29 - 32 Weeks, Maternity Pics Preview!, Tomato Soup Recipe!

Week 29: A few of our maternity pics! Special thanks to Zach Porter Photography! More pics to come tomorrow

Week 30: Big baby bump! Had dinner with BG's Poppa Paul & Mimi Michelle (austin's parents!) on Friday, then on Saturday we celebrated Lee's February arrival at Laura Anne's baby shower, and watched GA's loss to ALA at Mon and Andy's SEC get together; Sunday? Well that was sister day for Devon's birthday = Twilight + shopping!

Week 31: A Baby shower in Birmingham with  Austin's parents, family and friends - such a good time!

Week 32: A Tacky Sweater Party at Mary & Jimmy's! Wasn't exactly the same sober, but what are you going to do? Overindulge on buckeyes apparently. lol

Haven't done 33 weeks yet, but will probably do today! Before I go eat, more, here is a pic of something we've been eating a lot of lately - Classic Tomato Soup!

LOVE IT - check out the recipe on Healthified Kitchen! So glad I've been feeling a bit more up to cooking, although my 'normal' appetite DEFINITELY isn't back yet.

K - off to celebrate Christmas. I hope you're all having great days off celebrating with your loved ones!

Kielbasa Breakfast Fried Rice, an AU Weekend - Good Grief!

Happy Monday! My day started with a 2-mile workout (didn't have much time - so I just ran 1.5 miles then walked the 1/2 mile). Plan to head back down at lunch to walk a few miles! My weekend was supposed to be a fun Auburn weekend with two our favorite couples! It was A-Day and the day to reveal the new statues! I haven't downloaded pics yet, but here is one from Mary via her phone via Facebook.

Yes, Mary is due in 10 days. TEN. Love her little Emma in the stroller!

So yes, fun weekend, but Friday it took us forever to get there due to Braves opening game (turned a 2-hour trip into a 3+ hour trip). Then I had to work. all. weekend. unexpectedly, which was slightly distracting and put me in a bad mood. And on top of it all, my medicine for my allergies made me zombiesque and I started. Cue Charlie Brown "Good Grief!" I was just like seriously?! It got to be a running joke. We would go to a restaurant and oh look, the ONLY beverage on the fountain machine that is out of order is diet pepsi, my favorite. Things like that! I will say that I did manage to have a fun weekend with wonderful friends, and got home early on Sunday to cook, cook, cook, and work, work, work, to get ready for what I'm sure is going to be a busy week. Before signing off, I wanted to share a new recipe we're loving!

Kielbasa Breakfast Fried Rice
Inspired by Lynn’s Kitchen Adventures
Makes 4 Servings
Nutritional Information: 310 calories, 59 carbs, 13 fat grams and 18 protein grams.
Review: WOW. I was nervous about using 2 servings of rice for 4 servings. I was concerned about using rice vinegar, as opposed to my normal stand-bys. I was wrong - this was fabulous! Loved the consistency, how far the oil went to make it feel authentic, the spiciness of the kielbasa - forget just breakfast, this would work for any meal! It was ready in under 20, BUT that's only if you have rice already made (which we did). If you have leftover rice you can make this in 15 minutes for sure! Check out the recipe on Healthified Kitchen!

Q: Fried rice for breakfast - in or out?


Q: How was your weekend? Tell me it was better than mine!

Monday Meal Plan Menu, BBQ Ranch Chicken Pasta, Two-A-Days

Happy Monday! Hope you had good ones - I actually did, a bit of a too-long afternoon but not awful! Today started out with a 1-mile run + 1/2 mile walk, followed by chest, triceps and P90X ab ripper - woo! Then it was work, work, work, but I took a break at lunch for a 3.5-mile walk whilst catching up with Stacy. Then it was more work and now i'm heading home to the family for new recipe week! What is that? Well, friends, it's exactly like what it sounds like - I've found/created/adapted/healthified recipes for the entire week so we'll eat all new foods until Sunday. What's on the menu?

• Zucchini Breakfast Strata
• Tex Mex Breakfast Burritos
• Caprese Breakfast Cups
• 3-Meat Chili
• Thai Chicken Pizza
• Sausage, White Bean & Spinach Soup
• Orange-Beef Stir Friy
• Shrimp Etoufee
• Spaghetti with Bacon Meatballs

Yes, I'm so excited! We actually got started a bit early and had the Thai Chicken Pizza for dinner last night. A-mazing! And I have a recipe I didn't post last week:

BBQ Ranch Chicken Pasta
Recipe adapted from Picky Palate
Makes 4 Servings

Nutritional Information: 402 calories, 50 carbs, 5 fat grams and 37 protein grams.

At first I was like what? BBQ ranch pasta? But alas, I had a TON of red onion that needed to be used, so this was a perfect way to not waste an onion! The BBQ sauce combined with the carmelized red onions was great, and I loved the ‘cool’ that the ranch and cilantro brought to the recipe. This reheated well, and we froze/reheated, too, and it was great! A quick, easy recipe that you can have done in under 20 minutes. Check out the recipe on Healthified Kitchen!


Q: Have a favorite onion? I seriously love white, yellow, red and green - are there any others? If I had to pick i'd say white as I probably use it the most/find it the most versatile!


Q: What's one thing on your menu this week?!

Tabata, Loaded Scalloped Sweet Potatoes!

Happy Wednesday! Hope you're all having good ones! Mine is okay - but i'm SO tired. Didn't sleep well but got up early for my Fast & Furious class.  It's set up with the Tabata method, but it's an hour-long class. So we warm up and then she has areas set up for the 3 of us ladies who attend! First stop, push-ups for 4 minutes (all timed to this iPad app). 20 seconds you do as many as you can. Then rest for 10 seconds. We do this 8 times. Then we move on to the next exercise, squat jumps. Same deal - 8 times of 20 'on' and 10 'off.' We do about 10 exercise - full body, some with weights or bands, some with steps, etc., as well as a warm up and a cool down. I love it!! I feel like i'm going to die while i'm doing it, but I love it!

What else has been up? Monday was just workout, work, workout, work! Tuesday was pretty much the same, except I did an a.m. workout of a 3-mile walk, then worked all day before a post-work workout of a 2-mile walk before dinner with Stacy and Melissa at Uncle Julio's! Loved being back together with the old team - Mel used to be mine and Stacy's manager and we miss her so much!

Other than working out and seeing friends, we've been getting ready to go out of town for Easter and to celebrate Austin's Mom's milestone birthday! And we've been cooking - duh - made this last night!!

Loaded Scalloped Sweet Potatoes
Recipe adapted from Skinnytaste.com
Makes 4 Servings
Nutritional Information: 339 calories, 39 carbs, 12 fat grams and 18 protein grams.
Review: Tasted great! Loved the idea and it had a lot of flavor from the potatoes, jalapenos and spices. I will say that because I used the food processor to slice, it made it to where you almost had to eat it with a fork (even though the original intention was "fries" that would be eaten with your hands). Oh well - we made it work and loved the loaded scalloped potatoes - check out the recipe on Healthified Kitchen!

Q: Fries: "regular", sweet potatoes, butternut squash or none of the above? I like them all, all day, any day!


Q: Tried Tabata for exercises before? I think it's interesting - i definitely push myself further, do more reps etc. 

Happy Hunger Games, Saturday & Taco Bites!

Hello - happy Saturday! I hope you're all having great weekends. Ours is super chill and relaxing - no obligations makes me a very happy girl! I had a pretty good week overall - got in good workouts, including a strength training class on Wednesday morning which I really enjoyed. Thursday I took an off day from working out, and Friday I intended to work out but it didn't happen - ended up working through lunch and after work I had a movie to see with Stacy, Amanda & Ali - The Hunger Games! I just loved it. I checked the blog to see when I'd read the book last - December 2008 - crazy! Then the second in October 2009 and the third in December 2010. I enjoyed the all, but loved the first the most. I thought they did a wonderful job telling the story. Yes, some pieces were left out and slightly distorted, but for the most part I believed it and enjoyed seeing the Capital, Katniss and District 12, feeling how truly scary and sad The Hunger Games were, etc. - great adaptation! I remember first hearing that Jennifer Lawrence would be playing Katniss and I was like what?! She's blonde. Total crap. But she did a great job and I believed her in the role!

Today I woke up early and got to work on finding some new recipes! Then it was off for Starbucks, the grocery store and a bit of cooking. Here's one of our newest favorites:

Taco Bites
Makes 4 Servings
Recipe adapted from Emily Bites

Nutritional Information per serving (3): 435 calories, 49 carbs, 7 fat grams and 41 protein grams.
Great little guys! Loved the crunchiness and the idea that I get 3! I will say that the chicken/bean mixture fills up those cups, so definitely consider  using half of the beans, which would take down the calories, too! I thought it was plenty of cheese, loved the layers of the bits of salsa and the guacamole topper was perfect! I'll definitely make these again, too easy not too, and am still loving those wonton wrappers! Check out the recipe on Healthified Kitchen!

We also had a fun surprise today: my sister, Zach and baby Dane came by! Loved seeing that happy baby - such a cutie. He's grown up so fast - it's crazy - already toddling around when I swear he should still be a baby! Now i'm just chilling and reading your blogs and while catching up on Once Upon a Time - it has become such a favorite of mine!

Q: What's your favorite new TV show? I'm loving this one, and I just started watching Missing, too - pretty good! (only 3 episodes in). And i'm LOVING Smash.


Q: Hunger Games fan? I'm so glad my mom introduced me to this awesome series - I loved reading it and am already excited for the next film.

One Pot Spaghetti; Running, Again; What Goes Up Must Come Down

Zach sent me a picture of me and Austin with him and Devon's perfect little nugget - my nephew Dane!!

He is SUCH a little sweetie and a little cutie - i'm so proud of his awesome parents for raising such a sweet, smart little boy! Love you D&Z!

On another note - I still haven't downloaded all of my pics. UGH. The party was fabulous though - my sis really went all out and it was adorbs! What else has been up?

• I'm reading my book club book and loving it - it's called These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf. Book review coming soon!!
• I'm also wrapping up Stephen M. R. Covey's The Speed of Trust - excellent tips, for work and for life really.
• Yesterday I got in my first run in a while. It was short. I ran for 1 1/4 miles, walked a 1/4 mile then did abs before work - then work, work, worked before coming home to make a new recipe!
• I made this:

One Pot Spaghetti
Makes 4 Servings
Recipe adapted from Lynn’s Kitchen Adventures
Nutritional Information: 455 calories, 8 fat grams, 55 carbs and 38 protein grams.

So easy and so good! It was hearty, reheated well, easy to make and ready in under 30 minutes! Check out the recipe here.

That's really all that's been up. Well, that and my weight. It's not out of control or anything but I would DEFINITELY be more comfortable a few lbs down before things DO get out of control. I'm on it!!

Q: Are you at your happy weight, trying to lose or trying to gain?


Q: Do you have a favorite one-pot meal?

The Haps, Baja Pork Stirfry!

OMG - it's been over a week since I've posted. First time in Fitting Back In history. True story. Even when I was in like the Dominican Republic I managed to get a post out each day. EEK. Why? Why so absent? Well, friends - so many things! In a nutshell:

• Work is insane. Yes, still insane. OMG, I'm drowning, please send me a box of thin mints.
• Goals are going decent... and by decent I mean slightly poorly. Okay fine - i'm below par! There. Are you happy?!
• Working out has become less of a priority, which is unfortunate, especially since said thin mints seem to be everywhere ...including on my ass and factoring in to the number on the scale. Shizzzz!
• Austin has been traveling. He left last Sunday and didn't return until Friday. Needless to say, the week sucked without him, I worked too much, didn't sleep much, and then of course when he got back I wanted to hang/catch up and NOT work or blog. I did the former, not the latter. Ugh.

No, it hasn't all been crappy!

• I got in a couple workouts last week, just not enough hard cardio which I think makes my endorphins go up and makes me happier. The lack of the aforementinoed endorphins was noted (i'm SURE by just me though...)
• I got in a girl's night! Melissa came over Thursday night and kept me company AKA drank a few beers in the backyard with me. Yay!
• I got in a chill/family night! Friday night me and Austin did nothing but eat dinner, curl up and watch a movie with the puppers, who were SO dang happy to see him!
• I got in a charity gala! Saturday night me and Austin went to a charity gala for the Foster Care Support Foundation at the Westin in Buckhead. Such a nice event, had a fun silent auction  I got really competitive with and it was fun to hang out with some of my favorite co-workers on the community relations team, while supporting a great cause.
• I got in a cooking day! I spent Sunday in the kitch making yummies like this new recipe:

Baja Pork Stir Fry
Recipe Adapted from Dinners for a Year and Beyond/Cooking Light
Makes 4 Servings
Nutritional Information (per serving): 359 calories, 42 carbs, 7 fat grams and 30 protein grams.
Review: So fresh and spicy! Loved all of the veggies and the chicken stock mixture really added a nice blend. The jalapeno was spicy, but tamed by the chicken stock, and I loved the cilantro combined with the pork. Overall, great, easy recipe ready under 20 (especially easy if you have a food processor!). Could do with or without the rice – for Paleo peeps- just leave the rice out and make it 2 or 3 servings! Check out the recipe here!

And in case you missed the fabulous flautas - check them out here!

Q: So, pray tell, what has been going on in your world?! Top highlight?!


Q: What's ONE tip you have for getting in your workouts no. matter. what.?!

New Slowcooker Recipe, Once Upon a Time

Hello! Hope you're having happy Saturdays! I am - just chilling at home watching Once Upon a Time. I've never seen it, but am now on the second episode and it's great! (thank you, Hulu Plus & to those of you who recommended it on facebook!). :) Other than that, today was just a visit to the chiropractor, the grocery store, CVS, Home Depot, Total Wine & More and the bank - busy, busy day! I also cooked a few recipes, most notably, this new one:

Slowcooker Creamy Mexican Chicken
Adapted from Food.com
Makes 4 Servings
Nutritional Information: 458 calories, 64 carbs, 3 fat grams and 35 protein grams.
Review: Excellent! Interesting that it was creamy and spicy. It was like an thick, heavy alfredo sauce - but instead of an alfredo flavor it was taco flavored! We're fans. We tried it reheated and frozen and it kept its thickness very well. Check out the recipe on Healthified Kitchen!

Yes, today has been a good one! My week wasn't bad either - just lots of work and I felt a bit under the weather, so I didn't go full out with all of my workouts - boo. While I never felt up for running, I did do well with my P90X, and I'm still sore today from yesterday's back & legs workout - eek!

Q: Anyone have any other Netflix or Hulu Plus shows I should watch?!


Q: Just bought a pound of asparagus - anything in particular I should make?! Last resort - grilling it up!

20 Wines, 5 workouts, 2 recipes & 1 night with friends

Happy Sunday! It's been a WEEK since I posted last - WTF?! Sorry, guys - busy week means lack of blogging. Boo. So what's been up?

A lot of cooking

Stuffed Green Peppers 
Recipe adapted from Blog Chef
Makes 6 Servings
Nutritional Information: 323 calories, 36 carbs, 8 fat grams and 26 protein grams.
Review: Awesome! Loved the tomato soup topper and they reheated wonderfully - even brought them to work in a tub! Check out the recipe here!

Tortellini Arugula Salad with Balsamic-Tomato Vinaigrette

Recipe adapted from My Kitchen Café
Makes 4 Servings
Nutritional Information: 377 calories, 36 carbs, 20 fat grams and 15 protein grams.
Review: WOW - this tasted like something I would order at a restaurant! I've never had tortellini in a salad but just love it, and the homemade dressing was AWESOME. Check out the recipe here!

A lot of Wine Shopping

And the usual: Working & Working out!

Monday: 1.5-mile a.m. run; P90 ab ripper X; work!
Tuesday: 2-mile a.m. run; P90 chest & back during lunch; more work!
Wednesday: P90X: shoulders & arms & ab ripper X a.m.; lots of work; worked late; chiropractor and home to sleep! Sadly, missed book club. :(
Thursday: Busy work day, took lunch break to cook!; after work: tons of catch up time with the family!
Friday: Early treat at Starbuck's (for post workout!); 2-mile run + abs+ legs in the a.m.; busy day of work, work, work with no lunch break. Worked late, got home, had a glass of wine with Austin and passed out!


We also got to see some buddies! Yesterday, I slept in. Slept great. Felt 100%, well, except for my back - off to the chiropractor again for a 10 a.m. appointment, then I spent the day in the kitchen making everything from a slowcooker Asian pork roast to Southwest wontons! Then around 7:30 we headed over to Mel & Jon's! We got to see their beautiful, happy little Madison before her bedtime - so fun -she's growing up so fast! Then we caught up with them - love hanging with them, having some wine and just chilling. Great evening that got late too fast, so we headed home to the puppers and I had another awesome night of rest!

So far today has been all about cleaning! I got WAY into my kitchen cabinets, reorged the pantry and went WILD! We're trying to use the rest of our non-paleo-friendly items so we can try paleo for REAL. Testing went well, but now it's time to deplete our starchy supply - wish us luck! :)

Q: Whatcha up to today?!


Q: What's your favorite bottle of wine? We're stocking our shelves - all recs welcome! (our favorites are cab sav, chard, zin and, my newest favorite, pinot noir)


Q: And a random: what's your favorite protein powder?!

3 Dinners, 4 workouts, Married for 4 Years, 1 Night Out in ATL, 1 Recipe

Hi Invisible Friends! I'm sorry for my absence (again) - last week was filled with work, dinners after work, my anniversary, getting my car back, 2 chiropractor appointments - just busy, busy, busy! Starting with a new recipe:

Mom’s Lemon Chicken
Makes 4 servings

Nutritional Information: 368 calories, 50 carbs, 3 fat grams and 30 protein grams.

Yum - I grew up eating this gravy-like dish and just love it. I requested it so much as a little girl, and it was great to eat it again, albeit a healthified version of it. I thought it tasted pretty dang close to 'the real thing' - and was so glad that I pulled it out of the recipe archives from my mom! Thanks, mom, Austin liked it a lot, too! :) Check out the recipe on Healthified Kitchen!

And now, backing up... can't believe I haven't posted in almost a week - eek!


Monday: a.m. workout of P90X yoga with Valerie & Donna at work. Then just work, work, work until home to my PJs and family!

Tuesday: a.m. workout of P90X core synergistics with Valier & Donna - then just work, work, work! I did get a 3-mile lunch in at work with Stacy - nice! After work I took two of my co-workers, Hilary & Jesslyn who were in town from Michigan and California, respectively, out to eat at Uncle Julio's! We had a couple of drinks, lots of good conversations, and a great time! I dropped them by their hotel around 8, then headed home to the fam!

Wednesday: a.m. workout (2 mile run + abs) followed by work, work and more work! Lunch break used to hit up Trader Joe's and Party City. Then I raced home after work for our anniversary dinner at Pampa's - YES, we have been married for 4 years - insane! 2008 seems like yesterday.

Yummy dessert after our 4-year anniversary dinner!

4 years ago - getting married!

Thursday: CRAZY work day. Lunch break used to get my car back (yay! finally back in the saddle again post-car accident) and then after work I was straight to the chiropractor where this time, in addition to my adjustment, I received a full-body massage! Awesome, so awesome that I got Austin a massage gift certificate for our anniversary!

Friday: Skipped my a.m. workout to sleep in - VERY nice! Then I worked and left the office a bit early to come home and relax before dinner with Andy & Monica at Atlanta Fish Market. We had a great dinner, yummy wine, and awesome convos - loved catching up with them and celebrating everyone's recent accomplishments and news! Afterwards, we headed over to Fado for a couple more drinks. LOVED hanging out with them and great to still be home by midnight - I think our late-night days are over!

the boys!

Me & Mon Bon

The 4 of us at Fado! 

Acting like tourists in our own town!

The absurdly large fish outside of the restaurant

Saturday: Got up early and purchased Hulu Plus - just had to watch Season 5 of Private Practice! I then spent the day watching it while cooking up TONS of new stuff - I seriously made about 6 new recipes. Such a fun day. Austin even went to the store for me when I realized I was out of a few ingredients. Very chill, relaxing, and fun day - glad my cooking bug is back as it's NOT around during the week. :(

Today: It's been all about cooking, resting, bill paying, laundry, playing with the poodles and staying in, out of this gross, rainy weather. Loved it - am loving my relaxing weekends winding down, staying in town and not traveling - it's very nice!

Q: What was the best part of your weekend?


Q: Anything you're looking forward to this week? I have book club Wednesday! Looking forward to seeing the ladies!

Date Night, Relaxing Weekend, Pork Sesame Noodles

Happy Monday! Hope you guys are having a good one - I had a long one and am already at home in my PJs watching Private Practice on Netflix OnDemand. Yesssss. I'm also eating this yumminess:

Pork Sesame Noodles
Recipe inspired by Stacey Snacks
Makes 4 Servings
Nutritional Information: 463 calories, 55 carbs, 11 fat grams and 37 protein grams.
Easy, spicy, simple and filling! Love them - will definitely use this easy sauce again, with any meat or with rice instead of pasta. I also loved the veggie blend, and thought it was plenty of sauce for the dish. Great stir fry - we're adding to the rotation! Check out the recipe on healthified kitchen!

How was your weekend?! Ours was great - here goes, in a nutshell!

Thursday: Totally chill and uneventful - just worked all day, had family movie night, no workouts!

Friday: a.m. workout of a 2-mile run followed by P90X ab ripper! Then just work, work, work, working late and then home to the family and SLEEP.

Saturday: I slept in until 8, did a few chores, then headed to the chiropractor! Afterwards, I worked until about 3, then showered, got ready and we were off to our 5:30 p.m. dinner reservation at Kyma (this is the time you get to eat when you wait until the last minute to make a reservation hehe). Mary & Scott met us there and we had yummy hummus and octopus, lamb chops and wine! Austin brought a bottle of Vineyard 29 CRU cabernet - YUM! After dinner, we went to Whiskey Blue for a drinky! It was very fun and loungy - we had a great time and LOVED catching up with Scott & Mary and celebrating their soon to be wedding - eeee! Pics:

The boys with silly boy faces

Me & Mar cheesing it up as always!

The Martins & the Lengels!

Sunday: I did nothing but laundry. I had another unplugged Sunday - no work, no blogging, no computer, no phone. Very nice!

Today: a.m. workout with P90X yoga with Valerie & Donna at work. Then just work, work, work until home to my PJs and family - speaking of - time to go visit with them!

Q: What was the best part of your weekend?


Q: What's your favorite meat? Normally i'd say chicken, then beef - but lately lean pork has been my favorite!! I had these AWESOME flautas with it this weekend - need to post that recipe, too!

Have any Paleo Questions?, Weekly Workouts & a new Meatless Recipe!

Happy Hump Day! Hope you're all having good ones! I'm at home in my PJs watching mindless TV - so i'm doing pretty dang good. :) This week I've been doing a lot of paleo testing (and for those of you are sick of hearing me talk about it - i'm sorry - I promise I have other things to chat about!). But for those who are intrigued (like me!), my friend Mon has been incredibly helpful with paleo-talk. I sent her a million (probably 8) questions and she's been a great resource as she's been living the lifestyle for months! If you have any paleo questions, leave them in the comments - Mon has offered to answer them via  guest post!!! I'm very excited, and so appreciative of her offer. So add your questions and on Sunday i'll get them over to her!

And on to my week, in a nutshell:
Sunday: Rested, worked, went to Whole Foods & Publix for "paleo food", cooked a few paleo dishes and called it a night!

Monday: a.m. workout (P90X chest & back); lunchtime walk with Stacy (3 miles); then just work, work, work and Paleo testing!

Tuesday: a.m. workout (P90X plyos); lunchtime walk with Stacy (3 miles); then just work, work, work and Paleo testing! (do you see a pattern here? LOL)

Wednesday: a.m. workout (P90X shoulders, biceps and triceps); work, work, work; home to watch my girly TV shows (e.g., Gossip Girl, Hart of Dixie, Switched at Birth, The Lying Game, and Pretty Little Liars hehe).

We also had a new recipe - not paleo, but yummy, meatless and seasonal!

Pesto Butternut Squash Pizza
Makes 4 Servings
Adapted from Cooking Light

Nutritional Information: 428 calories, 58 carbs, 19 fat grams and 15 protein grams.

YUM! I never would have thought about putting squash on a pizza, but it tasted wonderful and i'm so glad I did it! The pesto went well with it, as well as the parmesean. I will definitely make this again - loved the colors, the taste, how filling it was and think it's a great seasonal meal. Check out the recipe on Healthified Kitchen!

Other than that, Austin sent me this adorable picture:

A baby!

Yes, i'll end on that adorably happy note. hehe

Q: How are your workouts going this week? I'm glad to have gotten in 5 so far! Am either resting or doing yoga!

Q: Any fun plans this weekend?!

Healthified Creamy Cajun Chicken Alfredo; 4 Skinny Finds!

First of all, thank you for your support following my car accident! I would be lying if I said I wasn't totally freaked, but I appreciate your thoughts and thanks to your ideas and comments i'm definitely going to see a doctor this week and, pending our conversation and my talk with Geiko this evening, seek a chiropractor and/or massage therapy. Thank you again for your kind thoughts and wonderful suggestions! And oh my - just reading some of your notes about your accidents made it even more scary and real - it's just not that safe out there - eek! :(

On a WAY other note, towards a MUCH happier place, BEFORE the accident, I did have some good luck at the boutique sale on Saturday a.m.! In fact, I found 4 skinny finds! Well, technically it's 6, but I could only find pictures of 4! Here goes...

Work Custom Jeans; skinny/gray 

Citizens of Humanity Avedon Skilly in Dark Ivy (like a DARK green) 

Citizens of Humanity Avedon skinny in Absolute 

Blank NYC black corduroy skinny jeans

I also got a pair of Esley olive green thick leggings (with pockets) and a pair of Be 1 super thin skinny dark gray jeans/leggings (skinny) with white stitches - classic! Couldn't find pictures of either of these online - boo. And as far as non-skinny finds, I am now the proud owner of a cute top and a dress (pics to come!). Stacy has luck too with a dress, a cool vest, awesome purple corduroy pants and earrings!

Outside of buying skinny pants, i'm still trying out skinny recipes! Here is a new non-paleo dish!

Creamy Cajun Chicken Alfredo
Recipe adapted from Food Network
Makes 6 servings

Nutritional Information: 392 calories, 46 carbs, 11 fat grams and 28 protein grams.

Great dish! Very spicy, but not too spicy. It was definitely a cream sauce, that tasted very sinful and like something I wouldn’t order at Olive Garden for fear of it being calorific. All in all, a new favorite around here. Very filling, sinful-tasting and something I would make for guests for sure!  (and note: I froze a serving of this to test it - it reheated SO well - just as creamy!) Check out the recipe on Healthified Kitchen!

Q: Skinny pants: yay or nay?! I'm a HUGE fan, especially of the stretchy, soft ones that feel like maternity pants/leggings. hehe


Q: How has your Monday been so far? Mine has literally been up and down - i'm definitely happy that I got in 2 workouts though! woo!

Paleo Planning; Butternut Bean Burrito; Fill in the Blanks!

Herro! How is your weekend going?! Mine is going well - just reorganizing the closet (yes, again!), running laundry and researching Paleo. Yes, I'm considering doing it, at least the 30-day challenge.

hehe I think that guy looks like Tarzan (photo found on Google images)

What I'm going to Miss

• Rice (my favorite food - seriously)
• Pasta (Austin's favorite food)
• Torillas (wraps? enchiladas? burritos?)
• Potatoes (feel okay about this - have replaced with sweet potatoes & butternut squash before)
• Quinoa (we were just getting to be besties)
• Cheese (my second favorite food - seriously. Cabot stock is going to go down!)
• Milk (however will my eggs get fluffy?)
• English Muffins (makes breakfasts so  convenient. And muffin pizzas? Sad!)
• Bread (bye-bye sammies)
• Corn (goes SO well in numerous dishes - casseroles, tacos, etc.)
• Black beans (and all beans; see note on corn!)
• Candy (adios sour patch kids)
• Diet Pepsi (I love a carbonated beverage)
• Honey (I use it in LOTS of recipes)
• Processed everything: Cheez-Its, luna bars, corn chips, etc.

What I'm Excited About:

• Eating more whole foods and FRESH foods (rather than packaged/processed)
• More avocado!
• More sweet potato dishes!
• Trying out new meats and new seasonings for meat
• Grilling more (Austin's super pumped that I chose the coldest month in ATL to start "grilling more")
• More egg dishes (so glad i've always been an egg fan!)
• More fruit, especially for desserts!
• New paleo-inspired recipes

Looks like even Paleo people pre-plan - eeee! (photo found on google images)

Ultimately, I'm most excited about what I keep reading, which is that there is a good chance this is going to help with a lot of my GI problems. I hear it reduces bloat and leads to better digestion, which makes me VERY happy. Apparently it as developed by a gastroenterologist. I also hear you sleep better and have more energy. So, i'm considering trying it and seeing how I feel, if it works, etc. Am I going to be perfect on paleo? Probably not, but i'm going to try to follow it as best I can and focus on eating vegetables, fruits, meat, eggs and fish. And even better news? Austin has agreed to try it with me. This makes my life SO much easier!

So what does this mean? Lots of paleo planning! I'm working on making some of my recipes paleo-friendly, and finding other paleo recipes. Really, it's just making the meat with veggies as a side, and making sure the sauces/condiments are natural. Yes, that's simplifying it, but my bestie Mon who has been eating Paleo-friendly for months, says it's best to focus on what you can eat rather than what you can't. So I shall focus on the SECOND list above! In the meantime, here is a non-paleo inspired recipe. :) It would actually BE paleo, without the tortilla. And cheese... and black beans. 

Butternut Squash Black Bean Burritos
Recipe Inspired by One Heatlhy Apple and Dinners for a Year and Beyond
Makes 4 Servings

Nutritional Information: 397 calories, 56 carbs, 9 fat grams and 25 protein grams.

I thought these were amazing. The sauce absolutely makes them. Typically I’m not a big fan of ground turkey, so to be able to ‘mask’ it in this soft tortilla and yummy sauce is wonderful! The beans went really well with the squah, and like always, the squash made this super filling. It reheated very well, and is a winner with us. Definitely make this your own – try other squash or veggies, try chicken or beef – it’s easy to mix this one up and make it your favorite. Just make the sauce and you’ll be fine! Recipe over at Healthified Kithchen!

What else has been up this weekend? 

• Shopping with Austin - yes, we had a few things to return/purchase at Nordstrom, some Macy's purchases, etc. Guess what? I bought NOTHING! :)
• Friday workout: P90X (legs & back followed by ab ripper) in the a.m.!
• Dinner on Friday with Andy, Mon, Dax & Amanda at Escorpian Tequila Bar - GREAT food, I had a mahi mahi taco and a pulled pork taco - fabulous, fresh and well portioned. Mostly I had a GREAT time catching up with the Blancos (who are both paleos and had lots of great advice!) and seeing the Cooke's (who I hadn't seen since they got married in the Dominican this fall!). Such a fun visit.
• LOTS of chilling with Austin & the pups - we didn't leave the house Saturday which was really nice, and Sunday we were home sans errands - gave me lots of time to sleep, chill, plan paleo, and read blogs - eeee! And I'm off work today! Kind of. The office is closed but I have WAY too much to do so i'll be working from home starting soon!

Your turn - fill in the blanks!

• The highlight of my weekend was ____________.
• I think Paleo is _____________.
• My favorite song to work out to right now is ________. (what? seems totally irrelevant but i'm hoping to make a new play list tonight and would love your ideas! :) ) 

Meatless Breakfast Tacos with Homemade Salsa; 2 Miles!

Happy Monday! While I had an awesome time in Breck it's SO good to be back! Today started with a shorter-than-usual workout. Bottomline - waking up at 6 a.m. here was 4 a.m. Colorado time so therefore I was exhausted! I DID manage to run 1.5 miles at 6.3 and walk 1/2 mile - 2 miles before work - not awful! I'm going to try to do P90X tonight at home (to stick to my workout plan!) - we'll see. In the meantime, here is another new recipe we're loving!

Egg and Cheese Breakfast Tacos with Homemade Salsa
Makes 4 Servings
Recipe adapted from Cooking Light Recipe

Nutritional Information per serving (2 tacos): 386 calories, 46 carbs, 10 fat grams and 25 protein grams.

At first I was like really? Make my own salsa? But it added so much to these beans and eggs! I was also nervous about refried beans but they went so well with the green-onion eggs and everything had a lot of flavor. I wouldn't change a thing - it was a wonderful, filling breakfast that tasted excellent!  Great, meatless meal - check out the recipe on Healthified Kitchen!

Q: Tacos for breakfast: yay or nay? i'm a huge fan of tacos, burritos, tostados, nachos, etc. for breakfast! 


Q: What is your weekly workout plan? i hope to do a lot of P90X, a couple of runs and LOTS of abs - ab ripper 3X!

Turkey & Squash Risotto; BRECK!!

Having a great time in Breck and loving my new ski pants! The liner is zebra print. hehe

More pics to come - my resizer isn't working! Ugh - but we're having a blast, had a great, easy flight over, skiied all day yesterday (LOVING the house we're at - it's ski in/ski out so you ski right off the back yard!) I'm skiing all blues and blacks, too - loving the blacks! I'd be loving them more if we had more powder but there is NO snow here - eek! Oh well, good food, good times, good group and because of the convenience of how close we are i'm cooking breakfasts for the group each a.m.! I even put taco soup in the crockpot yesterday morning, and we skiied in for lunch to eat it - awesome! Anywho, more pics to come,  for now, check out this YUMMY risotto recipe we had before we left - AWESOME!

Turkey & Squash Risotto
Recipe inspired by Closet Cooking
Makes 4 Servings

Nutritional Information: 369 calories, 46 carbs, 10 fat grams and 18 protein grams.

Excellent! Such a great fall/winter dish. The turkey added a lot to make it more filling, and the risotto and butternut squash blended together so well. Also, while the little cranberries are optional, I must say I really liked these surprise bites of sweetness! Great recipe - check it out on Healthified Kitchen!

Q: What are you up to today? What's the weather like where you are? It's colder in Atlanta than it is here in Colorado!


Q: What's your favorite risotto? Mine may still be my breakfast risotto!

Christmas Weekend Photos + New Slowcooker Recipe!

Oh Christmas weekend! How much we prepare and then how quickly you go. Saturday, Christmas Eve, Austin's parents came over around noon for lunch & gifts!

Time to open presents!

Who doesn't love themed monopoly?

Michelle even got presents for Remy & Reuben!

And she got me an awesome chafing dish! Can't wait to use it - so fancy!

The boys! I told them they were dressed like Alvin, Simon and Theordore

His family stayed until 3 or so, then me and Austin cleaned up, turned the dishes, prepared for my family the next day and left at 5:30 to meet them at church for a 6 p.m. service. We went to church, then had dinner at Norman's Landing - awesome salmon. Then it was home sweet home.

Actually we had a beer - we each pulled a random  import- I got this one. It was good and the colors were festive. Then it was time for bed - had to be up early!

Saturday, Christmas Day, we got up early and headed up to Lake Lanier to Austin's aunt & uncle's house. The whole family was there. This is a random picture and apparently the face I make when i'm asked to give 'angry face.'

Hanging out with E, Ty, Austin & Kev

After a yummy breakfast and a few hours of visiting, it was time to get back home to prepare for my family's 2 p.m. arrival. Remy was exhausted - she curled up in a curtain for a few hours. I TOTALLY felt where she was coming from!

We had a yummy dinner, then opened presents! I'm wearing a new coat my mom got me, and holding an awesome pic & frame Devon & Zach got us!

Dane bug loved the boxes toys came in!

Such a cute family - Dane talked for like an hour - hilarious! Loved this pic as Zach and his mini me are both chatting away!

Love the Christmas colors! Dane's nighttime bottle!

Devon & Zach also got me this awesome electronic frother! I made yummy coffee/chocolate drinks - as you can see i'm not consistent with the frother yet, but i'll get there!

Unfortunately I have NO pics of my mom - sad! Zach took most of the pics during gift opening and she had to leave before our late night coffee chocolates so we missed her - hopefully i'll get some from him soon! I also need to get pics from him from Monday, December 26, AKA my mom's birthday! We had a great family dinner at Dante's Down the Hatch!

And before heading out, I want to share a new slowcooker dish! It may not look the prettiest but it was GOOD and reheated well which makes me happy. :)

Slowcooker Mexican Beefy Mac
Makes 4 Servings

Nutritional Information: 457 calories, 60 carabs, 7 fat grams and 32 protein grams.

This was super easy, yummy and spicy! I liked being able to just add raw meat and a few cans/packets to a slowcooker and then having a yummy meal. I liked this dish too because I LOVE slowcooker dishes and that cook the pasta for me - gives the noodles a lot of great flavor. This one is an easy one and will definitely be repeated. Check out the recipe on Healthified Kitchen!

Q: What was your favorite gift that you gave or received? I loved all of the photo gifts this year - getting and giving printed/framed photos from fun family events was great - something you always want and mean to do yourself but it doesn't always happen - so it's a perfect gift to get or give!


Q: Where do you stand on meat in the slowcooker? Some prefer to cook it before it goes in; I prefer to put it in raw and let the slow cooker cook it!