{I got mail}

Hey Everyone! Its Thursday!! which means tomorrow the weekend begins.. & its going to be a crazy one.. but I can't wait either way!! I live for the weekends, now I know what your thinking.. I know I'm a stay at home mom and that every day is like a weekend (sort of) but the Mr. gets to be home and that is my favorite thing about it. :)

Alright down to business.

{Breakfast}

Oatmeal.. fancy that?! surprised? I didn't think so..

Now my computer won't flip this picture.. so awkwardly tilt your head to the left and say "YUM...."

I used my Pumpkin Butter for a little flava flav this morning. 

1/3 cup old fashioned oats

cinnamon & nutmeg

1/2 scoop of elite 12 hour protein

2 tbs of pumpkin butter

1 scoop (with my spoon) of libbys pumpkin

1 tbs of almond butter

and topped it off with some almonds

I must say I enjoyed it and you will too.

After Breakfast I did a little yoga X

yep, you know it.. self portrait.. self taught no lessons.. 

seriously though. Yoga kicks my trash ola..

I'm a new yogi but honestly.. I would rather run 5 miles then engage in such torture.. 

But I do love it at the same time.. I can already tell a difference with my posture and flexibility and I have only been doing it faithfully for 3 weeks. I am getting ready to take my first class... now that I got the basic moves I won't look like such a newbie hopefully.. eek. and so I don't have to listen to that p90x dudes voice.. he drives me crazy.. p.s.

After yoga I sat down to enjoy this little concoction 

I like to call it.

YO to the CheeSe 

check it

1/2 of a Strawberry Greek Yogurt.. the kroger brand.. (my new fave)

1/2 cup or more of fat free cottage

3 almonds.

protein packed.. 

Oh what was that..?. you like that mini bowl.. yes, the Mr. and I made those in our ceramics class after we got engaged.. :)

After a few hours of feeding burping and changing and playing..

We decided to head to Bountiful to check out the fall leaves.. It was beautiful, I love the mountains in Bountiful in the fall.. It smells fally and is amazing to see all the orange, yellow and red leaves.. 

We ran along the Boulevard for a few milers
& the babes were out...

again.. turn head awkwardly and *sigh*

{LUNCH}

Opened face turkey-hummus sandwich

1 slice of Ezekiel bread

hummus

bed of spinach

turkey

a bit of avocado

beefsteak tomato

drizzled with fat free/calorie free balsamic vinaigrette

and Mrs dash of course

she hardly ever misses out on lunch

Peppers w/ hummus on the side

and 1/2 a gala on the side for the sweets :)

Lookie what arrived on my doorstep today

$16 for both.. and they are pretty big.. and a pretty big deal.. 

love amazon.. 

I love the elite 12 hr nilla.. so I had to get chocolate.. then our choc whey was gone and that's the Misters favorite. He switched it up and is going to try the "gourmet"

I was excited I made a shake stat

1/2 c. almond milk

1/2 water

1 scoop chocolate elite 12 hr 

1/2 bananer

1 tbs of freshly ground PB

ice

I love it..

{workout +}

Yes, I had another workout..call me crazy

& if your wondering if I have even showered yet.. the answer is no..

I went w/ the intention to lift. but I just didn't feel like it. Sooo

I hit the treadmill.. its a cardio day..

I did what I like to call the countdown..

warm up

5 minutes speed 6.0

ready?

1 min sprint speed 12.0

30 sec  break

1 min sprint speed 11.0

30 sec break

1 min sprint speed 10.0

30 sec break

1 min sprint speed 9.0

30 sec break

1 min sprint speed 8.0

30 sec break

5 minute run speed 7.0

5 minute speed 6.0

5 minute incline 10 speed 5.0

5 minute incline 15 speed 4.0

repeat

Hope you all had a great September.. October is tomorrow..

Can't wait to get the babies costumes ready! 

your going to LOVE them!

A few Q & A

what is xanthan gum?

Its just a thickner for my shakes, I recently got gaur gum too which makes it a bit creamier, just how I like it! You can get it at any whole foods store or sunflower, Its a bit pricy, ahem $14 but it last a long time Because a little goes a long way..

How often do you do cardio?

I do cardio.. every day.. but at different intensity.. Depends on my mood.. but I kick into gear at least 3 times a week.

Until tomorrow..

g night

you say nacho?

Macho Taco & some dippity dip

{Ingredients}

TJ. flaxseed tortilla chips

low fat mozzarella cheese

ground chicken breast (or ground turkey, chicken is just what I had in my fridge

Southwestern taco seasoning (I found mine at sunflower)

2 avocados

1 tomato

Salsa of your choice

a guac mix

diced olives

1 greek yogurt plain (or fat free sour cream, I only had the greek)

1 can of refried beans

1st I prepared the meat, follow directions on the packet for seasoning.

While the meat was cooking I whipped up the dip.

You can pretty much do it in any order you see fit..

bottom to top

refried beans

plain Greek yogurt

guac

salsa

olives 

tomato

ground chicken

moz cheese

Nachos

I used the flaxseed tortilla chips that we picked up at trader joes

mozzarella cheese 

set it in the broiler for a few minutes

took it out and covered it with the left over ground chicken

olives, tomatoes and had some salsa, and guac on the side :)

{My plate}

I added some peppers and hummus into the mix just for kicks.

The Mr. enjoyed every morsel

After dinner we headed up for quick hike before it got dark.

This trail is up cottonwood canyon, this place is absolutely breathtaking in the fall! And this trail runs directly next to a river. It was beautiful.

my mr. and the babes. Ready to go home

It was a good night! 

No time for the Q & A tonight.. will have to continue in the morning! 

goodnight y'all

loves

..Something to think about..

I came across this site today and it really hit me hard. Like a smack in the face. 

The disease called "Perfection"

click on the link.. just do it :)

I recommend that you read this and let me know what you think about it. 

To me, It touches my heart on so many personal levels, We all know somebody or maybe its ourselves that we see it.. Its the Quest of perfection.. Everyone has something to hide.. Don't be afraid to be you and face your fear no matter what anybody else thinks.. Its not their life its yours.

 YOU are in control and only YOU can make change to be the best you can be. 

Time to bloooong!

I'm BACK from Vegas!! We had so much fun with the family, It was great to have mostly everyone together under one roof.. Crazy.. but well worth it. So I'll just give a quick recap on the trip.. cause this will already most likely be a long blog. (hence the title) get it? I'm a dork, I know.. Vegas trip run down..

Got packed up..So I have to add, that packing for a family of 4 requires SO much stuff! it ridiculous.. but you do burn more calories carrying and lifting everything to the car..so thats a plus.

Ready to go.. I grabbed my reading material.

 7 hrs later..

 Welcome to Lake MEAD

For my workout everyday.. I finally got back to this..

and I missed it.. I couldn't complain.. it was 100 degrees and the water was GLASS! ALL DAY! 

I was in wake board heaven.

I went as hard as I could until my legs felt like lead.

We also took a "break" and I treaded water for quite some time! Not to mention the 5 kids that like to hang onto me while I was treading.. It was awesome.

After this I pulled myself back on the boat and took a power nap.. and did even more boarding

I took full advantage of that water.

The babes even enjoyed the beach for a little while (it was too hot to keep them there so daddy took them back to the house.)

After the long day on the lake.. we headed into the city for a buffet.. Yep, its tradition to hit up a buffet in Vegas. Let me just say.. that I don't love buffets.. {quality vs. quanity} I pick quality.. I would much rather pay $25 for one plate of  AMAZING food then for endless plates of food that is not so good.. But I made do.

Keeping portion sizes in check

(The small plates they had helped control that)

my plate

When at buffets I fill up on fruit, veggie and a protein. So I grabbed steamed broccoli, variety of melons and some mahi mahi, that had a a pineapple sauce. And some teriyaki chicken.

Plate 2 

 Yes, I had TWO plates.. Seafood anyone? I love it.. so I stocked on some japanese cucumber salad, sushi
 ( I just enjoyed the middle of the sushi and avoided the white rice), green beans and some shrimp and some snow crab.. I love shrimp.. and I love crab.. but was not impressed with this particular mix.. the sushi wasn't fab, the shrimp you had to peel yourself (and something about pulling the legs, shell and tail off I just don't like) and the snow crab was of course small and hard to crack, by the time you actually got the morsel of meat out, you realize that all that effort wasn't even worth it.

..Dessert..

By this time I had a baby in each arm so their wasn't a picture op.. my apologies

They had a gelato bar which I will admit was completely delicious! I picked the sugar free chocolate gelato.. I loved it. And they even had little tiny cups that they just served you one scoop with. So portion size was controlled.. but the Mr. and I both shared  each of ours. He had cookies and cream.There were many other choices of desserts and everyone sampled a few and confirmed that.. they all looked a lot better then what they actually tasted like.

Every day on the trip I was sure to get my work out in (on top of wakeboarding) , which was different everyday, I did 30 minutes of cardio. I logged about 15 miles for the trip. The babies joined me.

running make them sleepy..

&

My brother in-law brought this handy dandy TRX. It was awesome. This was my first time ever using one and I must say I did enjoy it. My first time working out with it I was a little skeptical, just because it was different and a little awkward. But once I got the hang of it I got pretty sweaty.. :)

I made a video of myself doing it, to show you guys but I  can't upload it onto blogger.. so I'll have to work on that.. I found some pics online of some of the workouts you can do with it.. 

here is a video from you tube.. Seriously, I may have to purchase one of these, for those days I just don't make it to the gym. Suspension training is killer. It challenges your strength and core by using just your own body weight. I have my sources.. and can get you one for a deal if anyone is interested.  Its great if you need at home workouts! 

Anyway.. sorry to ramble.. back to the trip..

While in Vegas, I don't leave without going here..

I love lululemon.. to bad they didn't have my size in almost everything I wanted.. So I just ordered it online... lululemon.com :) Why do I indulge myself with such... click here.

Then we discovered.. 

We need one in utah..enough said.

since we were leaving the day we went.. I stocked up on some treats.

triple fire roasted tomato salsa

flax seed tortilla chips

pumpkin butter

Beef jerky for the Mr.

&

Turkey Jerky for moi.

Oh.. TJ.. I could browse your aisles forever. 

I'm excited to try the pumpkin butter on some Ezekiel bread.. prob later today for a snack

and TJ jerky is top on my list.. perfect road trip essential and it has lower sodium then the leading jerky makers. Not to mention low cals per serving and HIGH protein. Its a must have.

Tonight I am going to feast upon a delish mexican

{More to come on that later}

 (not pictured was the pretzel thins.. they were scrumptious.) 

We headed back home.. it was a fun trip! But it feels good to be home and back into routine.. the babies will appreciate it.. and I missed my comfy bed :)

and whats a better way then heading back to the gym to pound the weights

WORKOUT

60 min of body combat

and the {clean your plate}

by GPP fitness

(this is a love hate relationship)

5 rounds for time:

25 plate cleans 25/45
25 double unders
25 burpees

my time: 37:23. I wanted to puke. 

But I came home and rewarded myself with a pumpkin shake..

This became a hit up in lake mead.. we had them EVERYDAY. Along with a few of these green monsters..

1 c. almond milk

1/2 banana

1 scoop of elite whey

1tbs of xanthan gum

ice

and pack the spinach in.

Now for the best part of the DAY... UNPACKING..&  laundry.

I know your jealous..

Something to watch for..

*A delish healthy mexi dish.

&

While I was on my trip, I received several emails and such.. So I'll do a little Q & A later.

Have a fab morning!

xoxo

its going to be a long weekend!

K, so I had to get one more post in.. with the 5 minutes of free time that I have today:)

{Morning Workout}

check it..

45 min. run with sprints and about every quarter mile I'd jump off and do 10 burpees

Then it was time to pull push and drop..

I got this workout from GPP fitness WOD

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-3 reps per round of:

deadlifts 135/185
pullups
clapping pushups

It took my 23 minutes. kind of slow but I packed on the weight for dead lifts and pullups are crazy tough for me. The fact though.. I did it.
And if you ever have a chance to make it to GPP fitness. I promise you'll get a good work out in. Its killer. everyday.

check out my sexy calluses (sp?). Thank you dead lifts.. This proves my need to invest in some lifting gloves. yes?

Good calorie burner for the day.. now I'm off to race around my house and get stuff diggity done.. pack, laundry, load car, temple, make protein bars, stop by at my former job.. (for a surprise??) and back up to the reception and then take off for Vegas baby. oh and yes not to mention love the twins at the same time.. they really are my favorite thing ALL day long. Being a mom is the best.. yes?!

have a great weekend.. Ill be back Tuesday!

..Pumpkin Love..

There is a new shake in season folks.. 

..Pumpkin..

Its SOOO good you guys, I don't think I'll ever get sick of it! I love pumpkin.. and after my pumpkin oats today and the beautiful rain we got today I had to go for a pumpkin shake! It totally sets you in the fall mood ;)

the iphone does not do it justice.. its really a beautiful thing :)

I even sprinkled a little of granola on top just for kicks! 

almond milk

water

1/2 cup of Libby's pumpkin (or as much or less as you want)

1 scoop of Elite Vanilla protein 

Cinnamon ( I love cinnamon so I use lots)

like 1/2 tsp of nutmeg (its powerful so don't over do it k loves)

1/2 banana

1 tsp of xanthan gum

ice

Try this for sure sometime this season. If you love pumpkin this will just top the list. Its like dessert, I wanted to make another one right after.. so I guess you know what I'm having post workout tomorrow.. :)

Tonight was my best friends wedding dinner. It was beautiful and I'am SO excited for to get married tomorrow to the man she loves!! Something about weddings just makes you smile and it is a good reminder of  your own wedding day and how perfect that moment was when you said "yes". or "I do". We had some delicious grub. The meal started with a spinach salad with cranberries, bacon and some feta love.

I picked out the bacon and most of the cranberries. 

Then dinner was served.. again the iphone takes crappy pics but it was chicken with some veggies! I scraped of as much of the sauce as possible to avoid extra calories.

It was a great dinner and now I'm just home, babes in bed and I have to get to packin' cause as much as I love the fall. We are headed to Lake Mead.. Back to Summer!! I think the high will be 103. on friday. Woot Woot (wave your hands in the air)..

Tomorrow, I may not blog, or I just might. Its an absolute CRAZY day.. with the wedding, packing, cleaning and such. so hopefully I get a chance.. If not I'll be fully enjoying my vaca for the next 4 days.

loves ♥ 

{Fall is in the air}

{The first day of fall}

 I love the fall here in Utah, the leaves are starting to change and the crisp smell of fall is the air! And when I jumped in my car this morning to head to the gym, I flipped on my seat warmers for the first time! 

Toasty buns :) 

..Workout of the morning..

60 min Body Combat + 7's

Biceps 21s 

seated curls 25 lbs 7 each side 3 sets

straight bar curls 40lbs 7 X 3 sets

Triceps 

 triceps push ups 7 X 3

tricep dips w/ 25 lb weight plate on your lap. 7  X 3

Cable Tricep pull 7 40 lb X 3

I alternated Bicep exercise --> Tricep exercise

ABs

Hanging leg raises

plank basic

side plank right

side plank left 

cable pull 40lbs 15 X 3

I had to run to the grocery store post workout and found some goods :)

good news. Kroger now has Greek!!

  

Check out the stats :) 110kcal, 0 fat, potassium 210mg!, 10g of carbs, sugars 9 grams (which is the lowest I've seen by far), and my favorite.. 14 g of protein!!! Grade A in my book :) thick creamy foodgasmic! & right now they are on sale for 89 cents! 

also.. guess what else was on SALE.

So I stocked up :)

New goal of the week.

Down 3 of these bad boys a day, that's a liter bottle folks

Drinking water is top notch for your body

& in a another attempt to produce more breast milk to keep up with my growing little bundles

this is my challenge. You in?

Any other ideas to help increase breast milk production.. I'd love to hear it.

I have tried fenugreek and after a month of smelling like b-fast.. I caved.

Speaking of Breakfast..

Fall is here and so is the pumpkin :)

Pumpkin oats!

1/3 cup of oats, 

A spoonful of Libby's pumpkin

1 tsp of nutmeg

1 tbs of cinnamon

a dollop of vanilla Greek yogurt

1/2 scoop of vanilla whey EAS

Yum! I loved my pumpkin oats:)

go ahead and try it! & if you want to sweeten it up a little more add a tbs or so of agave nectar

Enjoy! 

How many calories do you need?

This is a common ? I get.

"I am trying to lose weight and I exercise and I cut calories but its not going anywhere."

well, its simple.. 

intake vs outtake

You workout, but how many calories are you taking in and what energy is that intake giving you?

Rule of thumb

1. Take your weight and multiply it by 10. This = how many calories you can take in each day to maintain your weight without any physical activity

for example if you weigh 140 you can consume 1,400 calories

But if your goal weight is 120 aim for about 1,200 calories each day.

2. Make your intake worth it. Whole grains, healthy fats, fruits, and veggies our of course the best fuel for your body, not to be wasted with the "handful of m&ms", the Dr. Pepper.. or that small fry.

Give your body the fuel it deserves.

3. Factor in your daily activity, your a mom, your a nurse, your a receptionist..

The fact of the matter is, no matter your occupation you incorporate movement throughout everyday life, so add another 3 calories per pound of your ideal body weight that your burning off each day. 

for example: if you want to weigh 120 you can afford an addition 360 cal!

4. So you built up a sweat today? That's great! add half the calories your burn to your total intake, this way you will always have the energy to blast through your workout but won't undo that sweat sesh.

We live in such a weight obsessed country, why, why do we obsess over that number..& the fact most women over analyze themselves, you may not fit into a certain dress size and complain of your body shape.. I have to admit it.. I have done it. I complained that my pants were to tight and my arms are so lanky.. but now I try to pick out something everyday that I like about my body, the number on the scale no longer matters. I mainly just judge how much my the tone in my arms and celebrate the fact that the jeans I do have, slip right on. 

So another challenge today, look at yourself in the mirror and pick out the things you love about your body. You are your biggest competitor, the game is as easy or hard as you make it.

Stay positive, changes come over time and I believe that you have the power to be your best:)

Did anyone catch this little flick last night?? I just watched it this morning.. I'm stoked!

Have a good morning! 

xoxo

Q. What is your favorite thing about fall?

I love the fact I get to wear a jacket every day!

and enjoy my delicious pumpkin oats

Q.  What body part are you most critical of? What do you love?

I'm probably going to have to say my arms.. I have long long.. arms..and they are as lanky as can be but I love the tone in my shoulders/biceps:)

Q. Are you excited for this season of Glee??

heck yes I am..

How about you?

taking tuesday!

So, I'm glad Monday was so laid back.. cause today was busy as predicted.. hence the reason for such a late post.

The babies had their two month well check today, the Mr. and I decided that we will do all the immunizations, we figured that they were created to protect our children and they are for the best, Our pediatrician did explain the purpose of each one. It made me feel a lot more comfortable with them.

T & B did pretty good for them, it was sad but I gave them a bottle right after and they quit crying and was just fine :) 

Their Dr. appt. was at 9 am, I had no idea what a "great:" idea that was when I scheduled it.. Sure I can get me and 2 babies ready to leave at 8:45am.. ha! but with Mr. B's help nothing is impossible :)

But breakfast was quick, two pieces of Ezekiel toast,  with almond butter & sliced bananers on top. Out the door :)

Ran a few errands around town and back home for lunch, 

Chicken salad

 romaine lettuce

 peppers

 fresh garden tomatoes

a little sweet onion

1/2 avocado 

diced  8 oz chicken breast  

drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette.  

Had a couple thin triscuts on the side

delish

P:re workout I had a scrumptious fuji apple with some PB

{Workout}

1 mile run

dumbbell rows 25 lbs x 12

bench step ups with 50 lb 10 each leg

repeat 3 X

Lat pull down 70 lb 12x

alternating jump lunges 20x

cable rows 70lbs 12 x

repeat 3 x last set up your weight by 10 and go till death

Bent over fly with 10  lbs 10x

Box jumps 20 x

Repeat 3 x

..DONE..

Let me know if you try it.

It was a quick killer work out. 

Post workout

Protein Shake

1 scoop Chocolate Elite whey

1/2 almond milk and 1/2 water

on the rocks

(ice only)

I chose to do that because I wanted to save some calories because I was on my way to a baby shower!

Doesn't my aunt have display down with a capital.uh.. D?!

So delicious, best honeydew melon of the summer.

 delicious fruit skewers, a plethera of veggies, coconut cupcakes, nothing bundt cake (red velvet),  & 7 layer dip..

Pure deliciousness.. or yes and how could I forget the homemade ice cream!

I'm such a sucker for that stuff, but I did my trick, I packed my plate with the plenty.. fruit & veggies. I avoided the cake but I did cave and have just 2 bites of homemade raspberry creamy goodness. Yes, I believe it was from heaven.;) 

Feeling accomplished today.. Dr. appt, crazy errands, laundry, cleaning, shopping, baby feedin, burpin, changin, playin'  workout and the baby shower.. and of course bloggin' 

Late night y'all

G-night !

something to ponder: "If you seat a goal for yourself and are able to achieve it, you have won your race. Your goal can be to come in first, improve your performance or just finish the race-- it's up to you"
- Dave Scott
( This is hanging up at my gym and I read it everyday.. To me I read it and realize that my goals don't have to be outrageous, they can be simple and just realistic but yet challenging.. just know that you can do whatever you put your mind to:))