2018 in a wrap

This year marks 13 years of marriage with my husband but we had a lot of firsts this year:

This was our first year in Arizona.

We had our quietest New Year's Eve ever (I know that technicaly wasn't this year...).

I had my warmest birthday ever and enjoyed my birthday dinner outside for the first time!

We got to enjoy Spring training of our favorite baseball team with autographs and photos (selfie with the GM!) to boot!

Christian and I ran our first race (5k) together.

We both placed for the first time. 

Went to Sedona and Flagstaff for the first time- beautiful.

Summer we stayed cool at the pool and the children became little fish.

Joy conquered the high dive.

Isaac finally became proficient at swimming, ventured to the diving board and then strutted his stuff on the high dive as well!

Jordan became quite a swimmer but his fear of heights kept him from the boards and slide.

Eden is starting to grow a mermaid's tail but needs some more practice. She, for the first time, enthusiastically plunges her face below water. 

Maggie is coming along and I'm sure will do great things.

Our growth at the pool came in handy for our family's first beach camping.

These kids can be so adventurous and new things did not hold them back.

They boogie boarded for the first time and did great!

First time to the Hoover Dam.
Made sushi for the first time ever!

We traded in the side by side for bikes for the family and everyone took to it! Both Jordan and even Eden ride well without any training wheels. Maggie enjoys sitting in the trailer still.

This fall we were blessed to go and visit family back home. 

Most of our family were meeting Maggie for the first time!

We returned home just in time for me to run in my first Marathon! What an experience.

We had a stellar year and I'm excited to see what 2019 has in store for our family.

Best workout's for FREE

I mentioned in my last post that I love the free support we can get right in the palm of our hands (literally!). So here's my go to list:
*Most of these links take you to a video- I'm technologically challenged and it was easier this way.

Blogilates
Pilates at it's best
-She has such a fun personality. She has a workout calendar you can get for free on her blog-sign up for the emails.
-On her YouTube page, go to the "Playlist" section and you can find the workouts for that day and they will all just play in a row for you.
-She has great, FUN workouts ranging from 3 min to an hour long. I never thought I'd love Pilates so much but it is great for you- really works your core AND the leg workouts are very beneficial for runners.

30 Day Fat Burn Challenge
High Intensity Workouts
-These are all just 10 min workouts, the most equipment you'll need is some lightweight dumbells but soup cans or water bottles could work too.
-There is a calendar to follow but you're best off to google search the image otherwise I think you'll have to pay for it.

Fitness Blender
-This is a real great asset. Their library is VAST!
-Cute husband and wife duo! They both do videos and while they're very well done they're not lively, so I don't end up using them much.

Yoga-
I'm picky when it comes to yoga but here are three that I've enjoyed:
Ali - usually 30-60 min and a good mix of intensity.
Erin- very professional and a decent workout with some good balance challenges.
Adrienne- she is so laid back. She has some great technical stuff and a few heart pounding videos.
*My favorite yoga is vinyasa "power" yoga that is challenging with some holds but quick pace overall and lots of vinyasas. I hope this is a good starting point for you.

Don't forget your phone apps!
Youtube is not the only place to get great, free workouts. I have been using "Be Fit 21" for the last few months and I love it! I have modified most of the movements to be compound (adding in arms with legs for every movement to be most effective).  There's a long list but I've been so happy I haven't really looked much farther. If you feel like you need more guidance and don't know a move- google it!

I love using My Fitness Pal and Under Armour Record App

You also don't have to do a "workout" to excercise. Go swimming, take the kids to the park and play with them, family bike rides, family walks. Make your life one day better- as a family.

What's your favorite at home workout?

Here's my favorite workout spot.

Are you Kidding me!?

Getting your workout when you have young children? Just easier to wait until they're grown. Or not.
I've worked out at home for the majority of my 10 childbearing years. It wasn't until I was pregnant with number 5 that I started going to some classes at a gym.

What did I do at home? Anything!
My favorite thing is videos. Videos take the least amount of planning or thinking. Before, this would take an investment but now all this means finding your favorite YouTube channel or free app on the phone. I'm all about free. What do I do for workouts? I'll get back with you on that.

It's not all or nothing.
Just because you can't get a  30-60min sweat session in doesn't mean you can't get anything in. I have a few youtube favorites ranging from 3-10 min and then I have longer ones as well. How often do you waste 3 min? Checking facebook? picking your nose. daydreaming about vacation? You could have been doing a fantastic squat challenge and making your booty vacation ready!

For the most part, you make time for what's important to you. You make time to eat and go to the bathroom (yes, those are necessary) but what else do you make time for?
Get up just few minutes early. Get in 10 minutes while you wait for your coffee or bacon.

Squat while you watch tv.
With technology at our fingertips it makes getting fit that much easier-or harder, whatever you choose.  Yes, I'm desperate to relax at the end of the day, but I sleep much better if my body is burning. I love using my phone to watch workout videos while watching tv with my daughter.  I think it's a good example to her that I don't need to sit and veg in the evening and that there's always a way to get a work out in. Multi-tasking at it's best.

When??
Early morning or late night not an option?
Naptime is my next go to but if that is not happening then I make it happen. They (the kids) figure it out. I typically have two rules when I'm working out: don't talk to me,and give me space. Those two rules are pretty hard to follow but striving for them helps. I usually end up with four talking and crawling on me.

If you cannot get alone to get your workout in THATS OKAY!
Having our children along is a good thing.  My tips:
-Give them their own space. You don't have to buy a yoga mat for everyone, just set out a towel or say "Spread out an arm's length."
-Make it optional. "Yes, you can workout with me but no talking."

Routine is the best way to make sure you get a workout in. My best success before I started going to the gym was to get the kids down to bed and then do a workout. It really works out well for me.
I've done it all. You just have to see what works out best for you and stick to it.
You're kids can make it without you for a while. You don't need to entertain them all the time.

Truth be told, you don't need to workout for hours. You need a good, heart pumping 10 minutes  where you think you might die and that will make all the difference in the world. If you can get anything else in, that's great! I LOVE when I can get some pilates in but my must do is my HiIT at least three times a week and three runs a week (two speed training and one longish run).  Everyone's life and day and goals are different. We're just looking to make each day better by being a healthier person. One day stronger, one day better.

What's your biggest challenge getting your workout in?

I was doing some ab workouts while talking to my daughter, the younger two decided to join!

I was on borrowed time. I worked out too long during naptime. She woke up and found me.

I wasn't even trying to workout, just scrub the floors!

Family walks, hikes and rides are the best way to get workouts in as a family!

Sushi Saturdays

Sushi Saturdays!!

My husband and I tried sushi and really fell in love! We couldn't get enough! We were wanting to go out every weekend! Even though we were going to the small, cheap places at happy hour, it would add up fast if we continued in this fashion. I kept wanting to learn to make it but my husband wasn't sold on the idea. I showed him a tutorial on YouTube and how simple it looked-he came around. I ordered a kit on amazon which came with a bamboo mat, chopsticks, rice spoon and spreader (?). I started collecting all the food supplies and decided to just give it a whirl.

Important supplies for sushi,
Bamboo mat
Nori/seaweed
Sushi Rice
Rice Vinegar
Choice fish (we get frozen tuna, this time we tried tempura shrimp from the freezer section)
Choice veggie (we always do cucumber and avocado-the only time my man likes avocado)
Soy sauce
Wasabi if you like it

*This time we also tried some crunchy onions on top! Still has to be better for you than the deep fried ones. There are gluten free options of those as well.
*Depending on what you want, we like the chili sauce for the spicy tuna
*We LOVE sriracha and spicy mayo

The sushi rice we bought has the sushi recipe and instructions on the bag.
We really like the spicy tuna and Alaska roll, so tuna is a great buy for us. When you cook tuna, you usually cook it pretty rare, so I figure the quality has to be pretty good across the board. That said, we buy the Sam's Choice frozen tuna filets from Walmart. One serving makes four rolls. I like to do two plain and two spicy. This time around my husband had a brilliant idea to look for some tempura shrimp. We were going to get some from Panda Express but it was to big and wrong batter. We checked the freezer section and there was a perfect option! I ended up using two shrimps per roll but that meant I could make six rolls per box and the box cost less than $8. Compare that to what you pay per roll at the store and it's a steal!  I just fried them up and let them cool a bit.


My biggest tip is to make the rice ahead of time and allow it to cool. I have a hard time thinking ahead some times!

Sake! We had started getting the sushi carry-out and buying a bottle of sake at the grocery store. It didn't feel right without the right drinkware, so I found a set on ebay. World Market does carry some but I didn't like my options.
Next, the sake: we had been picking up the cheapest bottle at the store, Walmart, Fry's, World Market- they all carry it. We found the BEST deal at Total Wine where we can get a double bottle for a dollar more, and it's better tasting. DEAL!
I heat the sake to 160 degrees and put it in a carafe until ready to serve. I just have to figure out how to make the sushi faster so Christian doesn't drink it all before the rolls are ready for it!

This last Saturday we decided to let you guys in on our action and did a time lapse video for you.

I love finding our favorite out food and making it at home. It helps me grow my culinary experience and save us some serious money.

We fed the kids while I made our sushi and we had a nice quiet(ish) dinner alone (kind of).

Let me know what your favorite sushi roll is!

***NOT all the attempts are picture perfect. Just roll with it!

 Keep Trying and enjoy!

DIY Dips and Dressings Healthified Recipes

It's summer and there's chips and dips and veggie trays and salads everywhere we turn, and oh so many parties! So if your looking to keep on track with your diet or to impress your guests, these dip recipes will do both!

Red Pepper Dip
We lived in Texas for a few years and I grew to be obsessed with red pepper flakes. Obsessed I tell you! It continues to this day. I will put red pepper flakes on almost anything. I have pictures to prove it (of course).  While there I also came across this seasoning mix that was supposed to be mixed with sour cream and mayo, 1:1 ratio. I love mayo but I know in it manufactured form it is not good for us, so I started using less and less until I finally just used sour cream. Now I try to encourage gut health whenever possible so I regularly use a full fat, plain yogurt instead of sour cream. It works in everything except cooking (like my poblano chicken recipe).  And that, my friend, is how this recipe was born. Marrying my love of red pepper flakes, cumin and yogurt. This is awesome with tortilla chips, tacos, salads, eggs, veggies, I'm getting hungry.

All these measurements are to taste in reality, but don't be scared with the heat, it's being mixed in a dairy product so all is good. :)

2 cups yogurt
1 Tblsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
*Here I added Tumeric for the health of it but that's all.

Salsa
Who doesn't love a great salsa that can be ready in 10 minutes or less?
I searched for years to copy Chili's salsa. This recipe is better!
My tweaks are:
garlic powder instead of garlic salt
add salt according to the salt of the garlic salt in addition to salt called for in the recipe
fresh jalopeños,seeded
a healthy amount of cilantro

From Six Sisters:

• 2 cans (14.5 oz each) whole tomatoes, drained
• 3-4 canned, whole jalapenos (not pickled)
• 1 yellow onion, quartered
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons lime juice

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place all of the ingredients together into a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Serve with tortilla chips.

Mix the ingredients together and you got yourself a crow-pleaser! BUT the secret to the best results will come if you make this ahead and refrigerate it. The longer it sits the spicier it gets.

Healthy Honey Mustard
On the sweeter side of things is this yummy, smokey, honey mustard. I had this for the first time at a friends house to dip pigs-in-a-blanket in but I use it for so many things now. I love it on salad-I love almost everything on fresh greens-but once again it really goes well with so much: hotdogs, corndogs, ham, veggies, sandwiches etc

This time I usually add just a smidge of olive oil mayo for a thicker consistency but you choose what's most important to you.

1 Cup of plain, full fat yogurt
2 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp honey
1 Tblsp mustard
fresh ground salt and pepper to taste

Gluten Free Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins Recipe - and they're DELICIOUS

We're not strict gluten free people. Maybe that's silly. It is what it is. We try to follow what we think is best for our bodies and health goals most of the time. I probably give in more than my husband. SHhh!

Cutting flour has helped curb some inflammation and digestion issues. It's a good change! But I LOVE to bake. I had to find a way to have some yummy treats without caving on our goals all the time-especially on the weekends. To my excitement I have found that if I mix in a good amount of starch with the gluten free flours and add an extra egg, the texture has been perfect! I started with Martha Stewart's recipe and tweaked it just a bit.

Here's what I did:

2 cups Great Value all purpose gluten free baking mix flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 lemons zested
1 tsp salt
1 3/4 tsp baking powder

juice of 2 juicy lemons aiming for 1/4 cup
3 eggs
1 stick of butter melted and cooled
1/4 cup yogurt

3 Tblsp poppy seeds


Pre-heat oven to 350F
Mix your dry ingredients. I like to mix my zest in with my dry mix. Then mix your wet, being sure to beat those eggs. Then fold the mixture together. I was in a rush and didn't feel like using my mixer, but had I used it and beat the eggs better they may have turned out better- if possible! If you feel like your dough is just too dry you can add a bit of milk.
I used an ice cream scoop to get the batter. I use the bigger scoop for the traditional size and my tiny scoop for a pan of mini muffins. I got 24 mini muffins and 6 big muffins. Perfect.
I sprinkled the top with a bit of granulated sugar and poppy seeds. We're really trying to be reasonable with our eating so I refrained from a lemon glaze. I won one battle!
I actually did a pan of 24 mini muffins because if I failed in the texture and they were gritty or fell apart then it's a lot less noticeable in smaller bites verses a big bite out of a big muffin. It was an unnecessary move though because the texture turned out great.

I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

Let me know what you think.

*Bonus tip*

I veered away from making poppy seed recipes from scratch for a while because poppy seeds can be expensive and they're not used often, but I was able to find this big container at the grocery store and it was so affordable. Looking for your spices and add ins in this way can save you some dough! Punn intended.

Make Ahead Meal Prep

There's too much to say on food prep. No matter what your reason is for needing some meals ready and on hand (who doesn't love having something ready to warm and eat!?) here's my experience to share with you. *I've had five babies that I've done prep for as well as for vacations, surgeries, just to have on hand...etc I've never been upset to have a meal ready to go to make an meal easier.

It doesn't have to be 30 frozen baggies for the slow cooker!

I have to mention that I have one of the pickiest husbands ever (though he's getting better easier to please!) and he didn't want to have a dinner that tasted like "leftovers." I personally do not like most crock pot meals. Most meat cooked in a slowcooker tends to be dry and tasteless-I do have a few exceptions.

When I think of meal prep I think of what we like to eat, how does it freeze and how do the leftovers tend to do (does it do well warmed up). There's the typical go to recipes: lasagna, enchiladas, soup...but we live in a warm climate now- what to do when I don't want to heat up the oven?? More on that in a moment.

You have to do what works for you! What do you normally eat for dinner? Keep it simple. Bread freezes easy. Cheese and proteins freeze easy and so do *cooked* vegetables. NO, you cannot freeze a salad!!!YUCK. Think of walking down the freezer section and the things that you see? Now make it your way and it can be as healthy or indulgent as you want! And more than likely it will be better for you as well as cheaper.
-Don't limit yourself to casseroles.
-Don't limit your list to dinner!
-Have snacks, BREAKFAST, *DESSERT* and maybe lunch items handy.

-Make sure you have pantry items necessary to complete your meal on hand.

I put as many meals together completely as possible. Sometimes I'll need to add a salad or chips or something of the likes. I like to have them in foil 9x13 pans so they stack nicely. I write cooking directions on the top and sides as to what it is. These can also be defrosted and will fit nicely, with a little force, into the slow cooker.

Rectangular Crock Pot- there are lots of options. The problem I have is that the 9x13 pans don't fit perfectly in them. They have to be defrosted and given a little encouragement to get in there. But then I don't have to warm up the oven or go out to grill!

My list:

Breakfast:

Pancakes-cooked*
Breakfast casseroles*
Quiche Muffins*
Muffins- baked already*
Breakfast cookies*
Waffles (if you have a large enough freezer space)*
Breakfast burritoes
Breakfast sandwhiches
Breakfast Tacos*

Lunch Items to have handy:
Lunch meat
Pantry stable meats like summer sausage...
Cheese Sticks
Crackers*
Dried Fruits
Canned Fruits
Quesadillas -already cooked
Canned soups
Hotdogs
Any dinner items packed individually- I love soup that I freeze in smaller amounts!

Dinner:
  This list could go on forever! Build your meal! I think Protein, Veg, Carb. You can do it how you like it. I try to put them all in 9x13 foil pan so they're ready to put in the oven or the rectangular Crock Pot

Grilled Mexican Chicken, Rice and Beans (serve with salad)
Grilled Chicken leg quarters, brussle sprouts, potatoes
Chicken pot pie
Chicken Pizza (chicken breasts trimmed and pounded thin and topped like your favorite pizza)
Pizza
Chicken Stirfry
Enchiladas
Taco Meat ready for taco salad, tacos, burritos...
Green Enchiladas
Tamales
Brats on hand ready to grill
Raw chicken in a baggie with marineed and seasoning
Grilled Greek chicken with "Greek" seasoned potatoes- serve with salad
Pulled chicken or pork for sandwiches/salads
Burgers seasoned and formed, separated by wax paper


In the picture below is a recent freezer packing I did. On the bottom of the stack is a package of thin, raw, steaks.

*Gluten Free Options are possible

But DO NOT forget balls of cookie dough. Use your ice cream scoop, place dough on a sheet pan, freeze and throw them in baggies. DO NOT pre-cook your cookies! Fresh baked are best. **GF if you your wish. :)

Final step is to make a list and keep it on fridge so that you or anyone helping knows what's on hand!

*Don't forget, this is great to do for camping! The frozen meal is ready to warm and helps keep things in the cooler cold! Win win.

Let me know your favorite freezer meal!