Chowder

I am a HUGE soup freak. I love it. I eat it in the middle of summer here in scorching Las Vegas. I just can't get enough. I have a lot of soup recipes that I love. But this one is definitely at the top.

Now, let me start by saying I am NOT a huge Zuppas fan. That's right I said it. They give you like 1 shred of cheese, and half a strawberry on their salads and think that is sufficient. No. No. No. Load it on people! Also, their bread?! It's like wonder bread, it's the worst. BUT what they do get right is their soups, every. single. one of them.  They are all good. But their veggie chowder is definitely a favorite. 

I found the recipe HERE and it is the real deal. The only comments I will add to it are this. 

1. Don't add the chicken, that's not necessary, this is a vegetable soup.

2. It needs ample seasoning (salt and pepper). I season it when I sauté the onions/zucchini, I season again when I add the vegetable broth, and once again at the end. As always do it to taste. But if you don't add any salt it can be bland. The salt really makes it POP. 

ENJOY XO 

Favorite Products and Random Thoughts

It's a good thing I didn't blog during my pregnancy because I would have sounded like SUCH a whiner.  Truth is I didn't enjoy pregnancy. I was BEYOND grateful to be pregnant (It took Logan and I a little bit longer to get pregnant than we wanted) so that helped me deal with it and be happy through it all but boy was it tough.  The first 4 months consisted of me vomiting every. single. day. Having to run to the bathroom at work so I didn't yack all over my office multiple times a day was the worst.  Being so sick I didn't exercise at. all. during pregnancy and that made me physically miserable, but no energy = no gym time. I didn't gain a single pound my first 20 weeks (because of the yacking) and once it subsided I packed on 40 pounds in the last 20 weeks. It was a really short amount of time to gain so much weight and boy did my body feel it.  Logan and I both got some good laughs out of my cankles ... but really they were insane! 

By the end I was ready for my baby boy but also ready to get my body back.  I knew I would not be one of those girls to loose all the weight via breastfeeding...I just know my body, and sure enough I haven't.  And I knew I couldn't just make some vague goal like "I'm going to get in shape." I needed and have always needed very specific goals. So I made 2 when my boy was born. 

1. Give up soda (I've done this multiple times but I wanted it to stick) don't ge tme wrong I LOVE the stuff it's nectar from the Gods, but I know how I feel when I am properly hydrated and that's what I wanted, no 3 o clock headaches, no energy dips, soda needed to go. And I had developed quite the habit as it was the only thing that settled my stomach during pregnancy. 

2. Train for and run a half marathon (it's always been one of my goals). We are running a half on May 7th! 

I am proud to say I have not had one soda since giving birth (2.5 months!) and I have now been training for my half since I was cleared for running at 8 weeks post-partum. I am lucky that Logan is doing it too so he watches Gray while I run in the mornings, and he runs in the evenings.  

Today I want to share with you some of the products I LOVE and that have helped me get back on track after having my precious boy. I'll never be the cleanest eater ever, I love mah food ya know? But when I am eating well, staying hydrated, and exercising every day I feel SO much better, and I know I am the best wife and mom when I am taking care of myself too. 

So here they are: (p.s. I stole all of these images from the internet b/c ain't nobody got time for taking pics of products) 

1. Trader Joe's Steel Cut Oatmeal 

I am obsessed with this. I eat it 5 days a week for breakfast.  Slow burning carbs people, they are the best. You pop these pre-portioned frozen guys in the microwave for 3 minutes, and breakfast is served. These keep me full until lunch which is awesome too. 

2. Costco Kodiak Cakes

Because somedays you don't want oatmeal! Our cousins introduced us to these and we have been hooked ever since. I can have 3 pancakes for 190 calories and they are packed with protein! They are whole-grain pancakes but don't taste like whole-grain pancakes! Top with fruit and some light syrup and my splurge breakfast doesn't have to be so splurgish. 

3. The Hydro Flask 

This thing goes with me EVERYWHERE. It keeps your water cold for 24 hours people! I put ice in this thing, and there is still ice in it the next day!! It is so much easier to stay hydrated when you are drinking icey cold goodness. I tell everyone I know about my Hydro Flask because it's the bomb!

4. Properly fitted running shoes

If you are in to running, or want to get in to running GET A GATE ANALYSIS PEOPLE. It will change your life. I went in to get mine and I was really wanting some crazy colored Asics because they look so cool. But alas they were not a good fit for me. The gate analysis showed I run on the insides of my feet! Which explains why I often have ankle issues when I run. So the man  had me try on like 10 pairs of running shoes (all different brands) until we landed on a pair of New Balances that felt like running on clouds. Seriously, they aren't the cutest in the world but they make all the difference especially on the longer running days. 

So there you have it, a few of my favorite products as of late. Would love to hear any of your favorite healthy (or not so healthy, I can get down with those too) products! 

xoxo. 

Cajun Chicken Pasta With a Lemon Cream Sauce

This recipe was much requested on my Insta so here it is. The sauce tastes really light (even though it's made with cream) and Logan loved this recipe. 

Recipe serves 2 (1 small chicken breast per person, if you use those huge chicken breasts then half a breast per person will do)

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts

favorite pasta (ours is farfalle)

asparagus

1 roma tomato

1 cup heavy cream

3 cloves minced garlic

1 tsp. fresh lemon zest

Cajun seasoning (I made my own) 

1/4 cup of parmesan cheese

Olive Oil

Butter

Directions:

1. In a ziploc add 2 tbsp. of olive oil and 1 tbsp. of cajun seasoning, place chicken breasts in the ziploc and coat well. Place in refrigerator for 10 minutes. 

2. Heat your grill pan (or grill) with 1 tbsp. of olive oil to medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook approx. 5 minutes per side or until cooked through. Set aside. 

3. Cook desired amount of pasta, drain and set aside. 

4. Cut off ends of asparagus and discard. Then cut asparagus into thirds and blanch and set aside. 

4. In a separate pan (needs to be big enough to fit your pasta in later) melt 2 tbsp. of butter over medium heat. once melted add your 3 cloves of minced garlic, and cook until fragrant (be careful not to burn your garlic, yuck). Only about a minute or so

5. Whisk in your lemon zest and heavy cream until warm.

6. Add parmesan cheese, and whisk until melted and well incorporated. Season your sauce with salt and pepper to taste (always season people). 

7. Add pasta and asparagus to your sauce pan and stir until well-coated.

8. Dish up your pasta and add sliced chicken to the top.

9. Chop your tomato and add it to the top (you can also add your tomato to the sauce with everything else, but I don't like warm tomatoes)

10. Garnish with fresh parmesan and parsley if desired.

xoxo, enjoy. 

p.s. If you wanted a low-carb option to this meal substitute zucchini noodles (made with a spiralizer) for the pasta. So good. 

Citrus Mahi Tacos!

I can't even stress enough how yummy this recipe is! If you like fish tacos this is so for you.  We've now had this at our house once a week for the past 3 weeks because Log and I are both OBSESSED.  Sorry for the terrible photo but I was too busy gobbling these tacos up to take a decent one.

Recipe: Serves 2 

A great thing about this recipe is there is virtually no measuring, it's so simple.

Ingredients:

2 Mahi filets, thawed (I get the individually shrink wrapped bag of them from Costco) 

4 small tortillas (corn or flour, but I think flour pairs well with fish)

Citrus vinaigrette, I just got a bottle that looked good from the grocery store

Seafood seasoning (I have one I love that I got from HomeGoods, random, but use what you have, also Mccormicks packet of mojito lime seasoning would work well too! I've used that on shrimp before and it was great)

Cold slaw cabbage (shred some yourself or buy the bag of it in the salad section)

2 limes

pico de gallo (Logan likes the trader joe's kind, but any will do)

Directions: 

1. Place filet's on a plate and salt and pepper both sides of your filets, then squeeze half a lime over each filet, and finally coat both sides with your seafood seasoning. Place in refrigerator for 10 minutes

2. Add desired amount of cold slaw cabbage to a bowl and coat with desired amount of citrus vinaigrette. I like a lot of cabbage on my tacos :) Set bowl aside while you cook your fish. 

3. Heat up a grill pan coated with olive oil to medium-high heat and place filet's in the pan. I usually cook mine 4-5 minutes per side or until no longer pink in the middle (But don't cook them too long, you don't want them dry!)

4. While fish is cooking heat up your tortillas in a pan and then place them on your plate. Add desired amount of slaw and pico de gallo  to your tortillas (I also add a little bit of cotija cheese). 

5. When fish is cooked add it to your tacos! (1 filet will make 2 small tacos) 

6. Add a slice of lime to your plate and enjoy!

xoxo, easiest ever fish tacos. 

Gray Tunney Bird's Birth Story

Well it is safe to say it's been a while since I've blogged, over a year ! Sometimes things just take a back burner and my blog was/is one of them.  BUT I wanted to write down my precious baby boy's birth story.  Oh ya ...I have a baby now :) 

In the past year Log and I moved to Las Vegas, started new jobs, bought our first house, got pregnant, had baby Gray, I quit said job to be a stay at home mom, and so many fun things in between. But I digress.  Here is how it all went down people. 

My due date was December 4th, 2015.  Leading up to my due date there was lots of back and forth between my doctor and I about being induced at 39 weeks because baby boy was measuring BIG.  My mom had two 9 pound babies, a 10 pound baby, and a whopping 11 pound baby, so I knew the likely hood that Gray would be big was high. 

I was huge and uncomfortable and wanted this boy OUT.  My mom came out the day after Thanksgiving and that Monday November 30th I had a doctor's appointment where my doctor discussed with me (again) about being induced.  I was all for it and he said it could happen the next day! I was so excited.
Well, fast forward a few hours and BOTH hospitals nearby were completely booked for a week out for scheduled inductions.  I was devastated, there were tears, and emotions, I was so miserable and to think it was soon to be over and then have that taken away was too much for my 9 month pregnant mind to bear. 

So we scheduled the induction for the first available day (December 7th) and the waiting game began. Another reason I wanted to be induced was because my doctor was out of town December 2nd-6th and I did not want the baby to come without my doctor.  

Well babies don't wait for doctors.

Since my mom arrived we were doing everything to get this baby out. Most importantly walking...A LOT.  On December 2nd I felt some cramps as we were on one of our nightly walks but I had had LOTS of contractions throughout my pregnancy so I didn't think anything of it. The next morning I woke up and when I sat up in bed I felt a little "gush" and I do mean little.  I knew I wasn't peeing but lots of gross/weird errr I mean amazing? things happen during pregnancy so again I thought nothing of it.  You see, in the movies they show a huge gush of water soaking everything, women keeled over in pain screaming from the contractions, and that was just not the case for me.  

My mom and I continued getting the house ready and decided to go to the mall to grab some things and to get our nails done.  As I got in my car another little gush...this time it soaked through and on to my car seat...ew. Definitely not normal. My mom suggested calling my OB's office so I did.  They said they would have a nurse call me back. 

Onward to the mall.  We were in Sur La Table when I got the call. I needed to go in to the hospital to make sure my water wasn't leaking. Leaking?? I didn't even know that was a thing.  Well I didn't sense any urgency so we got our nails done first HA.  

Then we went home and grabbed the hospital bags (just in case) although I really thought they would just send me home.  We also, didn't tell Logan we were going to the hospital because with all the back and forth lately of when we would be having Gray we didn't want him to leave work for nothing.  So we arrived at the hospital around 5, I told Labor and Delivery what was going on and that my OB's office wanted me checked.  Well the Nurse at L&D was sooooo not impressed and honestly down right rude that I came in because I "thought" I was leaking and told me they were full and to wait in the waiting room and they might get to me...ya lame.

So my mom and I left because it was dinner time (duh) and went and got Cafe Rio with Log.  While we were there we filled him in on everything and while we were eating the hospital called me and said I needed to come back to get checked. 

Again...I wasn't in any pain or contracting super regularly so we took our time.  We went home, I showered, Logan and our friend Chad gave me a blessing, we went on one more walk, and we were off. 

When we got back to the hospital they took me in to triage right away. The nurse checked me and as she did that the rest of my water broke on the table. Ew.  So yes, I had been leaking all day ... OOPS . I was also dilated to a 3 at that point. 

Well the one thing I didn't want to happen, happened. My doctor wasn't there :( 

So the on-call doctor took over.  She started talking c-section right away because I had tested positive for strep-B and because I had been leaking all day she was nervous the baby would be exposed. 

I did NOT want a c-section and made that very clear so onward with labor. 

They started me with pitocin right away and as soon as they did that the contractions got serious.  I struggled with contractions for a couple of hours and around 10 p.m. I got the epidural.

Let me do a little plug for the epidural girls.  IT DOES NOT HURT. I don't know what the heck all the horror stories were about this thing but my IV hurt more than the epidural.  And I had to have it twice cause the guy missed the first time! I didn't look at the needle and i didn't feel hardly a thing. 

Once I got the epidural life was great.  My mom, Logan, and I got some z's overnight and around 6 a.m. I was so antsy to get this show on the road.  They didn't want to check me again over night because of the strep-b so they waited until around 8 a.m. to check and sure enough I was at a 10.  

So at 8 a.m. I started pushing. That part was so much harder than I thought! I didn't realize how tiring it would be. I mean...you just push. But a whole pregnancy of being out of shape, and having to do it on an empty stomach, it is tough! But 1 hour of pushing and this man was ready to come out! One problem...It took my doctor 30 minutes to get in the dang room! I was so frustrated just sitting there having to wait for the doctor with a baby just ready to go!

Well she finally got there and a few pushes in little man was born! 9:33 a.m. and he weighed a whopping 9 pounds 3 ounces. BIG BABY. 

It was utter joy, something I can't explain. It was the most incredible experience of my entire life. I am so thankful I had my Mom and my husband by my side. It was so special to have them with me. 

We love our little man and life is just SO much sweeter with him in it.