Once upon a time I was 30+weeks pregnant and said to myself more than a few times — I can’t wait to lose this pregnancy weight! It’s going to be fun, like a game! I’ve done this before, it won’t be hard! I’m going to walk with the baby in the stroller so much the weight is just going to melt off! I’m going to get fit in no time!

Clearly, I was a bit mental at the time. What in the world. Crazy pants.

Now here I am 20+ weeks post partum and I can not even believe how out of shape I am. I’m so low energy and just feel bleh all the time. Pair that up with not sleeping well most nights, I pretty much feel like a mess lately. Oh and it’s full on spring in Florida right now and let’s just say black yoga pants just aren’t cutting it anymore. Something has to be done here.

So I’m committed. I’m committed to exercising in some capacity every day (even if it is just a quick stroller walk with my baby). I need to be selfish with my workouts, it’s very important “me time”. I got back in the gym last week. I also got myself jogging a bit over the weekend (that felt GOOD!). Things have to change and it’s starting first with my attitude —

I need to be telling myself things like:

Just do it!
No more excuses!
and on the days I’m feeling down… What are you going to do about it? (this one is key)

So far it’s working.

I got this. But dang, it’s hard!

I’ve been making this kefir smoothie in the afternoons lately for my car ride to pick up the kids from school. It gives me exactly what I need to hold me over until dinner and I like to believe it gives me a little energy boost too. Micah’s not a huge fan of the blender so I have been avoiding making smoothies for a few months. Now when I turn the blender on I have to put on a really happy funny face to distract him from that “loud scary noise”. You gotta do what you gotta do right?

If you’re not familiar with kefir, it’s very similar to yogurt and can be found in the dairy aisle most likely near the milks. I discovered it a couple years ago when I was on the 17 Day Diet (…for 14 days). It’s a probiotic, has a good amount of protein and calcium, and is a great option for an afternoon snack. I personally like it’s natural tartness but feel free to add a little honey or sweetener of choice if that’s your thing.

Happy Monday!

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I’ve been on a granola making kick for the last couple of months. Apparently my kids are into it because they pretty much ask me for granola as a snack almost every afternoon as well as at breakfast. They love having it in a bowl with a bit of Greek yogurt and honestly it couldn’t make me happier to hear them ask for it, even when I’m not necessarily in the mood to make it.

I took the last couple of weeks off from making it but since this week is my daughter’s birthday week I decided to surprise the kids with a fresh batch when they get home from school today. When I make our granola I keep it on the counter in a pretty glass jar, it’s nice to look at as well as easy to serve – just spoon into a bowl for a quick healthy snack!

Making granola at home is super simple (if you haven’t tried it yet please do!) and each time I make it I try to add something a little different to it to keep things interesting. One thing that always stays the same is the nuts – my granola has to have plenty of nuts in it for texture, protein and nutrients. This time I used honey instead of my normal maple syrup and I added a little dark chocolate for fun.

It turned out seriously delicious!

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I’ve mentioned this before on the blog, but when my kids go back to school, I get back what I refer to as my special lunchtime meal. Cooking for your family is obviously part of a mom’s job, yes, but it’s so nice to have the chance for one meal to be entirely yours every now and then. Lunch during the school week is that meal where I can really have whatever I’m craving or wanting and not worrying about who likes what and who will eat what. It can be a treat, really.

Avocado toast is one of my favorite lunches. It’s quick, easy, healthy and tastes absolutely delicious (if you are an avocado lover of course!). The last time I made avocado toast for lunch I decided to play around and change things up a bit. I gently added a little crumbled feta to the smashed avocado and sprinkled it liberally with my new favorite seasoning za’atar (last year I was obsessed with lemon pepper, apparently this year that obsession has evolved into za’atar). The toast was topped with slices of ripe summer tomatoes that turned this into one of my most favorite lunches ever!

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Over the summer break, I had a little more time in the mornings to play around with breakfast. I introduced my kids to parfaits and they loved them. I know it’s not a novel idea, but I’m more of a spooning granola over a bowl of yogurt and fruit kind of girl versus layering it up all pretty in a parfait. But there’s nothing wrong with changing it up sometimes!

I’ve always loved the flavors of cherry and almond together (hence, why I love this holiday candle so much!!) – it’s the perfect combination in my opinion. I picked up a bag of dried cherries recently thinking I was going to make a Michigan inspired chicken salad like this one, but they ended up in granola instead. I guess I need to get more, because I can’t stop thinking about Sheila’s salad on that croissant – kinda wishing I had it for lunch today.

I’ve shared recipes for homemade granola on the blog before, and this one is not much different. The great part about granola is you can stick to a standard recipe, then just change up the flavors a bit each time. For this granola recipe, I used honey for the sweetener (as opposed to maple like I tend to use) and coconut oil instead of vegetable oil.

As for the parfait, it’s simple once you have your granola cooked up. The granola is layered up between sliced fresh cherries and plain or vanilla yogurt (we like to switch up between regular and Greek yogurt). That’s basically all it takes to make a pretty little parfait – and a healthy snack. My kids were over the moon excited when I presented them with one – made me feel like Mom of the Year for a second. 🙂

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Life seems to happen when you least expect it. Two Sundays ago my son and I were on our way to church together with the plan of hitting up the grocery store with a shopping list full of recipe ingredients my family brainstormed that morning to cook up that afternoon and throughout the week (we were inspired the night before while watching Masterchef). Within the hour instead of to the grocery store, I was turned around and driving like lightning to the town I grew up in to see my grandfather in the ICU who took a turn after being admitted into the hospital for pneumonia two days before. I can’t even begin to tell you the heaviness I felt in my chest as I took that drive.

After a long, emotional roller coaster week, I am so thankful and happy to say that my sweet grandpa is on the mend. He is still in the hospital, and the road to recovery is still in front of him, but he is well on his way, thank God. He is a strong as an ox man that “can’t wait to get home and cook again” (his words yesterday). We can’t wait either.

It only felt right to share with you today a recipe for Ricotta and Spinach Fritters that my mom and grandparents have always made for us over the years. The last time I was home to visit, my mom had a plate of these “fritelli” (though made with swiss chard from the garden) sitting on the counter and my daughter and I pretty much polished off the entire plate during our visit. Growing up, it was not uncommon to have a plate of these out most afternoons for snacking. They are even delicious cold and straight out of the fridge. They are reminiscent of these summer squash and zucchini fritters that we also love and make often, but with the addition of some rich and creamy ricotta.

Enjoy.

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I’m a such a sucker for well cooked – fried or baked – french fries (who isn’t?). It’s definitely my favorite way to eat spuds, even though the fried version is unfortunately not the most nutritious. I have been baking fries for quite a while now when I need a fix, and I’ve finally gotten them to crisp up just how I like them. Not only do they turn out nice and crisp on the outside – and just right on the inside – but these baked Italian Herb French Fries are irresistibly seasoned too. They get gobbled up quick by the little hands (and big hands) in my home every time I make them.

The trick to making these is cooking them at the right temperature as well as leaving them alone while baking. For some reason I always feel like I need to constantly check in on my fries and give them a toss or a shake. I learned to leave them alone (this may or may not have happened totally by accident) and by doing so their outsides got a chance to really brown up. I do give them a toss about 5 minutes before they are ready to come out just to make sure things even out a little more.

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There’s a new butter in town folks, and it’s made with one of my most favorite things in the world – coconut. Coconut butter may not be all that new to some of you, but it’s new to me. I’ve seen it popping up around here and there and I finally broke down and bought some today. At first, I didn’t see much of a difference flavor wise or texture wise as coconut oil, and I felt confused. But as I dug my spoon in a little deeper into the jar I saw a slight change of color and I knew then that I had found gold. Holy cow, this stuff is good (if you love coconut that is).

What is coconut butter? Well, it’s basically just the flesh of the coconut ground up and processed until creamy – similar to nut butter. You get all the nutrition of eating pure raw coconut into a small amount that can be used as a spread or as a supplement to meals such as smoothies, granola bars or even oatmeal. Coconut is full of good stuff – lots of fiber, vitamins & minerals, along with a little protein and good for you fat.

When I got home with my jar of gold I immediately knew I wanted to add it to a smoothie. I love simple banana smoothies, especially right after a morning workout. This smoothie isn’t your typical thick smoothie – it’s light and refreshing and makes a perfect snack for those in between meal times. Enjoy!

So tell me, am I the last person on Earth to try coconut butter? If you’ve had it, tell me how you like it!

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When it comes to building a quesadilla, I think it’s pretty safe to say “anything goes”. I think that’s what I love the most about making them. They are basically just the vehicle for whatever ingredients you have on hand, and most of the time I would say, it’s pretty hard not to get it right.

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I don’t know about you but it’s feeling a little like Christmas this weekend. It snuck up on me, but it’s definitely here. And we are excited!!!

Hello college football weekend!

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This weekend my family got together for our monthly “family day” at my sister’s house to celebrate my brother-in-law’s birthday. I’m not sure exactly when our monthly get-together tradition officially started, but I’m glad it did. My family is close, and we spend a lot of time together normally,  but it seems over the last few years with life getting busy with our growing families, jobs and just “stuff” that we weren’t getting together as a whole as often as we used to. My mom has been great about reaching out to each of us and setting a date that works for everyone to get together each month. We usually rotate houses and it seems that there always happens to be a reason to celebrate, whether it be a birthday or holiday or just each other.

Of course, food is absolutely always involved.

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