Introspective Friday October 20, 2012

My favorite little guy (sporting his hockey shirt from Uncle E!)

Happy Friday! With my husband traveling this past week and Keenan’s puking episode, I am SO glad it is Friday! We don’t have too many plans this weekend, other than our usual trip to the farmer’s market, running a few errands and a birthday party. It will be nice to stay home, relax and spend some quality time together as a family. Since my husband was out of town last weekend, we are having our “at home date night” tonight and going with an “Antipasto” theme. We are making my cousin’s awesome eggplant rollatini (look for the recipe to come soon!), bruschetta with tuna, basil and lemon juice and one with tomatoes, basil and olive oil. We are going to enjoy it with a nice bottle of Sangiovese that we have been saving. In addition to catching-up on some TV shows that we missed during the week, we are also going to vote (we vote absentee). It should be a fun and interesting night! 🙂

Speaking of fun, this morning we met Drew’s parents for a Fall/pumpkin celebration at their friend’s ranch. They had pony rides, a little hay maze, a small petting zoo of bunnies, ducks, goats, sheep and cows, wagon rides and of course, an area to pick out a pumpkin, along with a station to decorate it. They even had face painting. Keenan LOVED the pony rides, in fact, he went twice, first riding on “Little Miss” and the second time, he rode on “Sugar.” He wasn’t too sure of the wagon ride at first, but after we were on it for a few minutes, he had fun! It was a nice morning!

Enjoying a pony ride with Grandma!

Decorating his pumpkin!

After the Fall/pumpkin celebration, we headed back to my in-law’s house for lunch and had ham sandwiches with spinach and avocado on some really good wheat bread. My mother-in-law made peanut butter cupcakes with peanut butter cream cheese frosting for dessert that were SOOOOO yummy! I was going to share my cupcake with Keenan, but after taking a bite, I wanted it all to myself! I burned a lot of calories at CrossFit today, doing a great team WOD and it’s Friday, so why not have a little splurge?!

Enjoying his cupcake!

Speaking of a little splurge, as I was getting ready this morning, I was reflecting back over the past ten days to see how I have done with “mixing things up”. Since I’m such a creature of routine, it has been hard, to say the least! But, I have to say, I didn’t do too bad. The first 5 days, we ate different breakfasts and lunches, trying some new recipes and creations.  This past week, we have eaten our “usual” three out of five days–not  bad, but not great, either. I’ve tried my best to not always talk about routine meals and going to CrossFit, but it wasn’t always easy to do. I definitely have some room for improvement! What I have realized in these past ten days is that I can still lead a healthy lifestyle, even if I don’t eat or do the same things day in and day out. It is good to change things up, including trying new foods or recipes, because you gain new favorites and also consume different vitamins and nutrients that you might not have gotten eating your “normal” foods. I have also realized that it is good to change things up with Keenan, in so far as doing different activities with him. But, at the same time, I have also learned that routines are what make me who I am and I won’t be able to let them go. I need to embrace them, try my best to change things up, all while keeping things fresh.

Well, it is time to start our “at home date night,” so have a good night!

Questions: Do you ever take some time to reflect on where you are in life or how you have gotten there? How do you move forward?

**REMINDER: There is still time to enter the Babes and Babies event and Go Raw giveaways! To enter a chance to win free tickets to the Babes and Babies event in San Francisco, click here! To enter a chance to win a box of goodies from Go Raw, click here!

Thirsty Thursday and Go Raw Giveaway!! October 18, 2012

Good Morning! Today is especially a good morning, because I have my latte in hand, but it isn’t my usual cup of joe, it is a Pumpkin Pie Latte! My mom came over this morning for a visit, so I am able to get some work done while she and Keenan play. It is one of the first mornings in a long time that I can slowly sip my coffee, check email and get some writing done; I love it! Here is the recipe for my easy and healthy way to enjoy a Pumpkin Pie latte at home:

Yummm…my favorite Fall latte!

Pumpkin Pie Latte:

Ingredients:

– 1 8 oz. cup of coffee made in a frenchh press or stove-top percolator

– 2 tsp Torani pumpkin pie sugar-free syrup

– 1/4 cup milk (any kind)

Directions:

1. Brew coffee as directed (I used my french press this morning).

2. Pour milk into a mug and add pumpkin syrup.

3. Microwave milk and syrup for 45 seconds.

4. Use Aerolatte milk frother (or other frother) to froth milk in the mug.

5. Pour coffee into milk and lightly mix. Enjoy!

*Notes: If you want more pumpkin spice flavor, add a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice on top of your latte!

The lineup for my latte.

Anyhow, today’s breakfast was the “usual,” because I didn’t want to do anything different after yesterday’s puking episode. It was pretty boring, but I rather be on the safe side!

My “usual,” another boring, but good breakfast!

A little while after breakfast, Keenan “cuddled” on the couch with all of his animals while watching “Sesame Street.”

Cuddling with his animals!

Yesterday, Keenan took a 3 hour nap and he was back to his usual self when he woke up. Since he got up past 4:00 p.m., we stayed home (instead of going to CrossFit), played with his legos, took the tape off of our pumpkins and rode his trike. It was a perfect afternoon. I also think it was good for my body to take a rest day. I’m looking forward to hitting today’s workout hard! Speaking of working out, we have a meeting this afternoon to talk about training for our upcoming competitions. I’m excited, but already getting nervous, especially for the individual competition in December, eek!

The paint didn’t stay on as well as I liked. Next time, we will have to use non-washable paint!

Now, about Go Raw:

Go Raw is a small family based business in Mountain View, California. Their foods are completely raw, dehydrated below 105 degrees and all handmade. Everything is organic, wheat and gluten free, kosher, nut free and have no added sugars, oils, cholesterol or GMOs. Their seeds are soaked, rinsed and sprouted before being dried. They have several products ranging from energy bars, cookies, crackers, granola, sprouted seeds and even chocolate!

A generous sampling of Go Raw’s products!

The generous folks at Go Raw kindly sent me a box of their products to try this past week and I couldn’t wait to open it! I’ve heard about their products for some time, so I was excited to give them a try. When the box arrived, my husband and I first tried their banana flax bar. It is loaded with flax seeds, bananas, coconut and dates. I liked the taste; it really tasted like banana bread! The texture was a little tough, but similar to a fruit leather. My husband liked it, too! Next, we tried the carrot cake super cookies (which are crunchy small rounds, like a cracker), and my husband loved them! He loves carrot cake and anything with nutmeg and clove. For me, the cookies were a little “spicy,” or had too much of a nutmeg flavor. A little while later, we also tried the chocolate super cookies and I have to say, these were our least favorite. They tasted more like carob than real cocoa. My husband thought they were okay, not the best, either.

Banana bread flax bar.

Carrot cake super cookies.

Chocolate super cookies.

The next day, we tried the spirulina super chips and these were my favorite cookie/chip! The flavor was great; they tasted like banana chips (which I love!). My husband agreed and thought that they were the best of the chips/cookies. We also opened the pizza flax snax and spicy flax snax chips and they both blew us away in flavor and texture. Both flavors were great and the texture was perfectly crunchy, like eating tortilla chips! In addition, we sampled the original live chocolate and the flavor was amazing, very rich chocolate, but the texture was a little too soft.

Spirulina super chips.

Pizza flax snax.

Live chocolate.

Yesterday, I sprinkled the original super cookies on top of my “usual breakfast,” and they were really good! They added the perfect crunchy topping and never got soggy.

Today, I opened the sprouted pumpkin seeds (sorry, I forgot to take a picture of them), because I’m thinking of adding them to a recipe I want to make tomorrow and to my homemade trail mix. I have to say, the seeds were amazing! The flavor was perfectly spicy and salty at the same time. They could be dangerous, because I could keep eating them! All, in all, I was very impressed with Go Raw’s products. Though, I am not a vegan, nor follow a raw foods diet, Go Raw offers some great alternatives for those following those diets, as well as anyone who just wants a healthy and wholesome snack!

Go Raw was so generous, that they offered to send one lucky reader a sampling of their goodies!!

To enter the giveaway, please follow the steps below:

1. Check out Go Raw’s website and leave a comment on this post stating which product you would like to try

Earn an extra entry by:

1. Like Fit ‘N’ Well Mommy’s Facebook page

2. Like Go Raw’s Facebook page

3. Follow Fit ‘N’ Well Mommy on Twitter: @FitNWellMommy

Post on YOUR Facebook page and/or Tweet, “I want to win some Go Raw products from Go Raw and Fit ‘N’ Well Mommy at http://www.fitnwellmommy.com.”

*Make sure to leave a second comment on this post with your Facebook post, Tweet or Like, in order for your extra entry to be counted!

The giveaway ends Monday, October 23rd at 8:00 p.m. PST. Good luck!! 🙂

 

Question: Are you a regular cup of joe kind of a person, or do you prefer an espresso drink, i.e. latte, cappuccino, mocha, etc? If you prefer an espresso drink, how do you like it?

 

**REMINDER: There is still time to enter the Babes and Babies event giveaway! To enter a chance to win free tickets to the exclusive shopping event in San Francisco, click here!

What I Ate Wednesday and Babes and Babies Event Giveaway!! October 17, 2012

It’s Wednesday again and time to link up with Jenn for What I Ate Wednesday!

This morning was rather rushed due to Keenan sleeping-in (which was nice!) and heading to his swim class. I was so glad that I made a batch of pumpkin almond flour muffins last week to keep in the freezer for quick breakfasts, because they definitely came in handy this morning! Keenan and I each had a muffin (his topped with pumpkin butter) and mine with raw walnut butter that Artisana sent me (stay tuned for a review and giveaway of their products coming soon!). We also had some slices of strawberries on the side. Since I wanted something a little more sweet, I added a little dab of pumpkin butter to my muffin, too! For some reason, Keenan took a long time to eat his breakfast and didn’t seem too interested. He asked to try my walnut butter, so I gave him a taste and then he immediately didn’t want to eat much more of his breakfast…

Still smiling while eating his breakfast!

My breakfast with walnut butter and a little pumpkin butter on top!

Raw Walnut Butter from Artisana.

Well, after swim class, we stopped at the library to check-out some books and when I went to get him out of his car seat, he puked all over himself and his seat three times! Poor little guy, he was scared and crying, not knowing what happened or why he threw-up. He kept saying, “mommy out, mommy bath!” I felt so bad for him. Since we were at the library, which is only a few minutes from our house, I told him we will take a bath as soon we get home. He just sat frozen in his car seat on the ride home, covered in puke, poor thing. As soon as we got home, I stripped him down and put him in the bath. Before I put him in the tub, I took his temperature and it was normal, so I’m not sure what caused his stomach to be upset. He seemed fine and his usual playful self during his swim class. I don’t know if it was the walnut butter, but I ate the same thing as him and I was fine. Anyhow, after his bath, he felt much better and was a little back to his normal self. He wanted to watch some “Elmo’s World,” so I put that on while I attempted to clean his car seat, ugh!

After I got Keenan’s seat out of the car, I took off the cover and straps and hosed everything down. I tossed the cover in the wash (which I didn’t know you could do!). I learn something new everyday! Once everything was cleaned (or at least washing), I made Keenan a light lunch of half a peanut butter, honey and banana sandwich with some applesauce. He definitely had his appetite back, because he ate everything in a matter of minutes! I, on the other hand, wasn’t super hungry after cleaning up puke! Once I put Keenan down for his nap, I made myself my “usual breakfast,” except with a peach and some Go Raw Original Super Cookies (stay tuned for a review and giveaway of Go Raw products coming soon!) crumbled on top. It was the only thing that sounded good to me and it hit the spot! I also enjoyed a latte, since I didn’t have a chance to make coffee this morning!

My “usual breakfast” for lunch, but with some Go Raw Super Cookies crumbled on top!

Once Keenan wakes up from his nap and depending on how he feels, we will head to CrossFit. If he has a bug, I don’t want to expose the other kids. So, we’ll see. Yesterday’s WOD was tough, doing 7 front squats (115 lbs for women), 12 toes-to-bar and 50 double unders for as many rounds as possible in 15 minutes. Since my 1 rep max clean is 120 lb, I did 105 lbs for the front squats, which was still tough! I did 3 rounds and 5 reps, not too bad. I was really tired yesterday, so I knew the WOD was going to be challenging. After my class, I stayed to help coach the beginners class. The beginners had a team WOD (3 people) of burpee box jumps, sumo deadlift high pulls and running 200 meters for as many reps as possible in 15 minutes. Since there was an odd number in the class, I did their workout, too (2 WODs within 2 hours!). Boy, was I pooped when I got home last night! With that being said, my body is tired today and my lower back and left arm are still sore. If I don’t make it to CrossFit today, I think it will be good for my body to rest and go back tomorrow.

Since my husband is out of town tonight for work, on the menu for me is a GIANT salad! I’m thinking of making an apple walnut salad with chicken and  feta cheese or “everything but the kitchen sink” salad. I’m excited to have a big bowl of salad all to myself! 🙂

Before I forget, the generous gals at Appel and Frank contacted me a couple of days ago about their upcoming event, Babes and Babies in San Francisco. They invited me to attend, but unfortunately, I’m not able to make it, due to our CrossFit team competition being held on the same day. It is an event for Moms and moms-to-be to enjoy a day of shopping and education in San Francisco on November 3rd from 9:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Patron Hall. There will be 65 designers and companies with lots of baby/toddler clothing, accessories, gear, toys and resources at discounted prices. Guest speakers will be talking about sleep training, diapering, cord blood registry and much more. Also, as an added bonus, gift bags will be given to the first 200 families that attend! In addition, there will be play areas, activities for kids and raffle prizes! It seems like a lot of fun and I sure wish I could be there!

If you would like to join in on the fun, Appel and Frank generously offered one lucky reader 2 free tickets!!

To enter the giveaway, please follow the steps below:

1. Leave a comment on this post stating why you would like to attend the event.

Earn an extra entry by:

1. Like Fit ‘N’ Well Mommy’s Facebook page

2. Follow Fit ‘N’ Well Mommy on Twitter: @FitNWellMommy

3. Like Appel and Frank’s Facebook page

Post on YOUR Facebook page or Tweet, “I want to win tickets to the Babes and Babies event from Appel and Frank and Fit ‘N’ Well Mommy at http://www.fitnwellmommy.com.”

*Make sure to leave a second comment on this post with your Facebook post, Tweet or Like, in order for your extra entry to be counted!

The giveaway ends Sunday, October 21st at noon PST! Good luck!

I have to include this picture of Keenan, as a fun note to end with (especially after today’s puking episode!).  He took this picture all by himself with my camera yesterday afternoon. My husband and I were laughing so hard when we saw this! Have a great afternoon!

Our little photographer!