Coffee Chat Fridays

So often, I wish we could all sit and grab a cup of coffee together. I’d love to know more about your life, and thank you genuinely for reading my blog! I thought I’d start a new blog series and pretend we were sitting across the table at a coffee shop together every Friday. How FUN would that be??

So, if we were having coffee together this morning…

I’d probably tell you how hard this week of motherhood has been. That Emma has said NO to basically everything. How yelling is her new default volume. And how I am so very tired. But also how much I miss her when she’s at school, how sweet her hugs are, and how my heart bursts every time I just look at her! Motherhood is confusing, y’all.

I’d tell you proud I am of myself for being gluten free since June 1st. I know this food is hard on my system and I have a diagnosed sensitivity, but it’s still been hard for me. But this month I committed to only cutting out foods that I KNOW make me feel worse, and gluten is one of them. I have felt so much better and have found amazing alternatives to satisfy my cravings, like these paleo everything bagels from Danielle Walker’s cookbook “Eat What You Love!”

I’d confess to you that I started a book for fun this month and I’ve barely had time to read it. Scratch that, I haven’t MADE the time to read it. I vow to make more time for fun reading in July, because my soul needs that!

I’d also probably tell you how EXCITED I am about my new membership community that is kicking off Monday, specifically designed for the woman who wants freedom in her health journey but wants to also learn how to nourish herself body, mind, and soul. I can’t wait to start working with these ladies! (The deadline to sign up is tonight so if you want more info and want to join, click here!)

Lastly, I’d tell you how much meditating on this verse has helped me and my mindset this week. God is always wanting to renew us from the inside out. Our mindset and the things we think about are so HUGE when it comes to our overall well-being. He calls us to be transformed and not follow the world’s patterns, but to change the way we THINK. I’ve been working on this by changing the way I worry, stress, and over-think things. How would you change the way you think?

Thanks for having a virtual cup of coffee with me this morning! Now time to get those babies up and make a real cup of coffee for this mama. I hope you all have a wonderful Friday!

5 tips on Establishing a Morning Routine

It’s all the buzz now. Having a morning routine. Having a way to intentionally start your day and set yourself up for success. I am a firm believer in having a morning routine so you can get ahead of your day and spend some time by yourself, for yourself.

It may seem selfish to some, but this time of day actually helps most of us be LESS self-focused throughout the day. I personally spend time with God and in my Bible, and allowing God to fill up my heart and my cup allows me to better serve my babies, my husband, and my clients throughout the rest of the day. Then, I workout and move my body as a way to celebrate this body God has given me and take care of myself. Working out in the morning boosts my energy, releases anxiety, and helps me make better food choices throughout the day. All in all, I am kind of crazy about my morning routine and am in love with it, because I’ve seen the way it changes my mood, energy, and sets me up for a better day!

But how do you start a morning routine? What if doing something, anything, besides sleep, at 5am is a foreign concept to you? That’s ok! I’m here to help! Here are some of my tangible and simple tips for getting started with a morning routine.

Get enough sleep: I can’t stress this enough. You simply cannot get up at 5am if you haven’t had a decent night’s rest. You shouldn’t, actually, because lack of sleep can be just as detrimental to your health as soda or a bag of chips. So if you want to start getting up earlier, you have to start going to sleep earlier. Which means you may have to give up your Netflix show or that extra hour of scrolling through Instagram. Don’t worry though, once you get hooked onto your morning routine like I have, you won’t sabotage yourself with these things and you will get your butt to bed EXCITED to get up in the morning. Just you wait :)

Have a comforting beverage you look forward to: for me, I make either a cup of coffee or my pre-workout, which tastes like lemonade and is so delicious. Either drink gets me excited to get up in the morning, and I love to sip on something while I’m journaling or reading my bible!

Listen to some pump-up jams: some mornings, that’s worship music; and other mornings, it’s N*sync. But whatever pumps you up, you do you, and listen to that music! Music can be so energizing for us, so get excited, listen to something that lights you up, and enter your morning feeling happy and energetic. I personally have a playlist on Spotify for times like these where I need to pump myself up and get excited for life, so I highly suggest making your own playlist to help you out here, too!

Have your space ready for you: whether that means getting your Bible and journal out the night before, setting out your workout clothes, or having the coffee maker automated, getting as much ready for yourself ahead of time will help your morning go smoother. I love having my desk ready for me with my Bible, journal, and my workout clothes so that I can start my morning with all my tools at the ready!

Enlist some accountability! Reach out to a friend, mentor, parent, or spouse to hold you accountable to get up. Post your goals for yourself on your phone/alarm, or something inspiring (my phone alarm says “Love God, and Love Others), so when that alarm goes off you jump out of bed. Accountability can really help us in this area, so even if you need an extra layer from a coach/mentor (um hiiiii), utilize all the tools necessary to get yourself up and keep the promise you’ve made to yourself to have that time alone in the mornings.

If you have some goals for yourself as we enter into a new month to get up earlier and make your mornings more productive, I hope these tools and tips will help you in establishing your morning routine! And if you want to read some books on this area, I highly recommend “Miracle Morning” by Hal Elrod, and “The 5 Second Rule” by Mel Robbins.

Life Update, Mom Life, and Lifting Heavy!

Hello friends! How have the past three months been treating y’all? I can’t believe it’s been thatl long since I’ve blogged! Life has changed dramatically for us in the last few months as we welcomed our second baby girl on February 18th! It’s been a blessed time sprinkled with some sleep deprivation and terrible 2’s from Emma. But overall, life has been pretty amazing praise God! 

I’m still on maternity leave, which I am fully enjoying! It is so nice to be home with these two babies and I’m not taking any second of it for granted!  And what’s also exciting is I’ve been able to take on more clients now that I’m home and am blessed to be helping these women, specifically women like me who struggle with emotional eating and want a way out! Check out my nutrition mentorships above if you’re interested in becoming a client and working together throughout the summer! There are different options and we can figure out what works best for you! 

Most days for us consist of me waking up before the kiddos to get my morning routine done: Jesus time, journaling, working out, and *hopefully* getting a shower in before Lily is up for her first feeding!  Then we get big sister up for the day, eat breakfast, play, maybe watch some Disney movies, and just enjoy being together! Some days I try to go out with them if I have someone with me like my hubby, mom, aunt, or other family members, but we’ve pretty much been homebodies for the past couple months!  I’m hoping I’ll get more confident in the next few weeks to go out with both babies but for now, home it is! 

As far as working out, I think I was the happiest woman in the WORLD when my OB cleared me to go back to working out! I started off with easier circuit training workouts, but just started an 8-week lifting program this week! I will say, I already feel stronger...lifting heavy is my jam! Which is strange since I used to be a cardio queen back in the day. And even though I’m still a runner at heart (and hope that my knees can handle a couple days of running per week soon), for now I am really enjoying lifting heavy 4 days/week and doing short 20 minute HIIT workouts on my off days!  

I DO have goals and want to get back to a weight that I’m comfortable in (and where my pre-pregnancy jeans fit again), but for now I am enjoying working out not only for the physical benefits but for the emotional and mental health benefits as well. Post-partum anxiety is a real thing, and since I already struggle with anxiety, working out not only will help me get back into my jeans but also helps me start the day off with releasing as much stress and anxiety as possible! 

Overall, my heart is full and I am so thankful for this life of mine. It has its struggles and twists & turns but God’s hand is in it and I am forever grateful for my sweet family. Thank you for reading, and to stay more in touch, I have been sharing my daily life and behind the scenes over on Instagram, so make sure to follow me @tveenverano.rd! 

  happy Friday and happy long weekend!! 

Living in the Middle

Extremes can be so tempting for some of us. Extreme ways of living can make us feel secure with their rules and restrictions. And while I do believe rules and restrictions are healthy for us (my personality type is a rule-follower, type A, safe with routine type of person) I also think that living in the middle of extremes can actually be the healthiest thing for us.

Being a dietitian that has worked with many clients, and has been on her own personal journey with food, I have found the most success with my health and my client’s health when we actually get a little LESS strict with our food rules. So instead of focusing on a 100% clean diet, which ultimately can lead to the binge-restrict extremes,  living in that 80% zone helps us stay balanced in the long term.

For example, let’s say you eat perfect meals for 3 weeks straight. You portion everything out, use your calorie counting app, and feel totally in control. You lose 10 lbs and you feel amazing, but you are missing some of your favorite foods, going out with friends, and the freedom to eat what you crave. You then decide to “give in a little” to a craving, go nuts, and binge for 5 days straight. You gain back 12 lbs, feel fluffy and bloated, and basically feel like a failure. This cycle continues, and you go up and down 10-12 lbs every couple months.

For me, this cycle had me going up and down 20-25 lbs every couple months! I had two sets of clothes depending on what weight I was at, and I was so TIRED of living such an inconsistent, extreme life between binging and restricting.

Isn’t it better to live a little less perfectly for the long term, versus living in extremes that leave our body feeling tired, going up and down in weight, and feeling like a failure time and time again?

I finally decided that I’d rather live as a healthy and balanced X lbs instead of living at either X +/- 20 lbs, forcing my body through the never ending and incredible unhealthy rollercoaster.

Let’s let go of these extreme lifestyles and focus on healthy habits that we can implement into our everyday life. For example, some healthy habits I encourage my clients to live by are working out daily, having a vegetable with each meal, and having a salad with dinner every night. These are habits we can ADD to our day, and they will not only nourish us more, but will help us establish a healthier foundation for the long term.

Extremes can be tempting because they promise results and success, but I’d personally rather live a lifestyle of health that includes salads AND pizza, kale AND cookies, and a little bit of middle ground when it comes to our food choices. I believe in living a nourishing LIFE so that you can have the freedom of sweets and treats, while trusting your body to take care of the rest BECAUSE of that heathy foundation you have set. 

This is what I teach my clients with my Nourished & Free Method.  If you want to live a life of nourishment while living in food freedom, click here to learn more about how we can start working together to make this happen.

You CAN build an incredible foundation of health that will allow you more freedom than you know! 

Food & Fitness Plan! February 11-17

Happy Monday, friends! It’s been a LONG time since we’ve chatted on this space. Honestly, I miss blogging and writing to you all, so it’s time to get back into it!

2019 has been wonderful so far! We moved back to our hometown where both my husband and I grew up and are now living with my parents as we await the arrival of our second baby girl! Baby Lily is due in 15 days and my hubby and I are over the moon excited for her birth!

I went on maternity leave a couple weeks ago and have had Emma’s home with me instead of at day care. I’ve been a working mom since she was 3.5 months, so it’s been a DREAM being home with her all day. An exhausting dream, since we were both down for the count with a virus the first week, but so rewarding. She’s 21 months now and at such a fun age; learning new things and challenging herself (and me haha). But it’s been so sweet and I’m grateful we have this time together! 

I thought I’d share what my food & fitness plan is for this coming week. I used to do these all the time and got great feedback, and I personally love reading about other peoples’ weekly plans as well! Please let me know what you think and if you’d like my post like this! 

Food wise, I’ve been making bulk lists lately of options for each meal.  I’m home all day so leftovers are life and I’ve been trying to see some friends before giving birth as well, so some meals are eaten out. So there’s a mixture of that this coming week! 

My mom and I already prepped the roast and the casserole, so those meals are ready to go! Emma and I are still eating through the zucchini muffins I made last week; so once those are done I’m planning on baking some zucchini + carrot muffins!  I’ve been loosely following the DashingDish recipe for muffins, but using whole wheat flour and vegan protein powder instead...we are loving them as a quick breakfast or mid-morning snack! I’m also planning on prepping Emma some lentil pasta (we love the one from Trader Joe’s) as a plant based protein meal.

As far as workouts go, I am 38 weeks pregnant but still working out almost every day! I do a variety of lifting, cardio, and prenatal workouts. I modify when needed of course, but love the feeling of moving my body every day as I prepare for labor! This week, here is my tentative plan: 

Monday: 20 minute HIIT workout 

Tuesday:  cardio (probably a kickboxing workout)

Wednesday: maternity workout circuits 

Thursday: back & biceps lifting 

Friday: insanity max 30 (modified!) 

Saturday: maternity workout circuits 

Sunday: kickboxing or rest 

I love having a plan set for the week! Even though right now everything is loose and tentative since I could go into labor any second. But for now, this is our plan!  

Make sure to set aside some time today to plan and prep for your week ahead! And if you have a hard time doing so, snag my easy step-by-step guide to meal planning and prepping through the link at the top of this page! 

Have a great day everyone!  

12 Days of Health-mas!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!! You guys, I am so so happy it’s finally December! But let me tell you, I didn’t always feel this way. There was a time that I dreaded this time of year, for two reasons. 

a) either I stayed on a strict diet, dreaded every holiday party we attended, and stuck to a strict meal plan devoid of any holly and jolly and fun... 

OR

b) I completely went off the deep end, ate every day like it was my last, and entered the new year feeling bloated, sluggish, and awful about myself. 

I’m here to tell you there CAN be a middle ground. Balance is possible, and there is a way to enter 2019 feeling nourished, vibrant, and also feeling like you enjoyed all the treats and deliciousness that this time of year has to offer!   

I am so excited to be launching my new holiday challenge, kicking off next Monday, December 10th! The 12 days of Health-mas will include all you need to handle this holiday season in a healthy, but joyful and FREE way! When you sign up, you receive: 

• a meal planning guide on building nourishing & sustaining meals ​

• workout and activity tips to keep your body moving and energized ​

• DAILY challenges that will help you grow in your mindset towards living a healthy lifestyle, and help you learn that you are WORTH living in freedom and health!

• mindset challenges and journal prompts to not only get healthier on the outside but most importantly on the inside ​

• AND a chance to win a $75 grocery store gift card! ​

This challenge will be run in my Nourished & Free community, which is my exclusive Facebook community for my group coaching clients where I teach on nutrition, mindset, the importance of exercise, and provide daily doses of accountability and support for all the ladies in there. Once you join the group, you’ll have access to all the files, educational videos, and challenges we’ve done, PLUS be able to join in on the 12 days of Health-mas! The Nourished & Free community is $19/month, but there is no contract! So you can join in for the holiday fun to test it out and it’s up to you if you want to continue with your membership in the new year!

You CAN make this year different, be more present with your family, enjoy some peppermint bark and Christmas cookies, and ultimately live Nourished & Free! I am so passionate about helping women everywhere live in the freedom and confidence that God intended, and what better time than NOW to start?

If you are interested in this challenge, fill out this form below and I’ll send the info your way. The deadline to join is December 9th, so be sure to fill out this form so we can get started! 

Daily Manna: Navigating Food Freedom

I haven’t done one of these posts in a while, and I always get great feedback from doing them! So I thought I’d let you all know what a day in the life has been looking like lately, especially as I navigate intuitive eating and food freedom.

I am currently 25 weeks pregnant with baby girl #2, and it’s been a crazy pregnancy to say the least! Thank God everything is going well with baby and I, but the pregnancy is just flying by! I am still trying to savor the moments, feel the baby move around, and thank God daily for the life He is growing inside of me!

This day started out like any other, with my morning routine! I am SUPER passionate about my morning routine and spending time with Jesus first thing, before I do anything else. I woke up, brewed some coffee (yes, in a Christmas mug) and settled down to my journaling and Bible study. Mornings are some of the sweetest times and I cherish them every day!

After my coffee and Jesus time, I did a 30 minute leg workout. It was lifting + some (modified for me) HIIT at the end. It was such a good workout! I then went live for my Nourished & Free community members and chatted all about MINDSET. Friends, mindset is everything when it comes to well, everything. There is a reason God says that we are transformed by the renewing of our MINDS!

After my video for my clients, I got ready and got Emma ready for the day. I have been craving oatmeal lately, but for months I wasn’t allowing myself to have any because #carbs. BUT, now that I am in a healthier place of food freedom (you can watch this video where I go into all the nitty gritty details) I decided to whip up some warm, comforting oats. I cooked the oats with water and chia seeds, then topped with 1/2 a banana, peanut butter, cinnamon, and stevia. DELICIOUS!

I dropped off Emma at daycare, then headed into work. I had a busy morning, but snacks included veggies and nuts! I then had to run some errands for work at Walmart and had an overall frustrating experience there with not only the staff, but the customers too. I left feeling so grumpy, which I hate. I am usually a happy person, so when I get upset or moody, it makes me upset! But, we all have our days. I got to my second clinic for the day around lunch time, and my coworker and I went on a short walk before settling down to eat our food. The sunlight + having a nourishing lunch of chicken, broccoli, rice, and a side of avocado that I forgot to include in the picture, was just what I needed!

I meal prepped this chicken verde in the instant pot at the beginning of the week, along with the rice. The roasted broccoli took 20 minutes from frozen to deliciously roasted, and voila! We had lunch ready to go for today. It really doesn’t have to be complicated to plan and prepare your meals!

I had a mini honeycrisp apple in the afternoon, but my cravings were screaming to have a cheddar-y snack. I knew that we had some cheddar + caramel popcorn at home, so I waited till I got home, took a relaxing shower (my hubby picked up Emma from school so I got some time to myself) and then I had some popcorn while cooking turkey meat for dinner! 

This was so huge for me. I had a craving, but I didn’t haphazardly stop somewhere on the way home and shovel food into my mouth. I didn’t eat in secret or hide the evidence. I had a craving, listened to it in a calm way, enjoyed my food, and then proceeded with life! I finished cooking the turkey meat and made a huge taco salad, because that’s what my body was craving in that moment!

Its been so interesting navigating this freedom after almost 2 years of following a tight restrictive plan. After dinner we bathed Emma, played with her a bit, and put her down to sleep!

Before we went to bed, my husband and I had brownies with ice cream as I’ve been needing a bedtime snack to not wake up starving (oh pregnancy). 

This was the best nightcap and then I zonked out at 8:30 like the grandma I am.

Thanks for reading along! And remember, what a day of food freedom and eating nourished and free looks like for me is different than what it may look like for you! We are all different, which is why it’s important to know how to best nourish your body and what works best for you! 

4 Steps towards Food Freedom

Finding food freedom while still trying to live a healthy lifestyle is a delicate balance of nourishing your body with whole, nutrient-rich foods, but also allowing yourself to eat treats, sweets, and other foods that may not be as nourishing to your body, but more nourishing to your mind and soul. A couple of years ago, I developed a style of eating that truly made me feel nourished AND free. I had never felt so free in my food choices, but so healthy at the same time. Unfortunately, this past year, I got sucked back into diet culture, food rules, and found myself in a whirlwind of anxiety and confusion when it came to my food choices. God shook me out of it pretty abruptly and brought me back to a place of freedom with food that I am forever grateful for. My anxiety has been at an all-time low, while feeling the healthiest I have ever felt! I want to bring this nourished and free concept to you all, which is why I started my Nourished & Free community where I counsel and educate clients in a private group and show them ways to develop health habits, not restrict, and find their sweet spot of feeling nourished and free in their own healthy living journey!

If you have a similar story to me and you are sick of the diet, restrict, binge cycle that seems to plague most of us, read on. Here are my four basic steps to starting on your journey with food freedom. I hope they help and inspire you!

Let go of the diet rules, the good and bad foods, or any other labels you’ve put on yourself.

The best way to get started on your journey is to let go of your mental list of “good” or “bad” foods. Yes, some foods have more health benefits than others, and some foods will be more nourishing to your body, but no ONE food or one food experience is going to make or break your health. The stress caused by confusing food decisions will cause more damage to your health than the slice of pizza or side of fries! Unless you have a diagnosed allergy or celiac disease or a food that really affects your health poorly (and that’s not just in your head, more on that later), the best first step towards food freedom is to allow all foods into your lifestyle.

Find a healthy form of movement you enjoy.

The next step would be to find a form of exercise or movement you enjoy. The only way I can get up so early in the morning to workout is because I actually look forward to my morning routine. Remember, our bodies were MADE to move, so we can all find a form of movement that we enjoy. Try out your local yoga or barre studio, join a gym, get some home workouts, or start training for a race. Whatever it is, I truly believe that we can all find a form of movement that we can enjoy a few times a week. I also think it is important to note that exercise alone does not cause weight loss, so we have to find other motivations to workout and move our bodies. Use exercise as self-care, to decrease your anxiety, and to increase your energy and motivation for a day. This will help you stick to a workout routine for reasons other than to see the number on the scale go down.

Add vegetables to your meals and snacks as often as you can.

Vegetables are nutritional powerhouses because of a myriad of reasons. They are full of fiber and water, which help fill you up during your meal. They are rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, which help protect your body against disease and energize you. They also can be prepared in SO many ways that there is no excuse anymore to not eat your veggies! I love to add veggies in wherever I can. You can add them to omelets in the morning, snack on carrots or cucumbers at work, always add a side salad to your lunch, and roast up some of your favorite vegetables for dinner. This way, you still feel like you are eating a lot of food (any other volume eaters out there?) but you are also nourishing your body with whole, nutrient-rich foods.

Learn food freedom by incorporating some of your favorite foods and evaluating how they make you FEEL.

Lastly, the best way to start living out food freedom is to start incorporating some “forbidden” foods into your day, and then evaluate how you really feel. Does dairy really cause you to breakout? Does bread really cause you to bloat? A lot of these symptoms are caused by other factors such as stress, lack of sleep, etc. Did you know stress can actually make you feel blaoted too? I started testing this out a few weeks ago and its changed my entire mindset. For example, I decided to start enjoying the free food that work offered, and I realized that I was just as sleepy in the afternoon after having my homemade, paleo free lunch vs. the pizza and salad that work provided. Maybe I was just tired in the afternoon because I am PREGNANT, and not necessarily because of gluten, sugar, etc. While I do believe there is a time and place to make nutritional recommendations and changes based on symptoms, I found that I was overanalyzing every food decision I made and thinking all of my symptoms (anxiety, sleepless nights, a breakout) had to do with the food I was eating. I reality, there is SO much more to health than just our food choices. Sleep, stress, activity levels, financial issues, a life event….ALL of these factors play a role in how you feel as well. I don’t want to undervalue your symptoms, because trust me, they feel very real, and I’ve been there not too long ago. But if you want to experience true freedom with food, know that research is very blurry when it comes to food sensitivities, and there is no real way to prove that a certain food is causing an issue for you because most of us are also under stress, feel sleep deprived, and have other factors contributing to our symptoms. Become an investigator of your own body, and evaluate non-food stressors as well that could be impacting your health.

I hope these simple tips can get you started in your own food freedom journey. Know that life is worth living, and is about so much more than your food rules or what you do or do not eat. You do not have to live in two extremes: being deprived one week and then binging the next. There can be true freedom when it comes to nourishing your body, and if you want to dive into that further, I highly recommend you joining my Nourished & Free community!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! Move your body, eat some delicious food, and love on/be present with those around you!

Pregnancy Update: 24 weeks pregnant!

Poor baby #2. Emma got regular updates during my pregnancy with her, and this is only my second update since announcing that we are pregnant with baby #2! I feel so terrible, but life has been nuts and most of the time, I have to stop and remind myself that I am pregnant and need to take things easy! Being pregnant + having a toddler is no joke! On top of working full time, running a private practice, serving at church, and overall LIFE in general.

Needless to say, it’s been a busy season. Busy, but also exciting and full of God’s blessings! Every time I get exhausted or overwhelmed, I remind myself of how grateful I am for my life, my babies, my husband, and my community. God is so so good, y’all.

Anyways, onto the updates!

How far along are you?

24 weeks! This pregnancy is FLYING BY.

Gender:

GIRL!! We’ll be announcing the name soon :)

How big is the baby?

She is the size of an eggplant…so big!

Total weight gain:

I am 4-5 lbs up from my pre-pregnancy weight! I’m really grateful for steady weight gain since gaining weight was so difficult with Emma and our abnormal umbilical cord. Thank God for a normal cord this time around and a healthy appetite for mommy!

How am I feeling?

I have moments of extreme energy and happiness, followed by being an emotional and exhausted mess. I had a breakdown yesterday just because I couldn’t switch a load of laundry (our machines are on the 3rd floor, Emma was on the 2nd floor, she’s getting heavy to carry up and down with me, but I digress). I’m learning that it’s ok to ask for help, and even though I want to do it all and feel like I should be able to do it all, those are just unrealistic expectations I have been placing on myself. Moms, ASK FOR HELP. I’m preaching to the choir on this one.

Maternity clothes?

I have been re-wearing all of my clothes from my pregnancy with Emma but I finally ordered a few new sweaters and a pair of pants this past weekend! I wanted some fresh clothes to enjoy!

Favorite workouts:

I workout at home and do mostly Beachbody workouts! I’ve been alternating between lifting, maternity workouts, kickboxing, and modifying some of my other favorites. I am so grateful to be able to move my body!

Stretch marks:

None and I hope it stays that way!

Cravings:

Hmm lately I’ve been wanting big leafy salads and warm fresh baked chocolate chip cookies!

Sleep:

Sleep has been off and on. Better than it was but definitely not great. I’d say it’s mostly just restless nights!

What I miss:

Intense workouts, more than 1-2 cups of coffee/day, having more energy to play with Emma, and having more energy to stay on top of house chores! Also, wearing cute(r) clothes!

What I am looking forward to:

This hasn’t changed: having two little girls to play with and enjoy! I am an only child and prayed for a sister almost every day of my life, so I feel so blessed and happy that Emma will be able to enjoy that special bond.

That’s all for now! Hopefully I’ll be a little more regular with these updates, I enjoy writing them and I’ve enjoyed reading through Emma’s old posts too! Thanks for reading and have a great afternoon, friends!

Weekend Eats + food experiments

Happy Monday everyone!!! Who else feels like this entire year has flown by? Emma is 18 months today and my heart just can’t take it. I feel like she was just born, and now we are expecting her baby sister in just 4 short months! Life is moving quickly, and I can’t help but appreciate each moment more and more.

This past weekend was just…so nice. We spent the weekend together as a family and enjoyed every moment of it. For our family, our weekends are typically busier than the workweek, and I often times find myself looking forward to work to rest and relax a bit. Weird, huh? Well, this is the first weekend where we had zero plans expect for church and a few errands. It was so low-key and relaxing…what weekends were meant for!

I will say that the eats I’ll be sharing are different than what you’ve seen on this blog lately. I’m experimenting with my body, but most importantly my brain and mindset. More on this later as I’m still trying to figure things out, but I thought I’d share anyway and show how “healthy choices” are not always so black and white!

But let’s backtrack to Friday! I went to work and met with one of my dear friends for lunch! Our plan was Chipotle but they were out of rice (um, what?) so we went to Blaze Pizza instead. I LOVE their green stripe pizza, so I got that with a side salad. This meal was so so good!

Friday night was just a usual night of youth group. My husband and I are the youth leaders at our church and we so enjoy the time we spend with our church family! We got home pretty late Friday and crashed in bed.

Saturday morning, we enjoyed a family breakfast at home of waffles and eggs! I forgot to snap a good picture, but let’s just say waffles + peanut butter + syrup are the best combination! Then, we headed to a car dealership where we actually had a pretty frustrating experience. By 1pm, my husband and I were both starving and Emma was ready for her nap, so we had a quick lunch while Emma napped and vented to each other about how stressful car dealing is.

We each got the 2-item plates at Panda Express, and had enough leftovers for Emma once she woke up, as well as some left for dinner! These plates are so massive, so we both listened to our hunger, filled up on the broccoli and the veggies, and stopped when we were full. My husband LOVES Chinese food, so it was nice to enjoy this with him and sit outside in the fresh air.

After lunch, hubby took Emma home and I hit the grocery store. We were out of so many staples, so I stocked up big time. Our Trader Joe’s is remodeling, so while it was difficult to get around, I got the job done and am so excited for our new and improved store to open soon!

The rest of Saturday was pretty low key. I cleaned the floors at least 10 times as Emma has been throwing food all over the place. We put her down to bed early, watched the Lakers game, then I knocked out at 8:30pm. Oh how I love sleeping early even on the weekends!

Sunday morning consisted of my usual morning routine (quiet time, journaling, Bible study, and my workout!) We got ready for church and headed over for our English service and Sunday school class. I was SO hungry by 11:30 am that I was snapping at everyone (so sorry to my husband and mama!) so we had an early lunch at the local mall’s food court and walked around a bit! I had been craving a sandwich + salad combo, so I tried out Stone Oven for the first time, and was pleasantly surprised! I got the chicken pesto sandwich with with a side salad.

We walked around the mall a bit, fed Emma once she woke up (we gave her leftover kebab + rice from my husband’s meal) then headed home. We were both in awe at how early we were getting home on a Sunday! We are usually out all day on Sundays, so it was nice to come home and relax. I got a head start on laundry and meal prep, and we enjoyed Emma’s playfulness while we got things done around the house!

For meal prep, I made pasta in the instant pot and roasted vegetables. Meal prep is continuing today, but it felt good to get a few things done and enter the week with food ready to eat in the fridge, which we also enjoyed for dinner!

Emma went down early again, so we finished up the last 3 episodes of Man in the High Castle. This show is SO good, although I will say season 1 was my favorite. We just finished up season 3, and while it was intense, rarely is a show ever as good as its first season…ammiright?

And so far on this Monday, I have been running errands, cooking, finishing up laundry (will it ever end??) and enjoying a quiet day! Emma is at school for a few hours today, so this pregnant mama is getting all the rest she can!

I hope you all are having a relaxing and enjoyable week so far! Here’s to it being almost-November!