Health Upgrades

I am just going to ignore the fact that I have not posted in over a month. Honestly, I am debating if I even have the desire to keep this blog going. But I am going to continue to post and see if my "want" picks back up again.

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We all know that with a new year brings new resolutions. And by far the #1 resolution is to lose weight or get healthy. This year I jumped on the bandwagon. While weight is something I want to change for me it was more about getting my body back in shape. I had become almost sedentary while also eating a bunch of junk all the time. I felt sluggish, my skin was extra oily, my mind was bored...I needed a change.

So I made a few decisions to get myself in gear. And my motivation - having another baby! I told myself awhile back that I needed to get back in shape and get close to a goal weight before I could get pregnant again. I am hoping that will help keep me on track.

The Changes

1. Fitbit Force- my awesome boss got all of us employees Fitbit Force's for Christmas. I was considering buying one prior to that so I was super excited. Its really neat to see what kind of activity you are doing throughout the day and it adds a level of competition. I have started to slack a bit but mostly bc the weather has not been condusive to running. Getting back at it!

2. Paleo- I used to make fun of all those Paleo people and their obsession with it. It seemed silly to me for some reason. But when I evaluated what I was eating I realized that eliminating carbs and overly processed food in favor of lots of vegetables, lean meats and fruit was a great idea. It has gone pretty well. The hardest part for me is lunch...I just can't do salads everyday and I am impatient when it comes to preparing food for lunch. I have had fun making new meals at dinnertime and its even making me a better cook in the kitchen. Bonus!

3. Cleanse- Back in October I did my first ever juice cleanse. The 3 Day Cleanse was particularly challenging but in a good way. A couple weeks ago I opted to do a 2 day quick cleanse with juices that I made myself. It was a nice little restart for my body and I think I will do one of these every couple months.

4. Running/Working Out- I don't enjoy running. I will never enjoy running. But I feel good when I am done and I enjoy the benefits of it. So I make myself run. I have been running 2-3 days (sometimes more) a week, usually around 2 miles. I can tell that my body is in better shape so it feels good to be doing it. I also mix in Jillian DVDs, the 7 Min Scientific workout and other activities to keep me moving.

5. Water- I have always enjoyed drinking water and do it throughout the day but I never get as much as I should. I have tried to be very conscious about drinking upwards of 80oz a day or more. On the days where I drink more water I defintely feel "cleaner" - even though I have to pee all. the. time.

6. 80/20 Rule- You only live once. I enjoy being lazy on ocassion. I enjoy eating fried foods and a bowl full of macaroni and cheese. You can't totally deprive yourself or its just not worth it. Everything in moderation. I give myself a cheat meal every week and have 1-2 days where I don't work out at all.

So have all these upgrades paid off? Yes, absolutely. I have seen changes on the scale, although I have a long way to go, and I definitely feel better. Your body is the only one you get, you have to treat it right. Plus...gotta get myself ready to make another baby!

Its a Wienervention!

Hot dogs are a summer staple in our household. We love to get together with friends, hang out in the backyard chatting and playing games and fire up the grill to roast some hot dogs. Good fun and delicious summer food.

I never really worried about what was actually in a hot dog, I knew it wasn't great stuff but it tasted good and that was enough for me. Then we had Molly and when she started eating real food I was definitely weary of giving her hot dogs. Too many fillers and mystery ingredients. It just didn't sit well with me as a good food item for her. But of course she loved them...

So it was time for a Wienervention!

Courtesy of Applegate hot dogs! Cue the hallelujahs! And put hot dogs back on the summer menu.

Applegate was kind enough to send us a package full of delicious, healthy, organic, no filler hot dogs. I wasn't the only one that was excited when we opened up the box.



Applegate generously sent us a variety of dogs to try, both organic and natural.



I knew from the research I had done into Applegate's products and the ingridients listed on the packaging that these were definitely the best possible hot dogs you can eat. No guilty feeling for gobbling these up or giving them to Molly. I think this little quote from the CEO sums it up nicely,

"So…What if you weren’t afraid to read the ingredients on a hot dog package? Like me, you’d feel better about eating them, and serving them to your family. That simple idea has always been, and will continue to be, what drives Applegate."

But the true test would come when we tasted them. They have to taste good to make their way on our menu. So we grilled em up.



And served them to our prestigious taste testers...





Approved! These two tots practically licked their plates. That is a win for me! Us adults enjoyed them too. We slapped in some buns with mustard, ketchup, cheese, relish and avocado and devoured them. Our self proclaimed hot dog guru friend also gave them the seal of approval.

And it gets better! One of my hot dog lovin readers will get to experience this Wienervention first hand! The great people at Applegate have offered to send the same package full of dogs to one reader. 

Giveaway Details:

To win, simply comment on my post (be sure to include your email) with the words "Wienervention" and tell me what your favorite thing to throw on the grill is.

Giveaway closes Friday August  9th at 12pm CST.

Check out the Applegate Wienervention Facebook page for coupons and recipes. And visit Applegate.com for more information on the company's story and their products. They make lots of great stuff besides hot dogs.

And in the meantime, don't be afraid to spread the word about the Wienervention happening!!

Munchkin Meals: Lately

I just realized the last time I contributed to Munchkin Meals was last November! Say wha? Don't worry, we are still feeding Molly. Part of the reason is probably that I don't think our meals are all that exciting. We have a couple rules when it comes to mealtime and we try to keep it healthy but other than that its pretty basic stuff. As always, big thanks to Brittany at A Healthy Slice of Life for hosting this linkup. Her recipes and meals are always inspiring...in fact I pinned a couple that I am trying this week!

Our goal for every meal is to get 1 protein, 1 fruit and 1 veggie. Sometimes she only eats the fruit, sometimes only the protein and on occasion every single thing on her plate (and every now and then almost ever single thing goes on the floor). When she eats well she might get a treat like an animal cookie or some organic fruit snacks.

Molly has started getting up earlier and earlier these days (not fun!) but we always start everyday with a cup of hemp milk. As soon as she cracks her little eyes open she asks for her milk. That is usually around 6:45am. After she has her milk she usually has a banana and some organic fruit loops.

Real breakfast is served around 8:30am. A typical breakfast is 1 1/2 egg, strawberries/blueberries/leftover banana and toast. She also really likes turkey sausage so she has that several days a week as well.



Around 10:15 she is ready for  a snack. For her morning snack she gets yogurt or raisins or a Nutrigrain bar. She basically munches on this while playing until its time for lunch.

Lunch is served at 11:45-Noonish. This fluctuates depending on if we are at home or out and about. I usually let her watch a little bit of Bubble Guppies while she eats lunch so I can get some work done. For lunch she usually has nitrate free mesquite turkey/half an all natural hot dog/chicken nuggets, avacado/grape tomatoes/green beans, some puff snacks and grapes.

Right after lunch she goes down for her nap. Lately she has been napping about 2.5 hours. When she wakes up she expects a snack immediately.

Apples have been her thing lately. She loves them. She will snack on an apple on and off all afternoon. She has also been enjoying the Sprouts Organic Foods fruit chews.





Because Molly is constantly in motion she burns a lot of calories and is almost always hungry. When she doesn't have a snack available she will run to the pantry and request something.

By about 6:30 she is ready for another full blown meal. Most of the time she eats what we are eating unless its something I know she won't like. I always offer her what we are eating and I will have a back-up if I know she probably won't like it. She has become very weird about textures so things like veggie lasagna she won't touch.

On this night we had tacos so Molly had a plate of deconstructed tacos. Tortilla, taco meat, avocado and tomatoes with grapes.



During all her meals she drinks water. She isn't a big fan of juice of any kind and I don't really want her to have it anyways. She also gets another cup of milk after bath before she goes to bed.

Pretty tasty stuff! My husband often jokes about how he wishes I made him breakfasts like I make Molly.  : )

Sprouts Snacks + a Giveaway

Getting Molly to eat healthy nutritious foods is sometimes a challenge. She eats her fair share of tomatoes and avocado with the occasional green bean or two thrown in but thats about it. She doesn't eat bad by any  stretch but getting those greens in can sometimes be a problem. I often go to smoothies to sneak in some kale and spinach but those aren't great options for when we are on the go. I might have found a solution though! New toddler snacks from Sprout Organic Foods!

When I heard about these I knew that Molly would most likely devour them and I love all the great healthy ingredients. 

The Fruit & Veggie Crispy Chews are my favorite because they look like fruit snacks but they pack of punch of good stuff! With combinations like Orange Fruit & Carrot and Red Berry & Beet I can sneak fruits and veggies into Molly's diet without have to beg her to eat something. Win!

The real test came when Sprout Organic Foods sent us some to try out.



When Molly woke up from her nap I set these out for part of her snack. She went right for them, even bypassing the teddy grahams and her favorite - goldfish!



Toddler approved!



We went through the samples that Sprout Organic Foods sent us in two days! I then ran out and grabbed a couple boxes to keep on hand. They are now a permanent fixture in our snack rotation and I love that I can feel good about what I am giving her to munch on.

Their snacks are made with certified organic ingredients and contain no preservatives, artificial colors, flavors or other additives. I love that! You can find more information on their website about all the great  essential vitamins and other health facts that are part of their foods. Plus you know they will taste good because they come straight from Chef Tyler Florence's kitchen!

"Sprout’s mission is to create delicious and nutritious foods using the finest organic ingredients. Our baby food stages grow with your child to provide a balance of wholesome and organic vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and proteins. Our unique recipes will nourish your child’s growth and encourage a love of healthy foods right from the start."

Doesn't get much better than that. Oh wait it does...

For a couple lucky readers -- you will get to snack away on these healthy treats too! The team at Sprout Organic Foods generously offered to send a pack of the new Toddler Snacks to one of my readers!


Giveaway Details:

To win, simply comment on my post (be sure to include your email) with the words "Eat Clean" and tell me what your favorite go-to snack for your kiddo is.

Giveaway closes Wed July 3rd at 12pm CST.

Good luck!

To learn more about the product you can visit the website and follow them on Twitter @SproutFoods