green smoothie kinda day.

we started our monday out with green smoothies for breakfast a.k.a. spinach + frozen strawberries, mangos,  pineapple + a little water + a little sugar (seriously, a little)

brooklyn loves these smoothies. 

at first taste, i am taken to summer time and i honestly can picture myself standing in my old kitchen in taylorsville, brooklyn at my feet, and a whole summer day ahead of us.

it really really got me wanting and wishing for summer.

not to skip spring or anything... i love spring.

there's just something about summer isn't there?

after her nap, i took that little fireball outside to eat her snack of a banana, which she prefers to hold all on her own, and to bask in the sunlight on the tramp. gosh it felt good. pretty darn warm. i can't wait for the temperature to go up and up and UP!

the rest of the day was doing laundry, folding laundry, thinking about breaking out the playdough, and then hanging out with james when he got home.

dinner was the meal we've fondly named, the quinoa dinner, and then it was just mellow and quiet around the house the rest of the evening. james and i talked about plans for the yard this summer, job stresses, and other married couple things to talk about. we have big expectations for this summer. we can't wait.

but...

we will definitely enjoy spring and try to think up some great expectations for it too.

good produce.

james and i checked out a little produce shop near our home last night.

i love colorful vibrant fruit and veggies. they definitely taste better with all that color.

i plan on making some muffins out of our delicious bounty. 

what are your plans for the weekend?

we'll be going to a wedding (dang excited for this!), a reception, and a farewell. most of it being in the states of idaho and wyoming. please pray that brooklyn will be a good traveler for us.

h a p p y  w e e k e n d !

the healthy side.

i've fallen into the trap of what i like to call the 'nursing = weight loss' trap. anyone else been there? you have? good. ever since brooklyn was born i have honestly been able to eat what i want, lose weight, and then keep it off. after the first six weeks i was down to my pre pregnancy weight, plus a little. it was awesome. i was motivated to keep it up. i drank a ton of water and i really used portion control. but... i ate what i wanted.

fast forward. it's a year later and i'm still nursing. i don't nurse quite as often but very close. however, it's been much easier for me, even more than normal, to eat what i want. i have gained some poundage. not a lot, but i have. i've become a little more lazy with my portion control and i have seriously eaten everything i wanted this summer. not good you guys. 

it's amazing how i can eat healthy and work out and feel that amazing good healthy feeling, and then turn around and do the complete opposite and feel so crappy. why why why? it really does become about laziness for me. it's the easier option. but by dang, it is not the better one. 

i've been trying really hard as of recent to do better in both categories (eating and working out). now if you read my blog often, you're probably saying, "ya right. you have been eating out and eating junk you crazy woman!" while this is true, i really have tried to up my water intake and also my activity level. but let's be honest, if i'm putting crap in my body, it's not going to help to work out not one little bit. 

so, last night, i went a nice run. in the hot hot heat. my face felt like it was going to burn right off. the shady parts were heaven sent and i felt like i could run harder. it never lasted long. the sun got the better of me. my motivation to run my route was that james and brooklyn were at the end of it waiting for me. i didn't want to be gone too long, so i pushed myself and really ended up getting a great work out. brooklyn wasn't sure she was done playing yet. so i was able to do a cool down and then we headed home. 

james sent me these picture messages while i was running (i saw them when i got home):

"love you"

"still love you, i'm just distracted"

"free to roam"

there is something i like to do on occasion. and actually, it is a very rare occasion, and if anyone caught me doing it, i might be a tad embarrassed. it's kind of a circuit work out. i usually have music on. this gets me pumped up. then, wherever brooklyn is becomes the free style dance/ jumping jack station. i run up and down my hall a few times. i always have a push up station. because seriously, what is better for you than push ups? sometimes i'll have a free weight station where i do a couple sets of different arm exercises. and i usually end up doing some sort of kickboxing station last. then i start all over. it makes it hard to have a baby around because she wants to jump on me or have me hold her because she wants to join in the fun. i would do it during her nap but that's when i get other things done. plus, i think it's a benefit for brooklyn to see her mommy being active and getting some exercise. so go ahead. picture it. it really is a great work out. if you're not too embarrassed you should totally try it. 

so if you see me on the street, hold me accountable. ask me what i ate for breakfast. ask me when the last time i worked out was. ask me if i'm living healthy. ok maybe don't do that, but feel free to ask how i'm doing. i really like being held accountable. this doesn't mean i'm going to pass up dessert folks. i'm just going to do better with my portion control so that i CAN eat the things that i want to (in moderation of course). 

A bucket full of summer...

Yesterday my SIL posted about her and her husband's summer bucket list, Studio 5 did their summer bucket list show, and James and I have been giving careful thought to our very own summer bucket list. The summer bucket list, for us, started back in 2007 during our dating days. We made a small yet fun list over the phone and became ecstatic about it. Since we only saw each other on weekends because we lived so far apart, our weekends were packed with things from that bucket list. Sadly though, we did not finish that list. It's sad, but not really. We've made a summer bucket list every summer since. We turn into kids when we start planning and scheming out our summer. It's just so darn fun.

This summer will be different than any other for us, this summer will be Brookified. Adding a baby to the mix will change our usual summer bucket list just a little bit. I think it will also make it more fun and interesting. As with anything and everything we did before baby that we do now, it will require a lot more planning and preparation. It will totally be worth it. That cute baby in a swim suit. Oh. My.

One major change to our summer bucket list this year (besides baby) is that we want it to be a healthy summer. That includes: being active and eating lots of healthy food. Normally during the summer, we do eat very fresh, but we want to try to do that even more. Summer time is such an opportune time to do this. We'll be surrounded by fresh fruits and vegetables that we can easily turn into yummy meals and snacks. It makes me giddy thinking of all the possibilities. Also, it makes my mouth water.

This does not mean that we won't partake of all the summer bounty that is NOT healthy: snow cones, funnel cakes, BBQ, etc... no no, we won't deprive ourselves like that. We just want to try extra hard to ADD healthy things into our daily diets.

Doesn't that sound good? I really can't wait. In fact, we had a sort of summer fresh meal tonight. Remember that apple salsa recipe from Our Best Bites? Well, it just made it into the summer norm list. I made it for dinner again last night and it just tasted so fresh, and like, summer in my mouth. James agreed. It really is such a simple delicious recipe. If you haven't tried it yet, do it.

Summer 2012 is going to be a good one. A healthy one. And hopefully, the summer where we can check off EVERYTHING on our list. That would be a first. A first and with a baby. That would be quite a feat. I think we can do it. I know we can do it. Now, come on summer! Come on!

{summer starts for me when the outdoor pools open}

Cooking

Cooking has definitely become one of my passions over the last couple of years. Sometimes I even obsess over it. Finding that 'perfect' recipe just makes my heart flutter and fires me up to get in the kitchen and get cookin' like a mad woman. Not many recipes can do that for me.

But when I do find that recipe...I hold onto it. I make it several times - almost to memorize it. I'm afraid of losing it. So as of late, I've been sending these 'perfect' recipes to my e-mail. My little folder appropriately named Recipes, is full of all my favorite recipes that I never want to forget. I hope to make them until I am 80 years old (k maybe not that old). I want my children to grow up eating them and wanting to use them when they have their own children.

Last night I made one of those recipes. It was a first timer. But boy did it score. It's a recipe from a blog that I absolutely love, Our Best Bites. I'm sure you've heard of it. Well, skim through their recipes and make something tonight. Seriously. There are lots of great ones to choose from. Might I suggest:

Black Beans and Rice with Apple Salsa and Chicken (I used tilapia)

(their pictures are much better, but I still thought my version looked tasty)

If getting healthy or losing weight is on your list of resolutions, then this recipe is definitely a go. It's both healthy and filling. And the flavor combinations are super yummy. It's a healthy party in your mouth basically.

If you try it, let me know.