The Unexpected #Mamavation

Oh boy, this weekend (and start of the week) has been full of the unexpected!  I won't bore you with all of the crazy details - we'll leave it at this: We're "stuck" at my work for a few days while our van is in the shop.  Work is a little over an hour from home.  I'm so thankful that I have a place to stay while I'm working!

So anyway, I'm talking about unexpected as it relates to Mamavation.  Mamavation is a push for healthy mamas that are raising healthy kids.

Let me tell you something: being stuck at work unexpectedly does not always inspire healthy behaviors.  With a full kitchen, I tried to quickly scheme up some "healthy" meals that we could grab from a local store.  Since I've been kind of "down for the count" this weekend, I had difficulty thinking beyond convenience and comfort.

Ahh, we'll get there, we have several weeks of living at camp in the near future - we're working toward simplicity and health.  Real Foods, Plants.

Because of my physical issues I have also missed out on exercising - actually - on Saturday I strained and pushed my body to exhaustion - I shoveled rocks all morning and helped clear some brush out of the road in the afternoon.  I felt it in my arms and shoulders - hard work is good.  Sunday, however kicked me in the butt, knocked me flat on my back (well, as flat as a recliner goes - I had to stay close to the bathroom).

My boys have been able to run around and climb, jump, slide, and play outside for 3 full days now.  This is the healthy lifestyle I want for them.  I want them to learn to enjoy playing and living in nature.  I love it that when I am here, even when it's unexpected, they are so much more free to be outside than when we're at home in the city with some questionable neighbors.

The unexpected has hit our lives this week.  We've chosen not to let it knock us down, rather to roll with the punches and keep moving.  We are so blessed to be in this place.  In a few days our van will be fixed and the boys and I will go "home" until we're able to get back to this place more.  In another week or so I'll be back on track with fitness and have a good eating routine figured out between our 2 homes.

How do you adjust when the unexpected happens in your life?  Are you able to easily take the punches and move on, or do you need time to struggle through the changes?  Do you let yourself get stressed, or are you able to quickly retrain your mind to think of solutions?

No Guilt Fajita Recipe

Fajitas are simple, fast, and healthy meals.  We LOVE vegetable fajitas at our house.  This seasoning is extremely easy and cheaper than buying pre-mixed seasoning from the store.  What's better?  You can tailor it to your taste, and you probably have most if not all of the ingredients in your cupboard!

Warning:  I never measure ingredients unless I am baking.  This recipe will not include amounts.  You adjust seasoning amounts to fit your taste buds.

Fajita Guts:

We used about a pounds of sweet peppers, and 1 large yellow onion for this batch.  I also had some leftover salad (spinach ,green pepper, & radish) in the fridge, so I threw that in.  

Just enough oil to barely coat the bottom of the pan.  Whatever oil you prefer, go with it.  I use olive oil in my fajitas.

Fajita Seasoning:

Chili Powder

Cayenne Pepper

Cumin

Garlic

Salt

Chop desired vegetables.  (If using meat, cook meat thoroughly first).  Pour a small amount of oil over the vegetables.  Mix together seasoning and sprinkle it over veggies.  Cook on Medium-High heat until vegetables are softened to your desired texture.

Serve with tortillas or over rice.  

Great sides: Cilantro Lime Rice, Black Beans, Refried Beans, Lettuce

Quinoa Burgers

2 c uncooked quinoa

4 c water

2 celery stalks

2 medium sized yellow onions

2 carrots

1/2 can refried beans

cilantro

garlic

Additional seasoning to taste

preferred cooking oil (opt)

Quinoa burgers are some of our favorites.  They are moderately quick and easy to make.  I do not use exact measurements when I cook.  I have provided estimations.  As you try it out, adapt the recipe to your taste and texture preferences.

1.  Combine 2 c uncooked quinoa grains and 4 c water in a large pot.  Bring to a boil, then cover and turn to low heat until quinoa is a sticky, rice-like consistency.  Quinoa will appear to have rings around it, like a tiny planet.  Remove from heat.

2.  While your qunioa cooks, chop celery, onions, and carrots into a skillet.  Saute with oil or water until tender.

3.  Puree vegetable mix in a blender.  Add to quinoa.  Mix in refried beans, cilantro, garlic, and other desired seasonings.  I used cilantro, seasoning salt, and hot sauce to flavor my quinoa patties.

4.  Mix all ingredients until they become a "meat like" texture.  If your mix is too sticky, you may add flour to reduce stickiness.

5.  Once combined, make burger patties or "meat" balls.  Fry with oil in a skillet or bake on a cookie sheet in the oven.  I prefer frying on the skillet, as it gives the patties a meatier texture.

6.  Serve with or without a bun and your favorite toppings.  Eat like a hamburger.

7.  Leave a comment below telling me your tips, favorite toppings, or other thoughts.

Sponsor Spotlight: Wholly Guacamole #GetMoving2013

Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, gets me moving like good, healthy food.  Having the right balance of foods in my diet helps me maintain my energy and last through the day.  One of my very favorite foods has agreed to help keep one of my readers moving this winter with a prize package just for you! 

Meet the Wholly family!

It's true, I love Wholly products.  Their salsas are as fantastic as the guacamole.  When I say that you ought to know, I am extremely picky about salsa, I eat very little salsa.  I love their red pepper mango salsa the best and I don't eat mangoes - I think they are disgusting.. in Wholly Salsa, however.. WOW!

This Monday I shared that I am starting to calorie count.  I love it that Wholly Guacamole offers a fantastic variety of 100 calorie snack packs.  Check out this fantastic snack I had today!  Avocado Ranch from the 100 Calorie pack and some fantastic veggies.  Okay, the truth is: my 1 year old stole most of my Avocado Ranch pack, so I used Spicy Guacamole from another 100 cal pack!  It was all so delicious. 

Do you want to know why I love Wholly Guacamole so much?  I love it that I can read all of the words on the packaging.  I can go pick everything up at the store and try to make my own guacamole.  I have tried, however, and I just can't compete with their recipes.  The other reason I absolutely love Wholly products?  The flavor is amazing.  I have not found a Wholly product that I wouldn't share with all of my friends and family.  Believe me, I share them whenever I get the chance, I think they are that great.

This is what happens when we run out of guacamole.  I wish I were joking.  This is Azariah, immediately after finishing the 100 Calorie pack of Avocado ranch 15 minutes ago.  He was very angry, he wanted more!  I'm so thankful for kids that like healthy food!

Do you want to win a prize package of Wholly Guacamole?  1 reader will receive it as part of the Get Moving prize package - the Get Moving event starts January 17!  2 more readers will have an opportunity to win prize packages in the very near future.  Keep your eyes open for information about upcoming giveaways!

Are you familiar with Wholly products?  What is your favorite way to use salsa or guacamole?  Do you share these foods with friends and family?

***Disclaimer: I received a product or products for the purpose of review.  All opinions expressed are my own***

Cutting Skills & Lunch Time

This is lunch.

This is also cutting practice.

As we work on preschool skills with Monkey and Crackers, cutting seems important.  Not only is it important, it is something they enjoy doing.  Mama likes to give them fun ways to practice.

For today's lunch, Monkey practiced cutting with scissors by turning his turkey into bite sized pieces.  He is getting to be great at using scissors!

Both of the boys had the opportunity to cut food and spread dip using a butter knife.  It's still pretty tricky for them, and Crackers needed some help figuring out that we don't use knives like spoons.  

Simple, free, tasty education for my boys!

What's in your noodles?

The truth?  I very rarely serve noodles to my family and boxed foods, like Mac&Cheese are extremely rare.

But - I LOVE noodles.  I can't think of very many ways to eat noodles that I don't like.  The problem is that I am a type 2 diabetic.  For the most part, noodles are just plain out of the question.

Today was one of those extremely rare days.  I pulled out a box of "noodles and cheese" for my boys.  Monkey usually will not eat them, he's not a pasta guy.  I can't just serve them plain noodles and cheese either - I'm one of THOSE moms that can't leave a "good" food alone.  I searched the cupboard, looking for something to make it slightly healthier for my family, I checked the fridge...

Here's the end result:
Noodles & Cheese with hidden curried cauliflower
and some hummus
and some cheddar
and some parmesean

Sound gross?  I only gave Monkey about a spoon full, he gobbled it down and wanted more.  My noodles experiment was a success!

Do you hide things in your noodles?  What do you do to make this traditional lunch healthier for your family?

(By the way, tonight is lasagna night - my "noodles" will be thinly sliced yellow squash

Restore: My health week 1 update

Okay, so I'm working on restoring my health, eating better, exercising more...

Not the best start.  We are eating better, more "home" cooked meals (meaning some were store-bought and reheated, some were homemade cooked elsewhere, and some completely home cooked).  We had a quick snack at McDonalds the other day after we went to the zoo.  Monday was the big "Zoo-Loo-Au", and we were served hot dogs, orange drink, potato chips, and ice cream.  We ate at 4:00, so the boys were pretty hungry by the time we left at 6:30.  We also had a milk shake from Steak N Shake on a short family date yesterday.  (Monkey thought the green ice cream was amazing).

We're working on it, slowly doing better.  In times we might usually decide to eat out, we've opted for quick "pick it up at the grocery and throw it in the oven" meals - still not incredibly healthy, but more so than fast food, and much cheaper.  We'll get there.

We've taken a couple of good walks this week.  On Monday we spend a couple of hours walking at the zoo. Obviously there was a lot of stopping and starting, I hurt by the end but kept pushing.

Today we went for a good hike in one of the local parks.  We're working with Monkey on not needing to be carried while we hike - Crackers still rides on my back in the Ergo Carrier that I won from Tight Wad in Utah!  Monkey's getting there, he just needs a lot of prompting - can you run to the bridge, look at that catepillar...

So my IDEAL life with eating healthy home cooked meals every day and getting lots of family exercise isn't here yet - but we're moving in the right direction.. we just have to keep moving that way.

What motivation do you have to live a healthier life?  How do you work with your family on satisfying cravings for junk food?  How do you push your little ones into healthy behaviors?  (My little ones are very active, but when it comes to hiking, for some reason it's tough).

Renew: A commitment, Restore: Health

It's no secret that I'm a type 2 diabetic.  I've actually had a couple of doctors that were surprised by this diagnosis because "I'm too young".  I was officially diagnosed at about 25 yrs old - I already knew that I was diabetic, I had been testing my blood sugars for over a year and was "borderline" before I turned 20.

I am overweight.  I don't always eat well, I certainly don't exercise like I should.  I have a strong family history of diabetes.  All of these things together make for messy blood sugars.

My current doctor wants me to "take a brisk walk for 20 minutes after every meal".  What she doesn't realize, I guess, is that it's REALLY hot outside, I'm 6 months pregnant, and I have a toddler and a preschooler (who both happen to nap immediately after lunch every day).  Am I making excuses for not walking after meals?  Maybe.  The real truth is that it hurts right now.  My body is in a state of stretching and changing in ways that make it very uncomfortable to walk "briskly" for 5 minutes - I cannot physically walk "briskly" for 20 minutes - even if my boys are in the double jogging stroller.

I can control my food intake.  However, I lack greatly in self-control when it comes to food.  Especially on the 3 days a week that I am home-bound because I'm babysitting.  We are working on this - our grocery trip last week included "healthy snacks" - nuts, granola, cheese, carb-master yogurt, etc.  We also loaded up on veggies for salads.  We got a bit of fruit too, but it is not a big temptation for me - I'm not a big fan of fruit in general.

Why am I sharing this?  It's a step toward renewing my commitment to live healthy by eating well.  I don't know yet what I am going to do about getting more exercise right now.  We ARE working on it.  Last night we exercised by walking at the zoo for 2 hours (not a fast pace at all, and with several short breaks).

I want to have a healthy body so I can enjoy my family more.  I want to slow this disease.  I want my boys to grow up knowing how to live well so they can begin to defeat this disease before they have to think about it.  Yes, it's genetic - but that doesn't mean they will get it, and I can help them avoid problems with diabetes by getting them active right now.

How do you exercise when it's too hot or your body hurts too much?  How do you eat well when tempted by foods?

Mommy Lesson #3: Go outside

The moral of this lesson: When Mr. (or Miss) 2 year old is throwing a tantrum, walk away.

Tonight we had a fantastic dinner of spinach & feta hummus with veggies for dipping.  (Great recipe, I'll have to post it sometime).  It was a nice evening, and we enjoy sharing our meals as a family outside on nice nights.

Monkey and Crackers were both running (or crawling) around in their underpants with no pants on.  I gave Monkey - remember he's ALMOST 3 - his pants and told him he needed to put them on before going outside.  Wow.  Who would have thought that this would become a power struggle.  Monkey wanted help to put them on.  We know he is fully capable of doing it himself, but he's been very needy the last few weeks and refusing to do things for himself.  Mama insisted that he dress himself and the fit began.

Daddy stepped in and tried to reason with Monkey (reasoning with toddlers rarely works).  Monkey continued to have a tantrum, screaming, crying, insisting that he have help to put on his pants.  We both kindly arranged the pants in front of him on the floor at different times so they would be easy to slide on.  I chose elastic waisted pants so they would be easy for him.  He refused to do it himself. We both tried to help him hold the pants in his hands and pull them on to no avail.  He wanted us to put his pants on for him.

Finally, wise mama, said to daddy - we need to just go outside and  leave him inside until he puts on his pants.  And we did.  We went outside with the food and with Crackers and began our meal.  Monkey ran through the house crying, then he got quiet... and then cried some more.  After about 10 minutes he came to the door with his pants on and asked to come outside.

Yep, it worked.  We walked away, refused (finally) to argue about the pants, and he eventually chose to do it on his own so he could have some yummy food.

The truth is...

I'm intimidated by chicken.

There.  I said it.  I am all for conserving money on food, and living more green, and eating a bit more healthy... but I just can't figure out what to do with a chicken that has skin and bones.  Maybe I am just spoiled.  It just makes me want to gag when I think about it.  Ugh.

Any advice on getting over my fear of chicken with skin and bones (but no head or feathers).