With you as my witness, I'll work on my fitness

When I learned that I was pregnant with twins in our last round of IVF, I was of course beyond excited and grateful...but...also concerned about how my body would handle it.

I'll admit that I was nervous for every.potential.bad.outcome. I had a major bleed around 13 weeks which was the result of a intrauterine blood clot. That put a stop to the little bit of exercise I had been doing at that point (walking at a moderate pace). I was so fearful of miscarrying that in fact I was as inactive as possible, even though there really isn't any evidence that exercise is associated with poor outcomes.

Fast forward to delivery. I lost all but five pounds in the first two weeks. Helloooooo water weight! Even though I'm currently at a comfortable weight, I am craving the feeling of being fit and strong.

I've been walking a lot of course- either with all four kids during the day (yes, I have a four kid stroller and pushing it is harder than anything you've ever done at CrossFit), or my littlest buddies in the evening. Check mark for cardio, but I need some strength work.

Sunday night I wrote down my starting plan. Nothing huge and time consuming- I wanted to be able to do it in under 10 minutes.

The 20 burpees? I wish I had written NONE BURPEES.

I end up breaking up each exercise into chunks- like I'll do 30 seconds of plank, then 10 push ups, then 10 burpees, etc.

We have TRX straps in our basement and since I literally do at least one load of laundry every day, it's easy for me to do some quick chest presses or something on them.

So yeah. Putting this out here for accountability's sake. Hopefully after a month of doing this I can come up with a next phase plan, burpees or not.

The jig is not yet up

On weekends my husband likes to cook family breakfast. Our boys' constant request is pancakes, which we're ok with- it's their weekend treat. But now that I'm not working and they're eating every breakfast at home, I can't in good dietitian conscience give them pancakes (with syrup...and sprinkles...) evvvvvvery morning.

They would gripe about a bowl of oatmeal or Cheerios.

I'm definitely not taking the time to make eggs.

What's a mom/dietitian to do?

Enter breakfast cookies.

I mean, not cookies in the Cookie-Crisp sense. Packed with whole grains and heart healthy fats, just in cookie form.

When I set out to make these I was afraid of creating tasteless hockey pucks. Happily these are neither- soft insides loaded with tender coconut plus crunchy bits of almond. These would make excellent packable snacks too. Let's check it out-

Breakfast Cookies- makes two dozen cookies
1/2 cup coconut oil, room temperature
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup agave nectar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup ground flaxseeds
1 cup oat or wheat bran
1/2 cup dry quick cooking oats
1 scoop unflavored or vanilla protein powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup shredded coconut flakes
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Here's a quick "why" about the ingredients I chose. Coconut oil is somewhat controversial in nutrition land. It's a saturated fat, which current research supports limited intake. Buuuut it's also a good source of medium chain triglycerides (or MCTs) which some research shows is beneficial. I lump it in the I'm-not-gonna-eat-this-stuff-by-the-gallon-but-bits-here-and-there-are-fine. I have a lot of foods in that category you may have noticed.

Agave nectar- I picked this rather than basic sugar because I HAD IT ON HAND. Really that's it for my logic. Agave, while trendy, is not lower calorie than sugar. One thing it does have going for it is it's lower glycemic index. This means it doesn't raise your blood sugar as quickly as regular sugar. It's not a health food- it's just an alternative to traditional sugar. 

Protein powder- I dumped this in because I was curious. BiPro is my jam. Unflavored FOREVA. It doesn't make these a high protein snack, but it does help to round out the nutrient balance (fats : carbs : protein). At least with my BiPro, you cannot taste it at all. It's seriously the best.

Directions
In a large bowl, combine oils, agave, eggs, and vanilla until well blended. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add to wet ingredients until blended, but try to not overmix.

Form into 1 1/2" balls and place on a Silpat or parchment paper. Bake at 350 for 11-13 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.

Per cookie: 150 calories, 12 grams carbohydrate, 11 grams fat, 4 grams protein.

It's no Cookie Crisp, yet we all have our hands on these in the morning. Mom and dietitian approved!

Memorial Day Weekending

You know, the nice thing about weekends when you're a stay at home mom is there's no end-of-the-weekend dread.

We had a great kickoff to the summer. Started out with some pool and sprinkler action in the backyard.

Interesting flag placement, boys.

We spent a sunny Sunday out at my parents' cabin.

I distinctly remember making all-American fried chicken for last year's Memorial Day meal. This year? Kind of the opposite- saaaaaalad. But don't hate me on this one. It's saaaaaaalad because it's super easy to put together and healthy and delicious.

Asian Chicken Salad Serves 4
-1 lb skinless boneless chicken breasts, pounded to 1" thick
-1 bottle Asian salad dressing
-1 bag broccoli slaw
-1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
-1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced
-1 tomato, diced

See? So simple. First put the chicken in a resealable bag with half the dressing. Let marinade for at least 30 minutes, up to 24 hours (in the fridge). When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour chicken + marinade into a baking dish, cover with foil, and bake for ~30 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through. Chicken is done when internal temp reaches at least 165 degrees. Let cool on a cutting board and dice up when cool enough to handle.

While chicken cools, assemble your salads- broccoli slaw, topped with veggies, diced chicken, and leftover Asian dressing.

I dig this because it's a very different texture than lettuce- crunchier, more substantial.

I mean, it's no fried chicken, but Asian chicken salad might have to be our new Memorial Day go-to.

It's the (second) most wonderful tiiiiiime of the year!

In Minnesota we have that one glorious week in May when the all the lilacs and all the crabapple trees are blooming and it is beautiful and fragrant and wonderful.

Then there are the other 51 weeks of the year.

Nature's beauty aside, I made some paella last week! Only, being me- cheap and easy (heh heh)- I made paella-ish. Actual paella uses saffron as one of the main spices. Saffron is extracted from flowers and is $25 at my grocery store for just a weensy bit. Definitely not happening. Also actual paella uses a special pan. And has mussels.

Thus, paella-ish.

But it's still super tasty! And cheap! And easy!

Easy Paella
-1 bag large/extra large/or jumbo frozen shrimp (I like to buy the raw but deveined kind)
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-1 teaspoon minced garlic
-Salt and pepper
-About 1 lb skinless boneless chicken thighs cut into 1-2 inch chunks.
-1 large sweet onion, diced
-1-2 bell peppers, diced
-2 bags Spanish rice mix (mine was actually rice/pasta hybrid- totally fine)
-3 cup chicken or vegetable broth
-1 14-oz can diced tomatoes
-4-5 precooke andouille sausage links (mine were actually chicken sausages)- cut into coins
-1 cup frozen peas
-1 tablespoon lemon juice
-1 tablespoon dried parsley

Thaw shrimp according to package instructions. Meanwhile heat up 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or other deep pan (medium high heat). Add garlic- stir around for a few seconds. Add shrimp. Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Saute, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until shrimp is pink and tender. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add remaining tablespoon olive oil to pan. Add raw chicken thighs. Sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper. Add onion and bell pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. When chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees or more, add Spanish rice mix, broth, and diced tomatoes. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once rice has soaked up most the broth and you're at a nice consistency, add sausage, peas, and cooked shrimp. Add lemon juice and parsley, cover, and let cook for another 5 minutes. Serve up!

Recipe makes six generous servings. So good- who needs $25 saffron and mussels anyway?

Cooking with the greatest 90's one hit wonder

I’ve been wearing shorts for the past week.

Not the same shorts of course. 

Even if I did you wouldn’t judge, would you? 

It’s just nuts to go from this:

to this:

in three weeks time.

Last week's post mentioned red beans and rice, and never ever being one to disappoint (heh heh), here we go. Side note: every time I say “red beans and rice” in my head, I can’t not follow it up with “ Didn’t miss her!” 

Sir Mix a lot pops up in my brain more than he does in normal people I suspect.

Red Beans and Rice

1 lb bag dry kidney beans

6 cups water + 3 vegetable bouillon cubes or 2 tbsp better than bouillon (but plain water would work too)

1.5 cups brown rice

1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning

1 large yellow onion, diced

4 bell peppers, diced

1 14-16 oz turkey kielbasa, cut into thin coins (could omit as traditional red beans and rice is just that)

The directions on the beans will tell you that you need to soak overnight. Nah, ya don’t. Simmer (covered) in the bouillon water for about 90 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile make rice according to package directions. When those beans are done, scoop out about 2 cups of the liquid and drain the rest. Add cooked rice, onion, pepper, kielbasa, and Cajun seasoning. Cover and cook on medium low, stirring every few minutes, until veggies are tender- about 10 minutes. Serve up!

Nutritionally this works because the beans + rice together yield a complete protein. Proteins are made from amino acids. There are 9 amino acids our body cannot make itself (termed “essential amino acids”), so while both the rice and the beans as solo foods are incomplete proteins, together they deliver the 9 essentials. Make sense? This is why vegetarians aren’t up a creek with protein deficiencies.

Makes six servings. Per serving: 315 calories, 50 g carbs, 5 g fat, 22 g protein, 8 g fiber

And now if you're walking away singing something about workout tapes by Fonda, you can blame me. 

Stuff I bought that I like

Thanks to these little nuggets I don’t have much time on my hands. 

Twins are a weird mix of crying frenzy, and peaceful quiet downtime. I’d like to say that I’ve been using snippets of downtime to be working on recipes or other post ideas, but it’s been laundry and cleaning taking priority. 

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a frivolous post about stuff that I’ve bought and love, so here goes!

Clarins Radiance-Plus Golden Glow Booster

This product is genius- it’s the concentrate of self tanning liquid, meaning you add a few drops to your favorite face lotion or sunscreen to poof! Make it into self tanner. I love my daily Lancôme with SPF and hate spending money on a separate self tanner. While the price seems high (at Nordstrom it's on sale though!), this bottle has lasted me more than a year. Because I’m naturally really pale, I use two drops mixed with my lotion every other day. No streaks, no smell, no ghostly white face. 

90 Degree by Reflex Jacket

One of the fashion bloggers I follow raves about this jacket, and me being the complete follower I am bought one as well. Love that it’s sold on Amazon (who doesn’t have a Prime subscription nowadays?) and love the price. To me this is a total dupe for Lululemon- thick stretchy material that’s cut really well. This plus my high waist leggings will be my go to mom uniform.

Maybelline SuperStay Matte Lip Ink

I’m not a huge drug store makeup girl, mainly because I like being able to try out a product first. I don’t even remember why I bought these but man, they’re good. I have two colors and use one or the other most every day. They are really natural looking on and don’t dry your lips out like a lot of matte longwear products do. I have "Lover" (pictured) and "Dreamer."

Philosophy Hands of Hope

With twins comes having to wash my hands 17,632 times a day. I end up with super dry skin no matter what soap I use. I love this particular hand lotion because it’s thick and non greasy, but most important- there’s no scent to it. I love perfume and scented shower gel but for a basic hand lotion? Nope. Plus my husband can use it without smelling like cotton juniper sunshine field. 

BP Sunglasses

A few months ago I was at Macys and saw these beautiful Tory Burch sunglasses. I’ll admit that I already have quite a few designer pairs of glasses and I can’t justify the cost for a funkier pair. I found these BP ones at Nordstrom and to me they’re pretty much a dupe at less than 10% of the price. Most important is that they’re comfy and don’t slide down my nose. When one of the kids overzealously tries them on and they break, I won’t freak.

Safe to say that being at home with babies- during the down time- leads to some internet purchases. But hey- think of it as me doing the screening of products for you.

On the table this week? Red beans and rice! May or may not have everything to do with said shopping. Happy Wednesday!