Food and Workouts Lately

We are loving the long hours of daylight around here! (We could do without the heat wave, but I guess you take what you get.) Terry and Marshall spent some time playing catch in the front yard while I cooked dinner Friday night.

I thought I'd share some recent meals and recipes around here. It's been a while since I've talked a lot about food!

Friday at work we had a catered lunch (special treat!), and I loaded up my plate with salmon, steak, roasted vegetables, pasta, and salad, plus a fudgy brownie for dessert.

Saturday I had to work all day at UCLA Bruin Day! Admitted students visit the campus, and we staff members answer questions for the students and their families. It was a gorgeous day!

And after a great (and much-needed) night of rest, we woke up to a beautiful day this morning, too.

Okay, back to food. We tried out this spinach lasagna last week, and it was incredible. Super easy, perfect to make over the weekend and enjoy throughout the week. Marshall now says, "Yummy!" if he likes a meal, and this one got a yummy every time we ate it.

(No photo of the lasagna, but here's Marshall cooking in his kitchen)

Terry's coworker has a plot in a local community garden and generously gives us some of his vegetables from time to time. We got some Swiss chard recently. If I'm being honest, I don't love Swiss chard, but it's undeniably great nutrition-wise. So I made Swiss chard pancakes (a simplified version, with just eggs, flour, salt, chard, and butter for frying), and we all loved them. A great way to get in our leafy greens, and perfect for any time of day. We have leftovers for tomorrow that we'll eat with salads, and we have more batter for breakfast pancakes and eggs later in the week.

We've enjoyed a few meals out too, including my third-ever time trying Thai food. We're back on the healthy, homemade meals wagon today though, and this week looks tasty!

Tonight's meal was roasted sweet potato, apple, and Brussels sprouts topped with Italian chicken sausage. Marshall gave it a "Yummy!" and even ate the Brussels sprouts!

A few more photos from today at the park:

Checking out the ducks

Practicing his pitching stance

On the workout front, we're squeezing in what we can when we can, resting whenever we need it. Terry is playing a football league with some coworkers, so he's getting a solid hour of cardio on Monday nights. On the weekends we have been going for a jog or long walk at least one of the days, and we're sprinkling in weights and yoga throughout the week. Today we walked to UCLA to tackle Janss Steps a few times (one of us runs the stairs while the other hangs out with Marshall). Marshall climbed ALL the steps! He was a beast!

It was a short weekend, but we made the most of it. Now off we go starting another week! And it's a big one: Terry is turning 30!

But First, Pancakes

Sunday Chore Day! 

But first, pancakes.

(topped with peanut butter and maple syrup)

Marshall and I hit the grocery store and Target as early as we could to avoid the crowds, but we didn't avoid the rain. Since we were getting wet anyway, I made it an adventure and let Marshall walk in the rain to check out some fire trucks!

(waving goodbye to the trucks)

Back at home, Marshall helped Terry vacuum. 

He was very thorough.

Seriously, very thorough.

And we took full advantage of the rain day with plenty of baking and food prep.

Banana bread

Brownie bites--adapted from Fitnessita-- 1/2 cup oats, 1/2 cup peanut or almond butter, 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut, 1/3 cup cocoa powder, 1/4 cup (or less) maple syrup, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt (combine all ingredients in a food processor, process finely, then roll into 1-inch balls, store in fridge)

Side note: Upon putting away my food processor, I somehow dropped it, and it hit my wrist on the way down (thankfully only from a low cabinet), then broke Scout's food bowls. My wrist seems okay, just a little bruised and sore, and the food processor is scratched but otherwise seems okay, too. Sorry, Scout.

Spinach, mushroom, onion, and cheddar frittata to enjoy for breakfasts this week

Roasted sweet potatoes and farro for salads this week--my favorite combination is these two plus pomegranate seeds, feta, and balsamic

Broccoli soup for tonight's meal

I also finally got around to changing our chalkboard in the kitchen:

(I swapped in some Julia Child quotes but didn't photograph them)

And some other fun photos:

Last night we attended Marshall's first basketball game at UCLA!

He watched some, walked around a lot, and said "Basketball" about 800 times. Afterward we went to Burger Lounge for dinner, and I tried a lettuce-wrapped burger, which was less "wrapped" than I had hoped but still delicious.

We've enjoyed some lovely walks around the neighborhood lately, complete with obeying all traffic signs.

This kid...

And the other day I took some photos on my walk home from work. Not a bad way to end the work day, right?

Oh, and here was Terry's favorite meal of the week: pappa al pomodoro. Total comfort food in this delightfully chilly weather!

This week was a fun one. I went to a little happy hour with some coworkers, Terry and I enjoyed some new episodes of our favorite shows, and we rocked the menu at home. And suddenly tomorrow is February! But first, sleep. 

Technically Two Weeks Down

We're almost through week two of our new routine, except that I've had a day off each week. The real test will be next week when we actually attack a full work week. 

Anyway, to get through the week we've been doing our best to prep as much as possible on the weekends and to get organized for the next day each night. For example, on Sunday Terry chopped the leeks and onion for this soup, and then on Monday night I did the cooking in about 20-25 minutes. Here's the recipe.

And my boys hung out with me.

Wednesday I had the day off for Veteran's Day. Marshall's day care was closed, so we got a bonus mommy-Marshall day! We went for a walk with Jenn, then I let Marshall walk around the block while I tagged along on his adventure.

Later I let him try hot chocolate (recipe from 100 Days of Real Food Cookbook), but since I had to wait for it to be way cooled down, it kind of turned into chocolate milk. Still, he seemed to enjoy it.

And to get some more fresh air, we stopped at the park to pick up leaves, point at dogs, and RUN!

I did have to break it to Marshall that I'll likely never bring him to the park in a Rolls Royce.

Last night's dinner: pizza (dough was made on Halloween and frozen for later) and salad.

As for fitness, we're working through another monthly workout calendar, which we dubbed "Cardio and Corevember" because we're super creative. So every other night we do some core work, and then approximately three times a week we try to do some moderate to intense cardio, like jogging, walk-jog intervals, and maybe a HIIT thrown in here and there. We definitely missed a few last week when Marshall was sick, and the early dark is making it tough to jog after work, but we're doing our best. 

Some other notes on the new situation: 

- I'm walking to work and so far I love it. I feel like the walk energizes me for the morning and then for the evening when I get home. Of course, the last two weeks have been lovely, cool weather. Talk to me again when it's sweltering 10 months out of the year.

- They say half of loving your job is who you work with, and I've been so happy to meet such great people in my department.

- Terry has to do drop off and pick up for Marshall's day care, and I am so grateful to him for already being awesome about talking to the teachers when needed, making sure he has all Marshall's belongings for home, and creating a good routine for saying goodbye to Marshall for the day.

So anyway, we're doing alright over here. There are easier days and tough days, and we're only two weeks in. I am starting to get a sense of what this new life is going to be like, but we still have a lot to learn about being working parents.

Hope your week has been a good one! Happy Friday to you!

Let's Call it a Win

First, fun photos:

I found my shoes like this the other day. Marshall prefers them upright, obviously.

Choosing a Halloween costume for M. Not easy; he just wants to look at the animal faces.

Marshall's gotten really into lining up his various vehicles like train cars.

Love that kid.

Today had its ups and downs. Ultimately, Marshall refused his nap for over an hour. Eventually we did a "reset" (a technique we use here when we have no other options and decide to just do something different from what else we've tried): I brought Marshall back out to the living room and let him play quietly by himself for a while. Finally, two hours after the first attempt, Marshall fell asleep. I breathed a huge sigh of relief and got to work around the house, making two batches of soup (one for us, one as a new baby meal) and tidying up.

At first, I felt frustrated and annoyed about Marshall's strange sleep, but the rest of the day went really well. We had a fun visit at Jenn's, we spent a lot of time reading, and I got a lot done around the house. Marshall was pretty tired and cranky this afternoon, but I can't blame him for that. Between not sleeping well, teething, and just being a toddler, he had a lot going on. Poor little guy.

With all that going on, we survived. The house survived. The dishes are done, we had a great meal (YUMMM I love Ina), we took a family walk, and Terry and I managed to catch up on our squats and yoga (we skipped yesterday for no good reason). So I'm going to call today a win. I guess my standard for "win" is just having everyone alive and fed at the end of the day? :-)

Speaking of squats, I forgot to post the last few days (I knew it would happen), so here's what we've been doing:

Sunday we skipped our planned HIIT squat workout because we ran the stairs on campus instead. My heart rate was through the roof (I had to take breaks to keep within a not-insane range), so I'd say it was a good trade.

Tuesday (well, Wednesday for us)/ Day 20: 
- 10 squat thrusts
- 10 3-pulse squats (squat down, pulse three times, stand up = 1 rep)
Repeat with 9 reps, then 8, then 7, all the way to 1

Day 22: Pyramid Roundabout

Front lunge + side lunge + back lunge + squat = 1 rep

Complete 1 rep each side, then 2 reps each side, then 3, 4, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

Day 24:

20 each:

3-2-1 squats

Squat with slow rise

(3-5 rounds)


Some fun links:

The Surprising Change that Cured My Threenager (I really enjoy reading Brittany's insights on parenting!)

Dads should read the bedtime story!

Anna Kendrink's Shower Thoughts (my friend Winnie shared this one with me and I loved it, of course)

More Anna Kendrick

SNL's Democratic Debate

A Running Workout and Soup Galore

When the entire house woke up before 5:30 this morning, I worried what the day might bring. Exhaustion? Certainly. Cranky toddler (and mama)? Almost guaranteed. Lots of outings to distract said toddler (and mama)? You bet.

I did not, however, expect to enjoy a few really fun moments, some solid time alone in the kitchen to cook a full meal, and a great workout with the whole family. It's nice to get surprises like that on a random Wednesday.

The really fun moments came in waves throughout the morning and afternoon when Marshall had pushed all my buttons and was about to drive me insane. He has been rather fussy lately, and I don't deal well with fussy, but I decided to just take a breath and try to make the most of it, so we played. We practiced walking from one wall to another wall (he thought this game was hilarious). We rolled the big yoga ball back and forth. We read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom 83 times. And then we headed out for a long walk to the store and back. And wouldn't you know it--we had a lot of fun. Sure, my sink is currently overflowing with dishes right now because I didn't tackle them throughout the day, but it was worth it today.

Our workout this afternoon was a spin on one of my very favorite workouts of all time. We don't have access to a treadmill anymore, so we grabbed the running stroller and hit the road; our workout looked like this:

- Walk 5 minutes
- Jog 5 minutes
- 25 walking lunges

- Walk 4 minutes
- Jog 4 minutes
- 25 walking lunges

- Repeat with 3 minutes, 2 minutes, 1 minute (we stopped the lunges after 4 sets, for a total of 100 lunges)

--> 30 minutes total, not counting the lunges

It was a great way to enjoy this cooler weather and to challenge our muscles, and Marshall always seems happy as a clam in his stroller. My legs are already pretty sore despite lots of stretching tonight!


And when we came home, Terry and Marshall headed to Marshall's room to play while I turned on some music in the kitchen to make dinner: Ina's Easy Tomato Soup with grilled cheese croutons (she gave me the idea, but I made the grilled cheese with Manchego and pepper jack cheeses, and I regret nothing), plus sauteed green beans on the side.

Marshall ate a full serving of soup, probably half a grilled cheese sandwich, and a couple of green beans, plus milk. I'd call that meal a success! I'm already looking forward to tons of soups this winter since Marshall loves them so much--and they're now some of my favorite foods!

Here are some of my favorite soups (I highly recommend making homemade chicken stock and freezing it---it's easier than it sounds and it changed my entire perspective on soup!):

- Winter Minestrone with Roasted Butternut Squash
- Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Roasted Butternut Squash with Curry Condiments -- probably our favorite soup ever!
- Pappa al Pomodoro - comfort food at its finest


A few other notes...

Did you watch Mindy Project last night? I thought the first episode was hilarious. JGL did great as a guest star!

I loved this post from Pregnant Chicken: To My Pregnant Sister (Because I Scared the Sh*t Out of Her). Lots of it rang true for me, especially:

"...the hardest part of all was the reality setting in that life was never going to be the same. That I was a mum now and nothing was going to change that. I couldn't go back.

But I eventually realized, I don't want to go back. Every day I learn something new from this little person. Every day I understand myself as a growing human better and more fully. Every day things get easier, and harder, and that's ok because I made it this far and I can keep going. Helping this baby live and grow is such a selfless crazy experience and it makes my heart swell with pride every day at least once."

 I'm just now realizing that I only have one photo on this whole post, but it's 10:30 and time for bed. More tomorrow!

Have a wonderful Thursday!

Long Weekend and Mr. Smee

On Thursday evening we opted to avoid cooking to prevent heating up the apartment even more, so we assembled BLTs for dinner.

Friday night Terry attended his high school's football game, so Marshall and I were on our own. I almost never give Marshall his bath because Terry is the Bath Master, so it was extra special and super fun!

Saturday we attended a memorial service, which was really lovely. It included military honors, which I've never had the chance to see, and I thought the ceremony was so touching. We were out most of the day and made it home for dinner and bed for the little guy.

Today we "slept in" by Marshall's standards (6 am!), so we ate pancakes and headed out for a long walk to the farmers' market with our neighbors. But not before making fun of Scout for choosing the most ridiculous lounge spot ever.

 I accidentally dressed Marshall like Mr. Smee.

How cute are these photos Terry took?

 We scored the three bags below for only $5! And the three types of hummus are SO good.

Then we cooled down with smoothies--frozen spinach, frozen berries, yogurt, peanut butter, milk.

Terry and I took advantage of Marshall's nap with some chores and errands, plus Day 2 (yeah, that took a week to get to the second video) of the 30-Day Challenge for Yoga with Adriene. It wasn't too crazy, but I tweaked something in my lower back and have been hobbling around a bit all day.

When Marshall woke up, we took him to the splash park!

He was pretty into it! And thankfully it wasn't too crowded, so we didn't have to worry about big kids trampling him.

Back at home, we made pudding, and Marshall played with the whisk.

We did leftover Greek couscous salad (greens, couscous, feta, cucumber, tomato, red onion, garbanzo beans, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and lemon juice), and then once Marshall went to bed we prepped some food for the week: grilled peppers and onions for lunches (to wrap up in pita with hummus) and this recipe for overnight slow cooker oats to enjoy for breakfasts.

Meal plan for the week:
 - Ina's risotto with grilled chicken and green beans
- soup of some sort
- lots of leftovers :-)

Workouts should be better this week because we're allegedly heading toward some cooler weather. Maybe a jog or two to celebrate? Hopefully more success with the 30 Day Yoga Challenge?

Happy start of the week to you! I hope it's a great one!