EAT IT!!

These two make my day, every day.

But today (Saturday) I got a special treat: A full hour at home by myself! Much as I love love love my boys, sometimes I really miss the days of getting two or three hours on my own while Marshall took a nap each day. Now my only alone time is my walk to or from work. So I appreciate what little time I do get on my own. Today, I chose to take a short break with a hot cup of tea and a rice cake topped with peanut butter and homemade granola. It was a delightful twenty minutes!

Backing up a bit, here are some meals we've enjoyed lately:

Roasted sweet potatoes with a taco mix (ground beef, onion, bell pepper, chopped spinach, black beans) on the top, plus pepper jack cheese, guacamole, Greek yogurt, and salsa. Turned out to be delicious!

I meal planned terribly this week (remember my bacon guacamole sandwich suggestion?), so after work one day I hit Trader Joe's to grab some pizza dough. Unfortunately, their "wheat" pizza dough isn't whole wheat, but it was quite tasty in a pinch (tough to roll out, though!). I made two white pizzas (ricotta cheese instead of sauce): one with arugula that Terry's coworker gave us from his garden

drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar

(Marshall picked all the arugula off his pizza, and Terry told him, "You can put it on your plate or eat it," to which Marshall replied, "EAT IT!" and scarfed it down)

and Brussels sprouts and bacon pizza, which we saved to eat for lunches. 

All three of us came down with minor colds this week, so we've kept workouts relatively light the last few days. Today, though, we headed out early for a long walk around the neighborhood, and the fresh air felt awesome. 

Okay, picking up again on Sunday. Yesterday Terry and I ended up getting several hours together for a date day. We grabbed drinks at one of our favorite restaurants, saw a movie (Star Wars--not my choice, but actually a fun, entertaining movie), and went out to dinner. It was really nice to hang out with that guy I like so much, and I really appreciated that he pushed so hard for us to get a day out.

Today after a rough night of sleep, Terry let me sleep in a bit and then we all headed to the park, Costco, and Trader Joe's. Here's our meal plan:

Sunday: crock pot pulled pork and sweet potato casserole

Monday: leftovers for lunch; pappa al pomodoro for dinner

Tuesday: my new favorite salad for lunch (roasted sweet potatoes, feta, pomegranate seeds, farro, greens, balsamic vinegar); leftover soup for dinner

Wednesday: same salad for lunch; shredded chicken burritos/salads for dinner

Thursday: leftover chicken burritos/salads for lunch; shop the fridge for dinner

Friday: leftovers or whatever's in the fridge for lunch; fish and vegetables for dinner

Today I'm also prepping:

- banana blueberry muffins (using this base recipe)

- brownie batter bites similar to these ones, but since I don't eat protein powder and I think 5 is far to few, I use 1/2 cup coconut, 1/2 cup oats, 1/2 cup peanut butter, 1/3 cup cocoa powder, 1/4 cup chocolate chips, 3 tablespoons maple syrup, 1 teaspoon sea salt

- as much as possible to get meals ready for the week

Now let's talk about some workouts!

Over the last two or three months I've been really working on increasing intensity, consistency, and overall effectiveness of my workouts. I'm lifting heavier, working harder, and feeling really good fitness-wise. Here are some workouts that have made me feel good:

This Leg + Plyo workout from PB Fingers (super tough, but each time it gets a little easier)

Tabata + Lower Body:

Complete the first exercise in each set for 20 seconds, then rest 10 seconds, and repeat for a total of 4 minutes. At the end of each plyometric exercise, complete the listed lower body exercise.

Set 1: Jumping lunges // 100 walking lunges

Set 2: Squat jumps // 75 squats

Set 3: Mountain climbers // 50 plie squats

Set 4: Squat thrusters // 25 pendulum lunges per leg

This upper body workout I gave Terry when he asked me for a challenge:

Another Tabata workout:

Complete all five exercises for a total of 8 rounds (20 minutes):

Squat jumps

Burpees

Squat jacks

Jumping lunges

Push ups

Plus lots of yoga, walking, and a jog here and there. 

Now it's time to get ready for Monday. Enjoy the evening and have fun this week!