Post Pregnancy Journey: Sample Week: FriYAY!

Friday:

Early Morning Workout: 2 mile walk & Tone It Up App Core Restore & 1 yoga or stretching session. 
Drink Lemon Water & take Vitamins

Meal 1: Oatmeal with papaya, blueberries, bananas and a scoop of greek yogurt and fill water bottle 32 oz.

Snack 2: bowl of cherries & dried apricots

Meal 3: Avocado Toast: Toast Ezekiel bread and then add a layer of cream cheese. slice up avocado and then sprinkle with Everything Bagel seasoning.

Snack 4: Stuffed Dates & Refill water 32 oz.

Meal 5: Healthy Orange Chicken with Broccoli

Snack 6: Mango Avocado lime salsa and tortilla chips (This was leftover from Tuesday's salmon recipe) and a Waterloo.

Total Water Intake: 64 oz.

Selfcare: My walk in am and some wine while binge watching some shows with Ty after the kids go to bed.

Time With Kids: Family walk/bike ride with the kids. 

Post Pregnancy Journey: Sample Week: Thursday

Thursday:

Early Morning Workout: 2 mile walk & Tone It Up App Manhattan Beach Booty 
Drink Lemon & Ginger Water & take Vitamins

Meal 1: Mermaid Smoothie Bowl (LOVE this one) and fill water bottle 32 oz.

Snack 2: Iced Coffee Protein Shake & an Apple w/ PB drizzled on top

Meal 3: Zesty Tuna Lettuce Wraps 

Snack 4: 3 dried Apricots, small scoop of almonds & some papaya cubes

Meal 5: Ty cooked me some marinated filet mignon with roasted potatoes and a salad. I generally don't eat a lot of red meat but this was such a tasty meal that he made for me. If I do eat red meat it's like once a month and organic filet mingon. I have thought a lot about becoming a vegetarian again. I was raised as one and I think there are many positives to this. Meats that I do not eat: Pork, ham, hamburger, duck or venison.

Snack 6: Mango Avocado lime salsa and tortilla chips (This was leftover from Tuesday's salmon recipe) and a Waterloo.

Total Water Intake: 64 oz.

Selfcare: My walk in am & some time with Ty alone. Mocktails on the porch. Try this Strawberry Kombucha Mojito recipe HERE. 

Time With Kids: Tonight we are going to play charades as a family for a bit before they go to bed and before Ty and my alone time.  The kids love this game!!

Post Pregnancy Journey: Sample Week: Wednesday

Wednesday:

Early Morning Workout: 2 mile walk & Tone It Up App Strong Arms workout or this Family Workout if your kids wont leave you alone. haha.
Also I'm including THIS blog post on finding the right exercise routine for you.
Drink Lemon Water & take Vitamins

Meal 1: Eggs with Spinach & Ezekiel english muffin with chia spread. Papaya on the side.
Fill up 32 oz of water

Snack 2: An apple and Chocolate PB Banana Lactation Smoothie

Meal 3: Baked Sweet potato, raw cucumbers, 2 eggs over medium, avocado & cherry tomatoes
Also, here is a recipe that I love for Grilled Sweet Potatoes

Snack 4: No Bake Chocolate Lactation Bar (or any Raw Bar that you prepped on Sunday)

Meal 5: Garlic Butter Ground Turkey W/ Cauliflower Skillet
& Refill water bottle

Snack 6: Almond Butter Stuffed Dates (A favorite of mine!)

Total Water Intake: 64 oz.

Selfcare: My workout in am & some tv/movie time with Ty and Pink Himalayan Salt Popcorn

Time With Kids: Scarlett one-on-one (Paint nails)

Post-Pregnancy Journey: Sample Week: Tuesday

Tuesday:

Early Morning Workout: Tone It Up App Booty Work workout (I have some of my own workouts coming soon!!!) If your kids are school age and are home with you, try this workout HERE.
Drink warm Lemon Water & take Vitamins

Meals:
Meal 1: Cherry Smoothie: 2 cups frozen cherries, 1 banana, 1/2 lemon peeled and 1 cup or so of coconut water.
I also eat a protein bar or apple with this if I am feeling extra hungry.

Meal 2: Fill up 32 oz of water
Greek Yogurt & Fruit Bowl: 1 cup of plain greek yogurt, blueberries, mango or papaya or both,  banana, granola, coconut flakes and drizzle honey over the top. You can also do warmed up PB drizzled over the top if you aren't a honey fan.

Meal 3: Greek Power Bowl  here is another great Easy Greek Bowl recipe w/ Waterloo Sparkling Water I'm also having a square of an organic dark chocolate bar for after lunch sweet.

Meal 4:  green beans, carrots and hummus & Refill water bottle 32 oz.

Meal 5: Clean Eating Taco Tuesday!!

Meal 6: No Bake Chocolate Lactation Bar (or any Raw Bar that you prepped on Sunday)


Total Water Intake: 64 oz.

Selfcare: My workout in am & tonight I will take a relaxing bath and read a book with a glass of Dry Farm Wines (I always rave about this company) after I get the baby to bed. Ty will get older kids to bed.
Time With Kids: Chat with Maxwell. Hang out and watch a movie with him. Scarlett can join too.

Post-Pregnancy Journey. Sample Week- Monday:

 I love to try my best to stay healthy and in shape. Lately I have this urge to share more of this with others so that they can feel their best too. Being a mother is hard work and sometimes overwhelming. I 100% understand this as a working mother of 3. As we take care of our children, a lot of us also work, try to keep up with housework and chores etc. Often the ones left behind or doing all of the sacrificing are us. One of the biggest lessons I have taken away from motherhood is that you cannot lose yourself. Do this, and you won't be the best parent, wife etc, that you can be. You can't live on empty and really be the best version of you. This week I am sharing a simple way that you can take care of yourself to feel and look your best! What is it? Simply eating well, exercising and taking some "me" time each week. I have a 3 month old baby and so my meals and plans are currently catered to that. This doesn't mean it can't work for others. Just substitute workouts or snacks if you like.

 This is a sample week of what I do each day. It is best to prep as much as you can on Sunday so that you aren't tempted to grab something to eat quick that isn't super healthy. I also set up my workouts ahead of time. I use a google spreadsheet for myself, but a simple calendar works too. I am explaining my day a little more in detail here to paint a picture for how I multi-task and fit everything in, but subsequent posts will be more focused on the food, water intake and exercise. 


Monday:
7am: Lemon water and vitamins ( I still take an organic prenatal gummy since I'm nursing HERE and a postnatal Omega supplement HERE)

7:05 am: Workout Tone It Up App- Core Restore & 1 approved ab-separation routine from TIU app or my own created workouts. I have done SO many different workout routines from Cindy Crawford and Claudia Schiffer workouts back when I was a teen to Beachbody,  Tracy Anderson and Jillian Michaels. I even have Instagram fitness pages that I follow and use their workouts.  So my workouts vary a lot depending on what stage in life I am at. Right now Tone It Up app ($10 a month) works for my busy schedule. They also do series which are often helpful. I started with their PostNatal Series. But I did change it up a bit.
Note: I try to get up before the kids at 7am and workout. My kids generally sleep late. Sometimes Vera gets up earlier and then I improvise by setting her up with toys in my workout room. When I get my workout done first thing in the morning, when I have the most focus, this sets the mood for my entire day!

7:45 am: Snack: Post Workout Smoothie: 1 1/2 c. wild frozen blueberries, 1 c. frozen mango, 1 banana, handful of spinach, 1 tablespoon almond butter, a scoop of protein powder, a scoop of collagen and about 1-2 c. coconut water.
Note: Immediately after I workout I have a smoothie. These vary and I will share more of them throughout the week. I like this organic protein and this marine collagen. 

8:00 am: Feed my Kids & Prep Water. Kids get up and I feed them breakfast. While they eat, I fill up my fav water bottle to make sure I intentionally drink enough during the day. This is my water bottle HERE. I chose this one because I like that it is 32 oz and I know that I need to drink 2 of these a day to hit my water intake. You want to drink 1/2 your bodyweight in oz. If it's hot or I'm more active, I will drink more. I will share some of my favorite infused waters in case you don't like regular water. Here is a great one that I make often: Cucumber, Lemon, Ginger Water.
I breastfeed Vera and get her into her play gym for belly time or bouncer. Then I eat my 1st small meal.

8:45 am: Snack:  Everything Bagel Avocado Toast: 2 pieces of Ezekiel bread (or organic sprouted whole grain). After toasting, spread some cream cheese over both pieces. Slice up avocado and put over the cream cheese. Sprinkle Everything Bagel seasoning on top. Often I will have tea with this. My favorite tea Cinnamon Vanilla tea HERE.

9:20 am: Kids Schoolwork & Clean Up
I make sure Scarlett is doing her online schoolwork and give Maxwell some pre-k workbooks to do. I put Vera in the baby carrier because this is currently the only way she will nap. While she is in there I clean up and  throw in a load of laundry.

9:40 am: Get dressed & Work  This is the only bit of time that I get to put in some work for the gym, do bills or maybe some meal planning or blogging. Sometimes I feel better and more motivated if I get dressed. So I will do that before I start work. If Vera is fussy or I am running low on time, I say in workout clothes.

12 pm: Meal 2: Greek Power Bowl: Recipe HERE
I usually eat with Ty and make the kids plates of raw fruits, veggies and some grains or pasta. Maxwell is a picky eater and only likes plain foods but it's pretty easy to make him a plate of odds and ends. Scarlett will usually eat whatever we eat. I also sometimes have a Waterloo Sparkling Water with lunch. My favorite is their Watermelon.

12:30 pm: Misc: Change & nurse Vera, fold laundry & kids play in playroom.


1:30 pm: Snack: No Bake Chocolate Lactation Bars  (I prepped these on Sunday)
Refill my water. By now I should have drank my first 32 oz of water and I am refilling. Maybe get more work done. Respond to emails, gym inquiries etc. This is also when I schedule my meetings. During this time I let kids have screen time so they aren't bothering me.

3:30 pm: Snack: Sliced Apple w/ Peanut Butter, Dried Apricots & Almonds
Feed Baby again and put down for nap. Clean up again. Around this time, sometimes I like to do something with the kids. Sometimes both or sometimes one on one. Today I am going to take some time with Maxwell and play or paint with him.

5:00 pm: Dinner Prep Ty and I take turns doing meals. Lately we have been prepping food together.
5:30 pm: Dinner: Grilled Lime Salmon w/ Avocado Mango Salsa & Coconut Rice 

6:30- 7:30 pm: Family Walk 

8:00 pm: Bedtime Prep: Brush teeth, showers/baths for kids & PJ's. Put movie on for older kids. Make them a snack. Make sure I drank my second filled water bottle. If not, finish that while I nurse Vera and put her to bed.

9:00 pm: Adult Time: This is what I consider my "selfcare time". I like to shower at night so I do this and then Ty and I take a drink out on the porch. On Mondays I usually do some tea or maybe a mocktail. This is my favorite night time tea HERE. Sometimes Ty and I have gym stuff that we need to discuss so we take this time together to do that or just chat with each other.

Back To Eating Healthy: Meal Plan for the Week

Thank God Ty took over for me while I was out of commission the first 3 months of my pregnancy. But I'm back to eating healthy and craving the foods that I used to love. I thought I would share some of what is inside my fridge on a random week and what I'm trying to do to stay healthy while pregnant. Now in my second trimester, I'm really trying my best to stick to healthy foods. I tell myself before I put something in my mouth, would you feed this to your baby?? Because this is what I'm essentially doing. But, that doesn't mean I won't treat myself now and again. Because I certainly do.

Here is my meal plan for this particular week. I have recently had to incorporate a lot more iron enriched foods into my diet because with both past pregnancies I was anemic and this one seems to be headed in that direction also. So lots of iron-rich foods are incorporated into my meals such as spinach, cashews, pumpkin seeds, apricots, raisins, sweet potatoes etc...I'm not a huge meat eater so I have to double up on other things.

I left out Sat and Sun because I'm more lenient on the weekends, although I stick to the 6 smaller meals a day and try to stick to my water intake. I will admit that when I feel more hungry, I eat more than I normally would and I'm ok with that at this stage of my pregnancy.  I've been mixing up my water because it's been SO hard to stick to my water intake!! Water made me nauseous for a really long time. Anyhow, this is what one week of my meals looked like. Note all the workouts are now prenatal workouts from the Tone It Up app.

Galveston, TX & Eating Healthy on Vacation

We just got back from a long weekend getaway to Galveston, TX.
We were supposed to leave for Siesta Keys FL on Friday but the red tide put a damper on that trip. My mother lives in Siesta Keys and warned us how bad it is there with this horrible red tide period they are going through. She said the beaches are desolate, the smell is terrible, tons of dead fish and animals washing up on shore, you can barely breathe...the list goes on. We were super sad that we didn't get to spend time with my mom but it was a good decision that we rescheduled.

I really wanted to take the kids on one last little, fun trip before school starts next week. Ty said,  find some place to go and let's go. Being the savvy trip planner that I am,  I got online and within 20 minutes, I booked the San Luis Resort in Galveston, TX. This resort is right on the ocean. I've been wanting to visit a Texas beach. People warned us that the Texas beaches weren't that nice. Buttttttt, now that I've been, I beg to differ. They were just as beautiful in their own ways. I mean, they aren't the New England beaches that I'm used to, but they still had lots of charm. The resort had pretty views and great amenities.  I honestly didn't know much about the area but decided we'd take a chance.

Turns out it was a great pick and we had a fun time playing in the sand, splashing in the pool and eating..... There was a great little pier with an amusement park on it called, Pleasure Pier. Maxwell wasn't feeling the best on Sunday so we decided to go on Monday or Tuesday. Unfortunately, they had the most only weekend hours and were closed Monday and Tuesday so we didn't get to go. I mean, it IS still summer, isn't it? We must have just missed summer hours. The kids were pretty bummed and so were we since the ginormous lit up carousel looked pretty magical in the evenings. If you ever go to Galveston, check it out....but check out the hours online before going as well! We did however spend lots of time on the beach and in the pool. We ate at the Rainforest Cafe that was next to the resort, kids pick. And dined in the Grotto and Steakhouse that were inside the resort.


So let's just talk about that for a minute, can we? Every time that we go away some place, we end up eating out mostly, as most people do when away on vacation. The problem is that we eat really clean and all organic, very little processed foods on a daily basis. Then we go away and are eating a lot of fried foods & processed foods. After about 3 or 4 days of this, I start to feel crappy, bloated and just overall not good. After every vacation I say to myself, "Why do I do this every time!?"  Mind you, I have the occasional cheat meal every now and then on a weekly basis. That doesn't seem to bother me. It's when I eat like that for  a period of days or more that it begins to really effect me. After not learning my lesson for the last 6 or 7 trips that we've been on, I've finally decided to plan out better ways to eat while I am away. I will most definitely eat out and indulge in drinks because I really do enjoy that aspect of vacation. Besides seeing new places, trying new foods is one of the best parts of traveling!  What I will change is being intentional about where and what I'm eating, or at least incorporate some good-gut foods during my vacations. One thing about Texas, (and even those from here will tell you this) there is a LOT of delicious yet unhealthy food to try here.  Haha, I know I will get slack from someone by saying that. Here there seems to be a lot of Tex-Mex, true southern and deep fried foods. These aren't my favorite foods by any means but I still like trying new dishes. No matter where you go, you will find healthy and unhealthy foods/restaurants.

My thoughts are that we will try to stay only at places that have a kitchen or kitchenette so that we can try and cook some of our own meals there. This would eliminate the need to eat out as much and also incorporate some healthy raw foods. Maybe sub breakfasts for going out to eat. Another thing I am going to do is to research the restaurants before we go and see if I can find some organic or clean-eating restaurants. I am also going to pack a bunch of clean snacks for travel. This will eliminate eating junk food as we travel on the plane, or to our destination. I am open to new ideas and would love if you would share them with me!!! This is a learning process for me since I never thought twice about eating healthy 2 years ago. I'm finding it isn't as hard as I thought it would be. It is more about making small choices to healthier things. Moderation is really key for me. Anyhow, I have a whole other post that I am working on with things that I have planned and lined up for the next trip coming up. Stay tuned for that.

For now, I will leave you with some photos from our getaway.... 
xo