I Pinned That . . . And I Made It

Happy Monday friends! I'm guessing most of us are big fans of Pinterest. And I am guessing that we're all guilty of pinning things that we swear we will make or do or read or whatever, and then not following up. I use it primarily for meal planning/food and for fitness pins. I thought I would share some food pins that I have made and our family has enjoyed.

Source: dandydishes.blogspot.com via Nicole on Pinterest

I made these with ground turkey. So good. We had them with salad and vegetables one night. I made a ton, so I froze the rest. We had those with spaghetti the next week. Everyone liked these.

Source: healthyisalwaysbetter.tumblr.com via Nicole on Pinterest

I have a sweet tooth, my kids need snacks, this was much needed. I made one batch without Greek yogurt and the kids thought they were still good, but I made a second batch with it and liked them better. A big hit for the family.

Source: fitsugar.com via Nicole on Pinterest

So easy to make, and so tasty. I love having one of these in the evening, when I want something sweet but I don't want to wreck all my hard work. And a great use for overripe bananas.

Source: kalynskitchen.com via Nicole on Pinterest

I don't love eggs, but I know they are a great food for health. I made these and really liked them. And my kids loved them, they had them for a snack more than once. I did buy silicone muffin cups to make them, but that is not necessary.

If you've found any recipes lately that you love, share in the comments! We all can use  new ideas.

You Are What You Eat?

I think I wrote a while ago about changing the way I eat. Or I have at least mentioned it. While training for the race, I really tried to eat "clean" as much as possible. For me, that meant lots of grilled chicken, steamed or roasted vegetables, protein smoothies, and the like. I had a cheat day or cheat meal once a week, usually for tailgating, but even then, I tried to keep it in reason.

I didn't ask my family to eat clean along with me. Of course, I prepare a lot of the meals in the house, so I did switch us to turkey bacon and brown rice. I tried to cut back on starchy fillers for meals, even though we were already eating minimal amounts anyway. I felt really good. I lost weight, but I wasn't starving myself.

After the race, I got off track a little bit. I let myself eat more indulgently, more often. I still made good choices a majority of the time, but I just wasn't as vigilant. And I could tell, in my moods, my energy level, just in general.

So this year I want to focus on eating healthfully for good. Not just as part of a training regimen. As a lifestyle. I'm there, in some aspects. In order to do something like this, to really change, you have to know why you're doing it. I'm still figuring that out. Obviously my own health should be the main reason, I just have to get there mentally.

So, for food resolutions:

1. Drink more water! I have so much room for improvement here. I drink a lot of unsweetened iced tea, which isn't bad, but I need to drink more water.

2. Plan meals, especially lunches. I eat lunch out a lot--grilled nuggets and fruit from Chick-fil-A or a burrito bowl from Chipotle most often. I need to eat at home more.

3. Try new foods. I have so many silly food issues and I need to just get over it.

4. Juicing. I've borrowed a juicer to see if I like it, and I want to make it a regular part of our diet. Travis and I don't get near enough vegetables and fruits.

5. Keep up the good habits I've already developed.

What are you doing in the kitchen this year that's different?

Just Write: Holding On

My baby is closer to three years old than two now. This is him, playing with coins behind the blinds. I was sitting in bed, watching Downton Abbey. He was creating a little world behind those blinds. He didn't need me to play with him. He just wanted to play near me. So tremendously cute.

We let him be a baby, still. When he lets us. Sometimes he is all "I do it myself! I big!" And so we let him try to buckle himself and get out of the car by himself. But then he comes to me in the morning and says "I lay down to you," and I melt. Right there. A little puddle of Mommy. (The baggy pants kill me dead.)

Travis comes home and covers him in kisses and they wrestle and tickle and laugh. We say "Are you the baby?" and he says "No, I Ben." And he is. The baby. And Ben. We definitely let him get away with things we shouldn't. We aren't pushing him to potty train or sleep in a big bed or any of those big kid things. We're holding on. Trying to draw out the baby-ness as long as we can.

He sings silly songs. He says "balloonie" instead of "balloon." He yells "I love you" at me. And just now he came in begging for candy. And if I had some he could eat, I would totally give it to him. How could I not?

Just Write with Heather of the EO

What Moves Me?

It wouldn't be a new year and new goals without talking about fitness, would it?

Last year was a pretty great year for me, especially the last five months or so. Training for the race and really changing the way I eat made a huge difference in how I felt and looked. I'm down to high school/college weight! And this time it is because I am taking care of myself and being mindful about what goes in my body.

However, after the race, I've gone a bit off track. Not too seriously, but I've lost a bit of my discipline. Primarily in what I eat, rather than my exercise. I haven't run more than 3 miles in the last month, but I've kept up consistent workouts.

My workout clothes take up more space than my lazy clothes, for the first time ever. (I find it funny that I keep workout gear and lazy clothes in the same drawer.) I asked for weights and other exercise equipment for Christmas and was excited when my parents got it for me. I'll have been a member at my gym for five years this spring, and I actually go (minus my inconsistency while pregnant). So clearly I'm committed to keeping this up.

(New purple shoes. Crazy purple pants. I like my workout gear to be fun.)

What I've learned this last month is that I will continue to exercise, but I need more specific goals to make me push myself and remain disciplined. I haven't had a workout or a run lately that left me empty--I am not going hard while working out. So I need to put some goals out there.

So. The goals.

1. Run a sub 25 minute 5K. The fastest I've run three miles up to this point is 27:40. I will have to do speedwork (dreaded sprints) and run consistently again.

2. Try new classes or workouts. A friend of mine is a trainer and is going to work with me a few times in the next month. I'll be writing about that here, and I'm excited because I need more variety in my exercise. I'm always reluctant to try things at the gym--silly self-consciousness.

3. Run another half-marathon in the fall. I know I can get faster and I want to run another race and bring my time down.

I have food resolutions too, but I'm saving those for another post (of course!). What are your fitness goals for this year?

Hereby Resolved

Yes, of course I have resolutions! Actually, I have not done typical new year's resolutions the last few years, choosing a word instead. But I feel like I need more concrete goals this year. And as a blogger, of course I will share them with you. But also as a blogger, I will spread them out over several posts, thus maximizing one idea for as much content as possible. I'm smart like that.

Perhaps I should resolve to use less commas and write more simple sentences.

Nah.

My resolutions fall into neat categories, more or less. Convenient, that.

The one that is perhaps of most interest to any readers is that I am recommitting myself to consistent writing. I will likely never be an every day blogger. I don't like repeating myself and I find that I don't have enough to say that is worth sharing daily, at least most of the time.

I want to bring thoughtful, interesting, maybe even sometimes inspiring words to this space. I want to be authentic about who I am, what I'm struggling with, what I'm celebrating. I will still write about fashion because I just love clothes and there's no point pretending I don't. I hope to balance more substantive posts with lighter entries. Because not every day is serious and thought-provoking nor is it always easy and fun. I'll still write about fitness, because that is still important to me too. And a blogger can't have six kids and a funny husband without writing about that sometimes too.

As I share my other resolutions you'll see where my content will come from, at least in part. I'm excited to start a new year with a renewed focus on writing.