Welcome to my monthly recap where I share my fitness and wellness updates. Overall I have still been able to stay super consistent with my workouts. My nutrition could have been better. Eating With school staring up I have found it a bit more challenging to make sure I am actually eating enough food throughout the day. Several mornings I have gotten in the car with all 4 kids on the way to school drop-offs only to realize I didn't actually eat anything for breakfast. For September I would really like to dial in my nutrition to make sure I am eating enough food. It is crazy what a change of schedule will do if you aren't planning ahead. Workouts I started my new training plan this month and didn't think I would love it as much as I am. For three months I am only going to be using kettlebells. For years this type of training didn't interest me at all and whenever I would use ketllebells I would always feel strained in my lower back. A little over a year ago Josh and I … [Read more...]
Piña Colada Smoothie
This healthy piña colada smoothie is a refreshing treat. With added protein and healthy fats this will keep you fueled and hydrated on a hot summer day. I have been making this smoothie on repeat over the last few weeks. It has quickly become a family favorite and is now the only smoothie that our kids are requesting. I made them the Tropical Green Smoothie the other day and they took one sip and said "we want the white one". We have been trying to buy more products unflavored lately and adding stevia to sweeten, which is what I used for this smoothie. If you have vanilla flavored protein you can easily use that instead. INGREDIENTS: 1 scoop unflavored protein8-10 drops vanilla flavored liquid stevia½ frozen banana1 cup frozen pineapple½ cup coconut water½ cup full-fat canned coconut milk1 cup ice DIRECTIONS: Add ingredient to blender and blend until smooth and creamy. (We have a Vitamix Blender and love it!) This recipe makes enough for … [Read more...]
3 Ways We Glorify God On The Car Ride To School
Between elementary school and preschool drop off last year I started to wonder if I could be making better use of my time in the car with the kids. A few months into the school year we began to implement these 3 things on the 15 minute car ride to the elementary school: singing, catechism, and prayer. With all 4 kids in the car it has become the perfect way to start the day for all us. SING We love singing together as a family and singing about God to glorify God is the best way to start our drive to school. Here are a few of our favorite albums that I highly recommend: Seeds Family Worship: Seeds has many albums that will help your entire family memorize scripture through song! This is a great resource!Sovereign Grace Music: Another great resource to speak God's Word into your family via song. We like the albums Walking in the Wise, The Ology, and To Be Like Jesus.Shai Linne: The album Jesus Kid is our current favorite. The song Gotta Know The Books helped our 6 and 4 year … [Read more...]
July 2019 Fitness/Wellness Update
I can't believe it is August! My older two kids are back in school and I miss them so much during the day but know they are having such a great time learning. In July I tried to focus on drinking 96 ounces of water each day. I had to pee so much. Yikes. I need to keep doing this because I feel so much better when I am hydrated. I am not really using the scale anymore because my clothes are fitting better and I just feel more confident in general but decided to check what my weight currently is. When I started documenting this monthly updates I was weighing in at 150 and by March I was down 135. I was doing lots of cardio and walking everyday. These last few months I haven't done cardio and have just been lifting weights and I am weighing in at 144. It just goes to show muscle weighs more than fat. Eating I am still eating lots of salads and because it has been so hot here I am using my Instant Pot to cook the majority of our meals. Our kitchen and living room … [Read more...]
June 2019 Fitness/Wellness Update
I have been sharing these updates in order to motivate myself to eat better and exercise more consistently in 2019. In case you missed the other posts in this series here are February, March, April and May. Taking these pictures each month is not something I look forward to doing. I feel so silly standing in front of my mirror with my camera. But I am so glad that I have this documentation because it is great motivation to see how far I have come since January. My wavy and high volume hair is thanks to chlorine and dutch braids. We recently purchased an above ground pool for our backyard and have been spending time in it everyday. It has been the best $100 purchase! If you are on the fence of getting one do it. It is so nice to be able to step out in our backyard instead of loading all 4 kids in the car to go to the public pool. Eating I have been eating lots of salad. Be sure to check out my mom's Asian Chicken Salad recipe if you haven't already, it is a winner. … [Read more...]
Egg Free Banana Muffins
I have been making these egg free banana muffins on repeat over the last several months. This is the best banana muffin recipe. Even if I was able to consume eggs without having horrible skin reactions this would still be my go to recipe for muffins. These are quick and easy to make. It should take you 30 minutes from when you start this recipe to when you are taking them out of the oven. My kids love them too and that also makes it a winner. Be prepared to use a large mixing bowl. This recipe makes a lot of muffins. I usually get 18 large muffins out of this recipe. I fill the tins to just below the top and put a 12 and 6 count muffin pan in the oven at the same time when baking. Ingredients 2 cups mashed ripe bananas3 cups flour1/2 cup white sugar1/4 cup brown sugar2 teaspoons baking powder1 teaspoon baking soda2 teaspoons cinnamon1/2 cup butter1 cup milk Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mash bananas in large bowl and add in the rest of the ingredients. … [Read more...]
