What I Ate (Wednesday)

I’ve been reading healthy living blogs for a few years now and most of the girls I follow participate in a link-up called “What I Ate” on Wednesdays. (I haven't figured out exactly how to "link up," but I will try to before next Wednesday).  Some of you, I’m sure, could care less what anyone is eating. But, for me, this is one of my favorite posts they write, because I get healthy new meal and snack ideas, and I also get to see that even the most health-conscious moms and wives order pizza and drink wine. It’s all about the balance, right?

I thought I would give it a try. Here’s my Wednesday food journal.

Breakfast – Coffee with half and half. ¼ cup Quaker Rolled Oats, ¼ cup of Wills’ 2% milk (I usually use skim or almond milk, but I ran out yesterday), ¼ cup water, half of a banana mashed in, 1 T natural peanut butter, strawberries, and a few walnut pieces 

Snack – Larabar and Cutie plus more coffee at New Moon Café with my friend, Bethany, before picking Wills up from school 

Lunch – Veggie Chips and a Boar's Head Turkey and Cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread 

Snack – I shared a few cheese and crackers with William and enjoyed a glass of wine while we cooked dinner. 

Dinner – Boneless grilled chicken, home-made sweet potato fries with olive oil and sea salt, and a spring mix salad with dried cranberries, a little cheddar, and light poppy seed dressing.

What I’m Loving Now...

I did a post like this back in November and really enjoyed being present to the gratitude that I have for simple things in my life.  Do I sound like a yogi? :)  Seriously, try it.  When you take the time to think about and reflect on the things you love, how can you not find joy in your day, your circumstances, or your life's storms?

So, without delay, here's what I'm loving these days...

A Farmer’s Market is coming to Evans! Woo hoo!

My sister’s yoga pants. I borrowed these two weekends ago for teacher training, because we needed THREE CHANGES of clothes a day, and let’s be honest, I wear the same beloved target yoga pants over and over.  I haven't returned this pair and have been wearing them all. the. time.  I hope you get these back, sissy. :)

I am having dreams about this coffee at City Java and News in Beaufort. It is called “City Addiction” for a reason. I can’t wait to get back to this quaint little shop over the weekend. 

My little boy’s new Sperry Top-Siders. He looks so handsome in them. Thanks, Gammy and Papa.  Y'all are the best.  Truly.

Fresh Market Women’s Vitality Mix. It’s a blend of dried cranberries and blueberries, almonds, pistachios, sunflower seeds, dark chocolate, and cashews.  Measured out into 1/4 cup servings and placed in baggies makes it the perfect grab and go snack.  

My daily morning devotion.  I am following the daily scripture from Shereadstruth.com and am really loving meeting God every morning and reading His word.  I am continuously in awe of His love for me.

Shakeology!!!  I can't say enough about this amazing product!  I love KNOWING that I am giving my body every nutrient, antioxidant, vegetable, vitamin, etc. that it needs when I drink one of these.  Plus, I don't ever need an afternoon nap; I am productive and energized.  I will definitely be writing more about these shakes in the coming days, but if you are interested in learning more, go to my website, myshakeology.com/evemooney, and try it for yourself.  You won't be sorry!

From Wills

Hi. It’s me, Wills. Mom is pretty busy today doing laundry, cooking dinner, and trying to memorize her sequences and postures for her second weekend of yoga teacher training. I thought I would take something off her plate and blog about what I’ve been up to lately.

Last weekend, I think I gave Mom, Dad, and Gammy a terrible stomach virus.  I didn’t feel too sick, other than going through A LOT of diapers and not having much of an appetite. Usually, I’m a pretty good eater. I don’t really like trying new things or new textures, but I will try to do better. Okay, mom? Don’t worry. Remember…you gave up worrying.

When I’m feeling well, I really like pancakes or oatmeal for breakfast, bananas, cuties, yogurt, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, goldfish, cheese, chicken nuggets, and macaroni and cheese. The only veggies mom can sneak in right now are in the squeeze pouch. I know I’m not a baby anymore, but I still really like these. If it’s in a pouch I will eat broccoli, peas, zucchini, sweet potatoes, corn, and spinach, and this makes my mom really happy.

Mom tries to give me dinners that look like this.  I usually try to give Finn my peas.  He really likes them.  Then I get in trouble.

  

I would rather have a cheese quesadilla, without a plate.  

Oh, and I love milk. I wake up every morning thinking about it and quickly go to the refrigerator door, point up, and tell Mom.

Being outside is still my favorite thing to do. Unfortunately, it’s been raining a lot here, so I just look out the window for birds or airplanes. Finn and I like to do that together. 

I’ve been golfing a lot lately. I’m learning so much by waving to all the golfers that go by and watching the golf channel with Dad (mom wishes we wouldn’t).

When it’s raining, she lets me practice in the mudroom.

I talk all the time. I think Mom and Dad are starting to understand me a little bit more. When they don’t, I just grab their hand and pull them along. Mom tries to get me to use my words, but sometimes I get frustrated.

Mom is trying to take more pictures of me, which is fine, because I have an awesome smile. She pulls out her phone or camera, and I give her a huge grin. And then she starts laughing. I don’t really know why. Do you?

Not that anyone cares, but Mom asked me to note these couple of things so she wouldn’t forget. I am a big boy at 17 months old. At my last doctor’s appointment I was 16 months old and weighed 29 lbs and was 34.5 inches long. I still wear size 5 diapers and 2 T clothes. I am in a size 7 shoe. I still take an afternoon nap, and Dad puts me to bed around 7 every night, after I tell Mom “night night,” of course. I wake up, calling for them, between 6:30 and 7 am. I’m a morning person, like my Mom. 

Last but not least, I really like my Papa. I talk about him all the time.

I guess I better go; Mom is calling for me to come clean up all of her measuring cups and spoons that I pulled out of the drawer.  She says she will see you soon.  Bye Bye.

What's for dinner?

I get this question every night.  And for the most part, I love it.  Planning healthy meals for my boys is one of my many favorite parts of being a wife and a mom.

William gave up red meat for lent, which is perfectly fine with me, since I don’t eat much of it to begin with. However, it does take easy meals like spaghetti, chili and tacos off of our menu for 40 days, unless I can sneak in ground turkey or chicken in its place. 

On the menu tonight is spinach and mushroom lasagna. I thought about adding sausage to half of the lasagna, so my hubby wouldn’t miss the meat, but that would require another trip to the grocery store, which I am trying not to do. Otherwise, I would go all week, picking up a few things here and there, and our grocery bill would quickly add up. Keeping it to once a week forces me to plan ahead and helps us save money. 

This recipe is adapted from my friend Sam. We have been making it and sharing the recipe back and forth for years, until one day, I finally decided to write it down. Now I’m kind of regretting that, and missing that usual phone call. But…we have plenty of Bachelor chatting to do, so I think I will call anyway. :)

Here’s what I used.

I mixed together the cottage cheese, egg, and spinach (thawed and drained.)

Then, it’s all about the layering. 

This lasagna is a simple, healthy week day meal that makes plenty of left overs. And it goes great with a glass of red wine, cozy slippers, and a warm fire.  

Oh, and The Bachelor.  Sorry, Honey...it's Monday.

Teacher Training Weekend 1

 

Wow…where to start. I’m not sure I can do justice on the weekend with words. I really don’t want to write too much about my yoga teacher training until the end; the training is a journey, and I want to respect that process. At the same time, I want to remember and reflect on my experience, thus far.

The weekend was in essence, POWERFUL. It was long, intense, a bit scary, and tiring, yet I left feeling exhilarated, alive, and with so much energy! Or was that all the City Java coffee we were drinking and loving? :)
 

In two days, I practiced hours of yoga, meditated, reflected in my journal, spoke authentically about myself to 53 other trainees, practiced teaching Integration and Sun Salutations, had a dance party, laughed a lot, drew closer to a few really amazing girls, drank wine, committed to letting go of worry, and left my favorite Beaufort feeling incredibly inspired and grateful for all that the weekend had to offer.

Here are a few points from our teachers, Shelley and Mark, which really landed with me:

Growth happens outside of our comfort zones.

Loving someone else means not giving up and fully supporting them WITHOUT expectations.

Become a possibility junkie!

The ONLY thing standing between me and what I really want from life (the goals I’ve set, the adventures I dream about, the mom and wife I want to be) is me. That’s it.

I can’t wait to see what the remaining seven weekends are all about. If this weekend was any indication, the possibilities are limitless and BIG. Now, I’m off to start my load of homework.

Valentine Muffins

Happy Valentine’s Day! My how things have changed.

What seems like a life time ago, my best friends and I used to dress in all black and go out in Athens on this “dreaded” day. Remember that, girls? Now I’m home in heart PJ pants, making home-made Valentines with my little boy, while heart-shaped muffins bake in the oven.

The following conversation happened yesterday, with my sister.

Sissy: “I didn’t get Wills anything for Valentine’s Day, but I am making some Red Velvet Cupcakes to share with y’all.”

Me: “That sounds great. You don’t need to get him anything. You do so much for him already. Oh, and I decided to bake some muffins for Valentine’s Day, too. I will bring some over. I am going to try to make them with whole wheat flour, oatmeal, fresh fruit, and applesauce in place of butter.”

Silence.

Then hysterical laughter from both of us.

Sissy: “Maybe you should just eat the Red Velvet cupcakes.”

Maybe so. But, I made my muffins anyway. And for the record, Wills loves them, and continues to say “More. More.” Thank you, sweet boy, for making your mommy feel good about her baking attempts. Because, to be honest, they won’t be suitable to give to our new neighbors or take this weekend to share with my fellow yoga teacher trainees in Beaufort. Oh well.

Here’s what I used. I combined a recipe from Eatliverun and one from a clean eating website. I just pulled ideas from both and sort of made it up as I went along.

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I mixed the dry ingredients together separately from the wet ingredients.

I combined the two and added in the fresh strawberries.

Then I had a really bad moment where I thought I should forego any ideas of cooking and just stick to my simple, forever task of "grating the cheese."  I filled the heart shape muffin tins, that I borrowed from my mom, put them in the oven on 375 and started to clean up the dishes.

Then, I smelled something burning. I opened the oven and saw this.

This heart shaped muffin pan was definitely a heart shaped ice tray. Are you serious? Oops.

I cleaned up my disaster, sent my sister a picture text of the mess my “hilarious” muffins were already making, and prayed the oven rack wasn’t ruined.

Needless to say, Wills and I enjoyed a healthy, not quite delicious, Valentine snack. I am sure they will taste just fine crumbled on top of my Greek yogurt tomorrow morning.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Quinoa

In preparation for the intensity and long hours of yoga teacher training, I've been trying to eat as clean as possible in an effort to have as much energy as I can. Some days are a success; some days, like Super Bowl Sunday, not so much. Let’s just say I’m glad the mint chocolate chip ice-cream is gone, and I’m not buying any more. :)

Wills and his daddy are excited about clean eating, too. Yeah, right.

Last week, for lunch, I made a big batch of quinoa. I’ve had this box in my pantry aka...sister’s upstairs closet for a while now, and I’ve been excited to try it out. 

I prepared the Quinoa, which was as simple as boiling water. It is very similar to rice, but is FULL of so many essential nutrients, fiber, antioxidants and protein! It is technically a seed, but is used more like a grain. 5,000 years ago, the Incas grew quinoa as one of their main crops. They said it gave “power and stamina to their warriors.” However, the fields were destroyed by the Spanish in an effort to get rid of the Inca culture. The quinoa survived by growing wild in the mountains and was discovered in the 80’s near Boulder, Colorado. It’s a warrior in itself, and I hope it helps me hold my Warrior I and II a little longer.

I sautéed zucchini, orange bell pepper, and spinach in extra virgin olive oil.

I added it to the quinoa and topped it with fresh salsa and plain Greek yogurt as a substitute for sour cream.

It was quick, easy, delicious, filling, and made enough for the rest of the week. It doesn’t get much cleaner than that.