First Playdate and the Loss of My Nutella Virginity

We had so much fun today! I kicked it off with P90X Chest and Back. I have to admit this is my least favorite workout...so many pull-ups and push-ups! But I owned it today and increased my numbers with several of the exercises!

Next, I got the big girls off to school. Daughter #2 is doing some testing this week, and I volunteered to send a snack. I found these on Pinterest and put them together last night. How cute are they?!?

After I got the girls out the door, I grabbed a shower and some breakfast before taking the boy to preschool. Baby girl was super excited because after the preschool drop-off, she got to have her first ever playdate!

I know, I know. She should have had a few playdates by now, but here's the thing: she's the youngest of four. Things are crazy. AND all my friends stopped having babies before I did. Well, except Whitney, but she went and had a boy so that doesn't help me much.

So we were very excited when we recently got to know some of our neighbors who have a 3-year-old girl too! If you follow me on Facebook, you might remember my post last week about my friend, Karen. She and her husband recently started doing P90X, and she let me know that her husband's cholesterol has dropped 50 points since they started!!!

Anyway, Karen and her sweet daughter came over today so the girls could play. Here are the princesses.

Please note: these two girls were born about a month apart. Look how much hair Karen's daughter has compared to baby girl!!! 

Karen also brought a gift.

That's right, folks. I was a Nutella virgin. So I popped open this jar shortly after Karen left. I had been told it was good with graham crackers.

Let me tell you, it did not disappoint! So. Good. Baby girl loved it too.

See the way she's attacking that Nutella-covered graham cracker? As though I haven't fed her in days? That's right...she's definitely my kid.

Thank you, Karen for a fun playdate! And for giving me a new addiction to feed. For those of you that play the stock market, now might be a good time to invest in Nutella.

Question of the Day:

What's your favorite way to eat Nutella?

Weigh In and Train Ride

Happy Friday! The weekend has arrived! I got my Friday started with the Asylum Volume 1 Strength workout. I love it because it's a combination of cardio and strength exercises. It really gets my heart pumping, and I was dripping in sweat by the time we finished.

If you follow me on Facebook, you may have seen me report that our bathroom scale had broken. I generally weigh myself pretty regularly. I try not to be obsessive about it because weight can fluctuate by several pounds, but I do use it as a tool to help keep me accountable. 

Yesterday I bought a new scale. Today was the first chance I'd had to use it. Because I would never weigh myself at any time of day other than first thing in the morning. And I would never weigh myself wearing anything other than my birthday suit. I'm pretty sure it's all part of the unspoken female code of weighing.

I am happy to report that my first time on the scale showed that nothing had changed substantially in the 2 weeks since I'd last weighed. In my mind, I just knew I'd jump on and discover I'd gained 10 lbs., but there were no big surprises.

I did, however, discover that my new scale will remember my weight for me and tell me how many pounds I've gone up or down the next time I step on. I'm not sure how I feel about that.... 

I followed my big weigh-in with a shower, and then grabbed a banana for breakfast as I headed out the door for a field trip with the boy. We were going to a local train station today to ride the train. 

Here's the boy waiting to ride the train. Baby girl came, too.

More waiting with his besties.

Finally, we got to ride!

The boy loved it!

So did baby girl.

After the train ride, we had a picnic. Then we headed home and played outside for most of the afternoon. I drank my Shakeology for an afternoon snack. I needed something that would hold me over while I took the oldest to a birthday party. It did the trick!

We plan to spend the rest of the weekend shuffling the kids around to their respective extracurriculars. And hopefully we'll squeeze in a little relaxation as well! Have a great weekend!!!

Question of the Day:

When do you weigh?

Weekend Recap and May Madness!

This weekend had a slower pace than expected. Due to heavy rains here on Friday, we didn't have a soccer game, and the baseball game was postponed by a couple of hours giving us most of the day Saturday to spend at home.

Daughter #2 really wanted to workout with me on Saturday morning. I was doing Insanity Max Cardio Conditioning AND Cardio Abs. The two workouts combined are well over an hour. But she toughed it out like she always does. Although she didn't always seem happy about it.

And just in case I haven't already given you enough reasons to be thankful I don't workout next to you at the gym, here's me and my offspring:

You're welcome.

After our workout, we finally took the many boxes we collected over spring break for donation. And then Jeff picked up some mulch to work on our flower beds. 

While he worked outside, I was busy inside prepping some food for a church luncheon. I made my brownies with that incredible icing. I only make these when there are going to be others available to help me eat them. Otherwise, I'd eat the whole pan! I also prepared a lasagna.

After the boy's baseball game later in the afternoon, we came home and grilled some burgers (mine was a veggie burger) then did baths and bed. I tried really hard to stay up and watch the last episode of Project Runway, but I fell asleep during the judges' critiques. I will finish where I left off tonight. I know you can all tell by my own styling that I'm practically a fashion expert.

Don't ask.

Today we went to church and the luncheon. Then we came home for "quiet time." We make all the kids take some time (usually by themselves) on Sunday afternoon. They can read, nap or just play quietly in their rooms. It's nice to have some time set aside to slow things down.

If you're a follower of my Facebook page, you may have noticed that I'm going to be doing a challenge next month. This is going to be so much fun; I'd love for you to join us! It's called May Madness. You can find the event on Facebook here.

I am going to organize the participants into groups of 2 or more, depending on how many people sign up. Once it's almost time for the challenge to begin, I'll form a private group on Facebook so everyone's posts will be private and won't be visible to anyone except those in the group. Each participant can earn points by posting in the group. There is a limit of 2 posts for points (PFP) each day. Here's how the points will work:

*Workout Complete Check-In (just post what kind of workout you did): 1 point
*Motivation-related picture, quote, video, etc.: 2 points
*Sweaty Pic (right after your workout – Don’t be shy- This is a Judge-Free Zone!): 4 points
*Muscle shot (biceps, back, abs, etc. And, no, it doesn't have to look great; any muscle...even if you can't see it well YET... does count): 5 points
*Video of your workout (This can be as short as 15 seconds, and you don't have to have your whole body in the video. It can be as simple as a video of your feet while you're taking a walk.): 6 points
*Refer a friend or family member to my page AND they sign up for a FREE Beachbody account here: 6 points (BE SURE TO LET ME KNOW)
*Sign up to be a coach with a challenge pack purchase (waiving initial coach fee): 8 points

***Occasionally, I will offer bonus points randomly. These points can be earned in addition to your 2 PFP each day!***

Your workouts can be any type of exercise you would like; no purchase is necessary. You also do not have to workout with your team member(s), but your points will be added together so you'll want to encourage teammates along the way! At the end of the month, the team with the most points will win a prize! 

If you'd like to participate in the challenge, just add yourself to the event on Facebook! Then join my Beachbody team by registering for your FREE account here. This will give you additional tools to use during the challenge.

Enjoy your last bit of weekend!

Question of the Day:

How do you spend your Sundays?

Happy Birthday, Jeff!!! (And a Recipe for Cinnamon Apples)

I have to kick this post off with a shout out to my baby sister, Melissa (in case you aren't following me on Facebook...which begs the question: why aren't you following me on Facebook?!?). She just finished her first round of a P90X/Insanity hybrid. She was tiny to begin with, but she lost EIGHT pounds and went down a dress size!!! Be looking for a guest post from her soon about her experience.

Today was my beloved's birthday. I won't tell you how old he is. All you need to know is he's older than me.

Anyway, around here birthdays tend to mean lots of good food. I started off the day by making him his favorite Shakeology: chocolate with peanut butter. I had to have a tiny sip myself. So good!!!

After he left for work, baby girl and I got started on his cupcakes. The man loves yellow cake with chocolate icing. But not too much icing. I honestly didn't realize there was such a thing as "too much icing," but I try to take that into consideration when I'm making something for him. Baby girl was anxious to assist me!

The finished product.

Next, I started a London Broil for dinner. Then is was time to tackle his all time favorite: Susan's Apples. Don't let the name confuse you. Apples may be a key component of this recipe, but that's where the good nutrition ends.

First, you take about 3 lbs. of washed apples and removed the peel. That's right; start by taking away the part of the apple that packs all the fiber and nutrients. We wouldn't want to compromise the integrity of the dish.

Then we cut the apples into thin slices and place them in a greased casserole dish.

Time for some sugar and cinnamon. Cinnamon is actually not bad for you. We'll just pretend that sugar isn't so bad either.

Now comes the best part: the crust. Combine melted butter, brown sugar and flour until it's the consistency of soft clay. Then pat it all over the top of the apples. I like to flatten a little of the mixture out at a time then place it on the apples.

Bake at 300 degrees for about an hour. You want your crust to brown a little.

Give the apples a few minutes to cool before serving so the juices won't run all over your plate. When we added mashed potatoes and fried okra, it was pretty much Jeff's dream meal.

Hey, birthdays are special, right? Might as well live it up one day out of the year!

After dinner we headed to a soccer game then came home for cupcakes.

Happy Birthday, Jeff!!!

Susan's Apples

• 2.5 - 3 lbs. apples, washed and peeled
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• cinnamon to taste
• 1 stick melted butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 3/4 cup brown sugar

Grease small casserole dish. Fill dish completely with thinly sliced apples. (They will shrink when they cook.) Sprinkle white sugar and cinnamon on top of apples. Mix butter, flour and brown sugar. The mixture should be the consistency of soft clay. If it's too runny, add more sugar or flour. You need to be able to manipulate it with your hands. Pat the mixture on top of apples. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour.

Question of the Day:

How do you celebrate birthdays?

Zucchini Fries and a Giveaway!

My girl is finally better and back at school. Yea! I celebrated early this morning with Asylum 2's Back & 6-Pack. After the workout, I had my favorite breakfast.

Did you know I'm giving away a sample of Shakeology to one lucky winner?!? All you have to do is go to my facebook page, like it (if you haven't already), then share my page on your timeline. Make sure to comment and let me know that you shared the page so I can enter your name in the drawing. I will choose a winner when I get to 100 likes!

Monday all the stars aligned for Jeff's favorite dinner. Bi-Lo had London Broil and carrots buy one, get one. It seemed as though though the good Lord knew my man needed his meat and potatoes, and I was happy to oblige.

I was looking for something to pair with my roast and settled on zucchini fries. I've been a fan of zucchini since I was a little girl. My mom used to cook it in a can of tomato sauce and top it with some mozzarella cheese. It was my very favorite vegetable as a kid...and I was a pretty picky eater. 

So when I saw the recipe for zucchini fries, I knew I wanted to try them. You'll need about a pound of zucchini, Panko breadcrumbs (I used Italian style), grated parmesan cheese, a couple of eggs, and a splash of milk.

First, cut up your zucchini. When I first made these, I would cut the zucchini up in little slices so that they actually looked like fries. After doing that a few times, I realized it was kind of a pain. It was a pain to chop them, and an even bigger pain to coat them in the breadcrumb mix. So I decided to take a shortcut and just slice them in circles. I have 4 children. I am all about shortcuts.

The thinner you slice them, the more quickly they'll cook and the less they'll taste like zucchini. I am kind of partial to the flavor of zucchini, so mine are a little thicker.

Next mix the breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese in a small bowl.

Take two egg whites and beat them with just a splash of milk. I like to use a pie tin because it makes it easy to dip my zucchini.

Now you want to dip several zucchini slices in the egg mixture. You just want to leave them there long enough to get them nice and wet so the breadcrumbs will stick.

Next it's time to coat them in the breadcrumb mix. WARNING: Do not use all of the breadcrumbs at once!!! If you do, the breadcrumbs will start to get soggy after the first few pieces of zucchini contact them, and they won't stick to the rest of your squash. Instead, just use a little of the breadcrumb mix at a time. I also like to do this in a pie tin.

Place the coated zucchini slices on a foil-lined pan and bake at 425 for 20 - 25 minutes, flipping halfway.

These are delicious alone, but my kids and I especially love to eat them dipped in a little pizza sauce. Even my super-picky 5-year-old will eat these!!! That's nothing short of a miracle around here.

Zucchini Fries

• Approx. 1 lb. zucchini
• 1/2 cup Italian Panko breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 2 egg whites
• splash of milk

~Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with non-stick foil. Cut zucchini into fries. Whisk egg whites and milk in pie tin. Combine crumbs and parmesan. Dip zucchini in egg mixture and then into coating (using only a small amount of coating at a time or breadcrumbs won't stick). Bake 20 - 25 minutes, flipping halfway.

Do you have a favorite simple side dish?

Why I Don't Workout at the Gym

Fridays are hectic. I got things going with Asylum 2's Power Legs workout. My legs are jello!

I fixed myself some chocolate Shakeology for breakfast and headed out the door! Several hours and errands later, I was ready for lunch. Since strawberries are still on sale at Publix this week (3/$5!!!) and Flatout Bread is also BOGO, I opted for a turkey wrap on my favorite Flatout Bread (Sundried Tomato) with mustard and peppers and some fruit salad on the side. Shout out to Whitney for introducing me to Flatout Bread at the beach a couple of years ago!

I wanted to post some pictures of the different workouts I do on my facebook page, so my husband has been doubling as my personal photographer recently. Looking through these photos has reminded me why I don't workout at the gym.

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

Notice the tongue. Apparently, I do that a lot.

And, last but not least, Exhibit C:

You should really click on this one so you can appreciate it in all it's glory.

If you workout at the gym, you're welcome. I am sure you're disappointed that you're missing out on this kind of natural beauty.

Seriously though, I love working out at home!!! Why? I'm glad you asked! Without further ado, here are my top ten reasons to workout at home:

1. I can take any class I want, any time. All I need is my DVD player.
2. I can sleep later!!!
3. I don't have to pay for a gym membership! (For those that know me, you know how big this is since I'm cheap frugal.)
4. I can workout even when my kids are sick. I've got 4 of them. Kids, that is. And they love to share, so illness can invade our home for days at a time.
5. I don't waste any gas! (Have you seen how much that costs these days?!?)
6. There is no commute and no wasted time.
7. I don't have to wait in line for a piece of equipment.
8. Bathroom breaks are quicker. (Lots of jumping + giving birth to 4 children = lots of bathroom breaks.)
9. Appearance doesn't matter, so I can make my weird workout faces and noises without fear of judgment.
10. My home is open 24/7. I workout when it's convenient for me.

Do you prefer working out at home or the gym? Tell me why!