Dec 1, 2017

What's on the menu?

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This week I had a moment - very similar to the moment I knew it was time for a change. My niece was visiting and on a whim/weakness, we ordered Portillo's midday. It was after the 3pm chili cheese dog and onion rings (yes, I had eaten lunch earlier) that I decided it was time to get back on track.

A few things usually stand in the way of making that 'back on track' mentality a reality. For me, it's planning easy, tasty meals and pushing play on my workout 5 days a week (3 days of weights alternating with 2 days cardio). I'm reeeeeallllly bad at the 'pushing play' part, but have some awesome friends who visit to be sure we all tackle the tough cardio days together.


As for the nutrition part, here is our family's meal plan for this week. Most of these are great 21 Day Fix legit recipes AND eaten by my picky 7 year old. Our family also uses a grocery delivery service, which makes it easy for me to order all the ingredients I need online while skipping the cookie aisle.

DINNERS
Pork Loin with Flaky Biscuits
Teriyaki Hawaiian Bowls
Herbed Chicken Noodle Soup (recipe coming soon)
Caprese Chicken with Roasted Potato Wedges
Chili (you do you on this one - meat, beans, noodles, tomatoes)
Crusted Pork Chops with Roasted Asparagus
Italian RollUps with Salad (recipe coming soon)

BREAKFASTS to Start the Day (this meal gets your metabolism going)
Hearty Oatmeal
Eggs (2) with Ezekiel Raisin toast (1)
Greek Yogurt with 1 tsp agave - add blueberries!

LUNCHES
I default to easy bag salad topped with meat (rotisserie chicken or deli meat), grape tomatoes, and easy ranch dressing. Meat and cheese rollups are great as well as LEFTOVERS!

SNACKS
Shakeology (with fruit post-workout or around 3pm as a pick-me-up)
Orange
Carrots/Celery
Red pepper
Greek yogurt with agave and chocolate chips

As you can see, the menu doesn't have to be fancy or time-consuming to be healthy. Make it work for you! 21 Day Fix is my baseline guide - it really is the program that keeps on giving. If you are needing help with the support and accountability part of your journey, reach out and say hello. I always have a free group you are welcome to join. Have a great weekend!

May 1, 2016

Baby Boy with a BOOM!

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Holy moly! I intended to blog this fun event weeks ago and somehow it is May! Anyway...let's get to it...

My youngest sister {there are 3 of us} is expecting and we are all thrilled to get another baby fix. I'm also glad she is more like me and decided to learn the gender of the little one early. While researching ways to insert blue or pink goo into cupcakes together, she and I stumbled over something big. As in explosive! All 3 sister, Type A, event planning brains went into overdrive and we ended up with one fantastically loud, big gender reveal. Enjoy!


My middle sis-Kel, Mom, and I HAD to go a bit overboard for our new nephew. Kel whipped up a diaper cake complete with a design tag to match the 'Plug your Ears' printable and invitation. Each guest had the chance to cast their gender vote on the Mister / Miss chalkboard - a little mister was the fav to win. I enjoyed more fun cupcake piping using a Wilton 1M and my new fav food coloring. The explosion was hosted at Kel's beautiful farmhouse. She and Mom worked to provide a delicious cookout menu to celebrate with great friends and family. 



And then...the real fun began! My brother-in-law {Kel's husband} was the secret agent in charge of mixing the explosive tannerite {2 pounds} with blue standard line chalk {15 pounds}. Chalk can be purchased at your local hardware store or online...just watch out it's not the permanent variety. 


We all waited patiently for the shot fired. Such suspense that ultimately blew up BLUE! Another boy in the fam and we are all so excited! Especially the expectant father!


Love ya sis! You are both going to be amazing parents. You have so much love and kindness in your hearts to bring up this sweet boy in the best way. We love you to pieces and hope this celebration kicked off something wonderful for you!


Here are the gender pink and blue party earplugs in action...because I couldn't resist that face, the cheeks, and the beautiful curls we share. Happy partying!

Product and mixing info for the best explosion
Chalk used is standard line marking chalk, which can be purchased on Amazon or at your local hardware store. Buying local is helpful so you can return the unused color. Here is an example of chalk you will need to get started. Just be sure you don't get permanent! 

The tannerite was mixed in a 1-gallon orange juice container, then put in a 5-gallon bucket with chalk on top of orange juice. Bucket was shot at 150 yards. 

Disclaimer: As with any explosives, you are taking a personal risk. Please read and follow tannerite mixing directions and make safe choices. Not liable for personal injury due to methods explained above.

Mar 1, 2016

Gender Reveal Fun

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My little sister is expecting! The youngest of us 3 sisters is having a baby in July and we are so excited. She and her husband have showered nieces and nephews with love and now it's our turn! My sis has decided to do a small gender reveal with close family - except "small" is not how our family does anything, especially when it comes to celebrations.



It started with a Pinterest search for "gender reveal" to find cupcake ideas. And then....I saw it. Tannerite + chalk. Explosions in blue and pink. Yes, we are blowing s*@# up to reveal whether I will have a new niece or nephew. Within 30 minutes we had a full-on invite designed for more than just close family. The middle sister has agreed to host at the farmhouse and end the party with a bonfire.

With any explosion, safety is number one. So of course, following the theme, I made cards for each guest so their hearing stays intact while we have some noisy gender revealing fun! Enjoy the inspiration!


You can now download the fabulous 'Plug Your Ears' printable HERE. Enjoy!

Looking for colored earplugs? 
CLICK for BLUE
CLICK for PINK

Jan 18, 2016

Firmoo Review

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Say that five times fast...Firmoo Review! I had Lasik Eye Surgery 8 years ago. It is one of the best things I have been able to do {I previously couldn't see a rock in front of my face}. Since then, my eyesight is diminishing again and I need a low prescription to see far away. Firmoo is the perfect solution to finding fun and functional frames. I had the pleasure of checking out Firmoo this month and want to share my experience and a discount for you all.



If you haven't checked it out, Firmoo is an online eyewear retailer with tons of styles, shapes, and colors. Chances are you will find more than just a few you want to try. I had no problem finding three prescription styles I liked. It was easy to narrow it down by using the measurements guide they provide for each pair and pictures from other shoppers. I already have a black pair so I chose a tortoise shell color frame. LOVE them!

Ordering a fun pair was super easy {and WAY cheaper than the optometrist route}! Pick style, enter your prescription, and checkout. Done! The only questionable part of the process was measuring my PD {pupillary distance}. Firmoo explains how to measure this well and I crossed my fingers my husband took the right measurement. I also had a question during checkout and Laura from Firmoo was helpful and responded within hours...AND followed up after my order to make sure everything went well. So...check for great customer service!

My glasses arrived within a few days and the prescription was perfect. The glasses fit well, are super lightweight, and I can see perfectly! I received a hard case with the glasses as well as a microfiber cleaning cloth. Ordering was fun, simple, and affordable! I'm excited to have a pair to wear at home and another to have out and about when needed.

Ready to check it out? Of course! Check out Firmoo's New Arrival styles and grab your 15% off discount. Firmoo also runs awesome promotions - right now it's BOGO! I'm on my way to check out sunglasses for driving!

Glasses (FRM8817): c/o Firmoo
Knit Cowl: c/o my lovely Mom!