Oh, what a busy weekend! October 22, 2012

I can’t believe it is already Monday. I need one more day to rest and get things done, since we were so busy this weekend. Did anyone else feel that way? Either way, we had a good weekend, spending some time as a family, running our usual errands, including a trip to our farmer’s market and Costco, as well as seeing some friends.

On Friday and Saturday nights, my husband and I enjoyed our “at home date nights.” On Friday, we made a yummy antipasti dinner of eggplant rollatini and bruschetta (using some ciabatta bread we had in our freezer) with tuna. To top if off, we also enjoyed a nice bottle of wine. We ended up just talking and not watching any of our TV shows, as planned. It was a nice evening!

The eggplant rollatini recipe is from my cousin who lives in Tuscany. When my husband and I traveled to Italy the summer before Keenan was born, we stayed with my cousin Tony, and his wife, Vanda, for a couple of days. While we stayed with them, Vanda made us some AMAZING dishes, one of which was her eggplant rollatini that she served as part of her antipasti the first night. It was SO good, we knew we had to try and replicate it at home (which comes close, but it is not the same). Just thinking about her cooking is making my mouth water! Here is the recipe:

Eggplant Rollatini: (serves 4-6)

– 2 large eggplants

– 1 package ricotta cheese

– 1 large handful of fresh basil (finely chopped)

– salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Slice eggplants in very thin slices, using a mandolin kitchen slicer (if you have one).

2. In a nonstick pan, cook the slices of eggplant, for 2-3 minutes on each side or until browned. Let cool.

3. Meanwhile, mix ricotta cheese, basil, salt and pepper together.

4. Once the eggplants are cool, put a dollop of the ricotta mixture in the center of the eggplant and roll.

5. Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving. Serve as an appetizer or a part of your meal!

*Notes: If you are in a hurry, you can skip the refrigeration step and serve the eggplant rollatini immediately. When chilled in the fridge, the flavors have a chance to blend together and the ricotta sets.

On Saturday morning, I made a new creation for part of our breakfast, a baked paleo pancake. We each enjoyed a square of the pancake topped with pumpkin butter, along with my husband’s “cheesy eggs!”  The pancake turned out pretty good, though a little dense, but the flavor was great. For my pancake recipe, see below:

Prior to being baked.

Baked Paleo Pancake: (serves 3-4)

Ingredients:

– 1/2 cup almond flour

– 1 banana (mashed)

– 2 eggs

– 2 Tbsp any milk

– 2 Tbsp flaxseed (ground)

– 1 tsp vanilla

– 1 tsp cinnamon

– 1 tsp honey

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prep an 8×8 pan with cooking spray.

2. Mix all ingredients together and pour into pan.

3. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until slightly brown.

*Notes: cut into squares and serve with coconut butter, pumpkin butter, nut butter, maple syrup or honey.

Fresh out of the oven!

For Saturday night, we started off our evening with a wonderful goat Gouda cheese that we picked up at Costco, with some Fiber Gourmet crackers (look for a review and giveaway coming soon!), and a nice bottle of wine. Since I had some broccoli that needed to be used up, we roasted it with cherry tomatoes and a red onion, topping it with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and a sprinkle of feta cheese. It was delish! Since we ate so much of the Gouda cheese, we didn’t feel we needed any other protein. Since we didn’t watch anything the night before, we had a TV marathon and got caught up on all of our shows that we missed last week. “Parenthood” had me in tears and “Revenge” is getting SO good!

Wine and cheese, the perfect pair!

On Sunday, we enjoyed a nice breakfast of french toast (using the leftover ciabatta bread from Saturday night), thanks to my husband! Of course, we had pumpkin lattes to go with it! After breakfast, we headed to a local CrossFit competition in Elk Grove, the WarriorZ Throwdown, to watch our coach compete. Some of the top CrossFit athletes from Northern California competed, so it was really inspiring to watch!!

After the CrossFit competition, we headed to our neighbor’s son’s birthday party (he turned 1). Keenan was SO tired, because he didn’t have a nap yesterday, so he was wired at the party. He enjoyed playing in the bonce house and having his fill of sugar! The theme of the party was from the book, “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” and they had cake pops in the shape of a caterpillar; it was really cute! I have to say that the cake pops were some of the best that I have ever eaten; they were SUPER moist and very chocolatey! Keenan devoured his in seconds and my husband and I shared one. I could have had another one all by myself, because they were so good! 🙂

Today, has been another busy Monday with Keenan’s music class and finishing up some things around the house that I didn’t get to over the weekend. I also made a batch of Italian Carrots for Keenan, since he was all out of his cooked carrots. Since he still can’t eat raw carrots (I thought he could a while back, but when he had them over the weekend, he just spit them out, since they were too hard for him to chew), I like to keep some cooked ones in the freezer for easy additions to his meals. I just microwave a few carrots for 20-30 seconds and they are ready for him to eat, so easy! Here is the recipe, if you are interested in making some for your toddler, or if you just prefer cooked carrots:

So good, I like eating them, too!

Italian Carrots: (serves 6-8)

– 1 bag baby carrots

– 1 tsp butter

– tsp Italian seasoning

– 1/2 tsp pepper

– 2 tsp Parmesan cheese (grated)

Directions:

1. Steam carrots until tender with a fork.

2. Toss carrots with all ingredients in a large bowl and mix until all are well coated.

3. Either eat the carrots freshly cooked, or store in a zip-lock bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, heat as many carrots as desired in a microwave-safe dish for 25-35 seconds.

*Notes: When re-heating carrots, you might want to microwave for 20-25 seconds at first, to check to see if thoroughly heated, since all microwaves are different.

Well, Keenan should be waking up soon, so it’s time to get ready for CrossFit. I’m helping out with the beginner’s class tonight, so that should be fun! They are a great group of people! On the menu for dinner is a roasted beet salad with goat cheese and pine nuts! I haven’t roasted beets before, but I love ordering a roasted beet salad in restaurants, so I’m excited to try it out. I’ll keep you posted!

Questions: How was your weekend? Did you do anything fun? Did you make or try any new foods/dishes? If so, what new foods/dishes did you try?

**REMINDER: There is still time to enter a chance to win a box of goodies from Go Raw! Contest ends tonight at 8 p.m. PST!! To enter, click here.

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!