Happy birthday little boy!

Yes, I am behind in my posts.  It's not like I don't have things to write about, because I do.  I just can't find the time to write.  Work has been crazy, the kids are terrific but crazy, the kitchen has been crazy (I am cooking up a storm), and Adam's work has been crazy, which has led me to do more around the house and with the kids.  The good news is that after 6 weeks of at least one person being sick in our family, everyone is healthy.  Yay!!!

And my little baby had a birthday.  I can't believe he is one year old already.  I remember when he was born. 

And now . . .



We had a small family gathering to celebrate his birthday, and of course, I made him a special cake.

I took the kids to the store to get some decorations.  I wanted to specifically say 1st birthday, so I knew I was limited.  There were 2 for boys, one just blue, and one Sesame Street.  Sesame Street won.  Then I remembered that my friend made an Elmo cake for her daughter's birthday a couple of years ago, and sure enough she still had the directions and the cake pan.  I think it turned out pretty good.  For the cake, I used this recipe.  Now everyone is different when it comes to cakes, and I am not a huge cake fan (I said cake, not sweets people), but I thought this cake tasted amazing!  It's a little more dense than most cakes probably, but I thought it tasted awesome.  I did half organic whole wheat pastry flour and half organic unbleached white flour.  If you have to bake a cake anytime soon, I recommend this recipe. 

And here I am in hte kitchen cooking.  We had dinner at our house for the little guy's party.  I made hummus, homemade trail mix, spaghetti with 2 kinds of meatballs (one had meat and one did not), salad bar, garlic bread, and of course, the cake.  Dinner was a hit.  Everyone enjoyed it!

Everyone was not a fan of the party hats though.  I was lucky to get this one picture with my kids and their party hits (mine too of course).  I can't believe how big they are getting.

I wish I had pictures of the little guy eating his cake, but they wouldn't upload.  I will add them later if I can get it work.  Now Hope is a girly girl, and that has absolutely nothing to do with the way she is being raised.  She is all about skirts, dresses, princesses, and not getting sticky.  So one her first birthday, she was not into the whole cake in mouth thing.  It wasn't for her.  She didn't really even play with it.  Total bummer.  But my Aidan, he is a different story.  We gave him a whole eye of Elmo, so it was like his own individual cake.  He started out slow, but once he figured it it was a lot of yummy sugary stuff, he went crazy.  He had it all over his mouth, hands, it was . . . AWESOME!  I loved every minute of it.  I will never forget that moment. 

I then took the little guy into his 1 year appointment and he is weight is ok.  He is in the 7th percentile and still pretty picky about what he eats and how he eats it.  He only has 2 teeth still so I don't feel like I can give him much, but we are trying.  I am still nursing, but not as often and not in a rigid schedule like before.  He has had whole milk and had no problems with it.  I really struggle with what to give him.  He take organic whole milk with most meals and a little extra when I am not around, but he doesn't drink that much.  I nurse him anywhere between 2 and 4 times a day and then at night if he is waking up (he has been sick with an ear infection so I am currently nursing him when he wakes which is twice a night right now).  I am trying to be careful about soy with him because he is a boy, but the kid does like tofu. He hasn't had any meat, and doesn't like beans.  If there are any moms who have picky kids, tell me what you give them.  I refuse to have him eat chicken nuggets and mac and cheese every week.  We are doing what the ped recommends which is to just keep introducing the food over and over. 

Oh, and 4 days after the little guy's birthday, I celebrated my birthday.  The hubs did a great job for my birthday.  I felt very special.  And the cake I had was awesome!  It's a special place we get cakes for each other and they even come in vegan versions.

5 Things I am lovin' - 1/24/2012

Here is another installment of 5 Things I am lovin'. 

1.  Jillian Michaels

source

I got the option to try Jillian Michaels website for free for 4 weeks.  I have always loved her on The Biggest Loser, but I have never been a big weights person.  Also, with the holidays finally coming to an end, I noticed my eating habits were less than stellar.  So I signed up and it's been pretty good.  I am not following it exactly, because most of her meals are not vegetarian or vegan, but it gives me an idea of how I should do my meals.  I think I need more protein in them really.  I am following for a balanced oxidier, according to her quiz.  Like I said, I am not going crazy trying to make what she is recommending, but using it as a guide to how much I should be eating.  And I have been adding protein to most of my meals and snacks.  It helps for a while, but I am just not a big protein person so after a week, I just want some cereal.  :)  I am also doing some of the circuit training she recommends.  I know I can't do 4 days of circuit training (being that I am running 3-4 days a week training for the half), so I am trying to do as many days as I can.  I usually can't finish it but I do as much as I can.  It helps me get in 3 days of abs though, so that is good. 

2.  Detox Salad

source

I found this recipe over at Oh She Glows a while back and have made it several times now.  It was a great way to start the New Year off right.  It is a delicious, nutritious salad that is nice and light.  It's a great way to start off a meal.  I make a big batch and it lasts for a week.  No one else in my family really cares to even try it (I might be able to get the little lady to try it if she sees me drizzle maple syrup over it).  I used my new food processor to shred almost all of the ingredients, so it didn't take nearly as much time as before.  I made it a couple of weeks ago already and can't wait to do it again.  Yum!  Thanks Angela for finding this one. 

3.  Multigrain tortillas

I am in love with these right now.  They are low in calories, multrigran, but soft!  I always find the whole wheat tortillas are hard and don't bend as easily.  Not these, they are great.  I can't say enough good things about them.  Oh, did I mention, they aren't expensive either.  I find them at Kroger in the international foods isle.  Stock up people, they are delicious!

4.  My new shoes

I love it when fashion intersects with mom friendly.  I scored these boots as a Christmas present for myself via Christmas money.  I love the no heel so I can wear them out and still run after children, carry them, etc. without having to worry about anything.  I went with brown because I already have a lot of black boots and I scored a sweet deal on them as well. 

I decided to get 2 new pairs of running shoes, my tried and true Mizuno Wave Creations, but also a pair of Mizuno Wave Riders.  The wave riders are over an ounce lighter but are still somewhat supportive.  Both were on sale (got the older version of both), but the wave riders were only $60 which is what pushed me to try them.  I have been running in them for almost a month and really love them.  Of course no long runs in them, but I will probably save my long runs for the creations.  Now those puppies have some cushion.  I have not had any feet problems since using my Mizunos.

5.  NBC's The Firm

As I was looking for a great picture of this, I found out that it is likely to be cancelled.  :(  The hubs and I did not start watching it when it first came on, but we watched a couple of episodes over the weekend OnDemand.  I personally fell in love with it.  I wasn't expecting to like it so much, but I am hooked.  I am so sad that more people aren't watching it.  If you haven't seen it, give it a chance and watch one episode. 

What are you lovin' right now?

The great smoothie/salad experiment

My husband has always been an active guy, and because of that, he has not had to worry too much about what he eats and can stay at a healthy weight.  Well when I was pregnant with the little lady, I was put on modified bedrest and told to up my calories.  Because one of my 2 vices is ice cream, he made me sundaes and milkshakes nightly.  We both gained weight this way but I had a baby and lost mine, but he didn't have the luxury having a baby.  Right after that, he graduated with a PhD and got a new job.  He now works very long hours and doesn't have much time for exercise anymore (he doesn't like the idea of getting up early to workout either).  He also doesn't really like healthy foods.  He will eat a salad but would always prefer chips or fries. 

So he is a little frustrated to have these few extra pounds on him, and not being able to get them off is even more frustrating.  I was doing a little blog reading this weekend when I came across No Meat Athlete's post on "My 7 links."  The post he chose for "Most Helpful was one on smoothies. 

He starts off by describing that if you eat 2 healthy meals a day, you won't get fat.  Basically, he is saying that if you eat a healthy smoothie in the morning, then you will be more likely to have a healthy lunch, and if you have a healthy salad in the afternoons, you will set yourself up for a healthy dinner, because of how good you feel.  I agree with what he says, because I feel that when I have a healthy breakfast I will make healthier decisions later on. But I also like the idea of getting all your fruit and veggie requirements out of the way with 2 simple meals. Then the rest of my meals can be more of what I am feeling and not how can I include a fruit or veggie into your sandwich. And then any fruits or veggies I have during another meal is just a bonus.

So the Smoothie Formula . . .
Basically it's 1/2 frozen banana,
small handful of other fruit,
3/4 cup liquids,
1 T binder (pb, ground flaxseed, rolled oats, etc.), and
3/4 T oil (flaxseed, coconut oil, etc.).
Then you can add in other healthy super foods like spinach or cocoa nibs.

Then the idea is to have a nice big salad in the afternoon with tons of veggies, nuts, and some healthy oil.

So we are going to experiment with this over the next couple of weeks. But I need your help. I tend to get into a rut when it comes to food.

What are your favorite smoothie recipes?

What do you put in your salads right now?

How can we keep this experiment going?

So we are goi

Eating at work (Food log)

So it's been a while since I have shown you what it is that I am eating during the day.  This is a typical day when I have to go into the office (right now that is only one day a week). 

Breakfast

Here is my Green monster smoothie (coconut milk, frozen banana, almond butter, ground flaxseed, and kale) and my morning coffee (half-caf) with coconut milk in it.

Morning snack

A nectarine I took to a meeting.  I love summer fruits!!!

Lunch

The start of my water drinking for the day.  I aim to drink 3 of these bottles everyday.  For lunch, I had leftovers - bbq tempeh with green peppers and onions and quinoa.

And some watermelon for dessert.  Told you I like summer fruits.

Afternoon snack
(Not pictured, ate it before I got a pic)

Heaping 1/4 cup mixed nuts (roasted salted almonds and walnuts) with a couple of tablespoons of dried cranberries (raspberry flavored)

Dinner

Dinner on Wednesdays tends to be more leftover stuff in the fridge because I don't have much time to cook when I get home with 2 small children and a hubby that works until 8:30pm most nights.  So I had bought a zucchini, sun-dried tomato and feta quiche at the farmer's market on Tuesday (it was 1/2 off, so it was a steal of deal) that they make fresh there and use cage free eggs and organic dairy.  I had some of that along with some broccoli that I dipped in hummus.  And then we had leftover hashbrown casserole from a brunch so I had a few bites of that while I was getting hubby's dinner.

I didn't get my run in that day so my rule is no run, no dessert (that rarely works for me but that day it did).  :)  My totals for the day:

Calories:  1,712
Percent breakdown:  44% fat, 42% carbs, 14% protein

I am a little surprised that my fat was as high as it was.  I have been trying to eat more protein, but I have found it difficult, especially when I limit dairy and eat a veg diet.  I aim for 15% but I don't track my calories much anymore so I don't know how far off I am on a typical day. 

Any advice on other protein sources?  I don't tempeh or tofu more than once a week usually, so I need some other choices. 

Why I need run more

One word . . . Menchies.  This is a new froyo place near our house.  If you aren't familiar with Menchies, it's a self serve frozen yogurt bar.  They have approximately 10 different varieties of frozen yogurt and 30 or so different varieties of toppings.  They only have one size cup but they do have little cups to sample the yogurts before you decide on a flavor(s).  If you know me, then you know I am a huge dessert fan with ice cream/frozen yogurt being my favorite.  So I was in heaven when I learned about this place.  I love the crunch of the toppings and I love variety.  Since it's one size only, I decided to share with Hope so she got to influence the toppings we got, which made it interesting.  We decided on cake batter and peppermint patty yogurts (swirled) and then the toppings were all over the place.  Hope likes the colorful ones and I like the chocolate ones, so we had a lot of toppings (probably why our was so expensive).  It was a little busy when we were there so I didn't get a chance to really look at all of the toppings and pick accordingly, so I had to just feel my way through it.  But as the hot summer continues, I am already making up fro yo combinations that I will be trying.  This is why I will need to continue my running if I want to lose those last 5 lbs of baby weight. 

If you have one near you, I highly recommend it. 

A new purchase for me

I bought some extra virgin coconut oil yesterday when I was at the farmer's market.  I had been looking for it at both the grocery store and the farmer's market but hadn't seen it yet.  I saw it yesterday, so I grabbed some up.  I have seen a lot of information on coconut oil over the past several months as well as it coming up in a lot of recipes, so I thought I would give it a try. 

Benefits of Coconut Oil

The health benefits of coconut oil include

• Promoting heart health
• Promoting weight loss
• Supporting your immune system health
• Supporting a healthy metabolism
• Immediate energy source
• Helps with dry skin and hair

Coconut oil is about 92% saturated fat (OMG, no) and is solid at room temperature.  Research has shown that not all saturated fats are alike and that most of them are Medium Chain Triglycerides, which do not raise serum cholesterol or contribute to heart disease, but are in fact very healthy.  Coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, which is known for being anti-viral, antibacterial and anti-fungal.

Most oils are light and heat sensitive, meaning that they easily turn rancid if not kept in a cool, dark place. Coconut oil is highly stable and is much more resistant to heat than other oils, even olive oil. So it's great to cook with but supposedly also great to have raw.

What to do with coconut oil?

So now I have it, I don't have any specific recipes to use coconut oil.  How do you use coconut oil?  I will be scouring blogs for recipes, so if you have any good ones, please let me know.  Also, if you use coconut oil for things other than in recipes, I am all ears. 



A new lunchbox

So I make Adam's lunch 4 days a week (he goes out to lunch with some friends from work on Fridays). I felt like I was in a rut making lunches and needed some inspiration. So when I need inspiration, I hit the internet. I came across another blog. She also makes her husband lunches and she uses a bento box from Laptop Lunches. All of the products are BPA free and helps with portions. It will also reduce the amount of plastic baggies I use to pack lunches. I couldn't resist the urge to try them, so I bought the Bento 2.0 and a set of Bento Buddies (extra boxes with different sizes for more variety). The prices weren't bad. I got mine off Amazon so I could get free shipping.

Adam was very skeptical. He didn't think it was big enough for his lunch. He's a guy's guy when it comes to food. So I made sure his first lunch was a hearty one. :)

Here is Adam's first lunch with a bento box.

He had a salad with organic lettuce, organic carrots, and organic mild cheddar cheese with Newman's Own Light salad dressing, homemade trail mix, a pb&j wrap, edamame sprinkled with a little sea salt, and a granola bar.

I told him to try it out for a few months and if he didn't like it, then I would use it more on days that I work. I just thought it would help me with variety for him. I will try to post some more lunches of Adam's so you can see how I am doing on variety.

Ok, well Hope and I are off to Gymboree now. Have a good day.