Blogilates & PB Banana Oatmeal

Every morning, I start my day around 5AM with my dear friend Cassey Ho...

Okay, so maybe I don't really know Cassey and I've never met her in my life,
but I consider her my friend because she kicks my body into shape!
(Boy, does she kick it into shape...my legs are sore as we speak!)

Cassey is a POP Pilates instructor who creates workout videos
 and posts them on Youtube and her website, blogilates.com.
She has meal plans, recipes, a shop of workout clothes,
workout routines for arms, abs, legs, core, full body,
etc. etc. etc. She has workouts for everything!
I follow along with the calendars of workouts she posts every month.

And I LOVE her workouts! She is upbeat, motivating, and exciting throughout her routines.
She pushes me to work harder and be stronger...even if she is a little crazy sometimes.
My favorite of her quotes: "Train like a beast, look like a beauty."
I just really can't explain how much I enjoy doing her workouts every morning.
I think the greatest indicator of how much I enjoy her workouts is that I
look forward to them every single morning. 
And I think that's the key to working out.
You have to love what you're doing to stay motivated to work out.

Anyways, if you're looking for a good workout that you can do in the comfort
of your own home without tons of extra workout props (weights, yoga balls, etc.)
I would HIGHLY recommend checking out Blogilates!

On another note...







































This^^^^ is what I have for breakfast practically every morning after my workout.
Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal!
I am obsessed with this oatmeal because it's fast, easy, filling, healthy, and DELICIOUS.
I feel soooo good after eating it. :)

Here's how I make it:

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal
Prep Time: Maybe 5 min. at most!  Serves: 1 (me!)

What you'll need:

• 1/2 cup dry old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup water
• Handful of raisins
• 2 Tbsp. natural peanut butter (I like Adam's Creamy natural PB)
• 1/2 medium banana
• Drizzle of agave nectar (or honey)

How to make it:

1. Combine oats and water in microwave safe bowl (preferably one with high edges so the oats don't spill over when cooking).
2. Cook in microwave on high for 1 minute, take out and stir.
3. Cook in microwave for 1 more minute, keeping an eye on it to make sure it's not overflowing!)
4. Take it out again and stir. Just check to see if the consistency is the way you like it. If so, your oats are ready for some yummy additions.
5. Stir a handful of raisins (or any other type of dried fruit) in with your oats.
6. Add the peanut butter in dollops on top of the oats.
7. Slice up your banana half and place on top.
8. Drizzle some agave nectar (or honey) over everything.
9. Dig in and enjoy! 

What I love about oatmeal is that it is so versatile. You could add chocolate chips, walnuts, coconut, or whatever your heart desires to this recipe to make it something you love! 

What is your favorite breakfast to get the day started right?

Quinoa with chicken sausage and steamed broccoli

What was for dinner tonight?!

FYI, it looked a lot better in person! Haha

This deliciousness!

I wasn't really in the mood for any kind of lengthy dinner preparation
so I decided to quickly throw this yummy mixture together:

• quinoa
• steamed broccoli (steamed with about a clove of minced garlic, salt and pepper, and a bit of good ol' butter...the real stuff!)
• chicken sausage (we LOVE this chicken sausage from Sam's club...sooo good!)
• shredded mozzarella cheese

I love how simple, delicious, and healthy this meal is!

Sometimes I eat delicious food, but my body feels icky afterwards

because it may have been more on the delicious side of the spectrum

 rather than the healthy side.

Fortunately, this dish is on the delicious AND the healthy sides of the spectrum.

Full of protein from the quinoa (a "complete" protein to be exact, containing all 9 essential amino acids! Learn more about quinoa here) and protein from the chicken sausage and mozzarella cheese.

PLUS yummy vitamins A & C...and fiber!!!... from the broccoli. 

It doesn't get much better than that.

After eating this meal, both Joshua and I agreed that it was wonderfully filling

even though we didn't have huge portion sizes or anything.

The only thing I would do differently next time is to 

cook the quinoa in chicken broth instead of water.

Quinoa, while being super healthy, can be a bit on the bland side

if not used well in a recipe. Or maybe I'm not cooking it correctly?...

I don't know. If you happen to know more about cooking quinoa,

feel free to let me know the secrets! 

Also, if you have any yummy quinoa recipes that you love,

PLEASE share! I love finding and trying out new recipes. :)

A safe haven

There's something special about the realization that
my baby recognizes me as someone she can trust.

I feed her, hold her, play with her, talk with her, comfort her.
All these daily interactions create an environment for her
where she can feel safe and comfortable.

I am a safe haven.

She knows that when I am there, she will be okay.
And even when she is screaming and crying inconsolably,
the fact that I continue to hold on to and love her in her distress
shows her that I am here for good.

I will be there for her,
through rain or shine
heartache or  happiness
crying or laughing.

I am a safe haven.

This is what I want to be for Kaiya throughout her life.
I want her to know that she can come to me after school
and tell me all about her accomplishments and struggles.
When she feels discouraged, I want her to feel safe
talking to me about her doubts and fears.

When she needs to talk about boys (like, when she's 25),
or girl drama (it will inevitably happen),
I want her to want to talk to me about those things.
I want to value her thoughts and show her I value them
by listening to her. Really listening to her.
Even if it means putting other "important" to-dos
on hold for the moment.

I want to be her safe haven.

Whenever she goes to sleep at night,
I hope she can go to sleep with the peace and comfort of
knowing she is loved unconditionally.

I hope she always looks this peaceful at the end of the day...

Newborn Kaiya sleeping in her safe haven (Mommy and Daddy's bed)

7 month old Kaiya, still sleeping safely, soundly, peacefully.

"Good" mom, "bad" mom

Sometimes, I have one of those days where I feel like I can do no wrong.
Everything works out perfectly.
Kaiya's happy. Joshua's happy.
I'm happy.
I feel like a "good mom".

Tuesday was one of those days.
Joshua and I woke up early to workout together.
(And boy, was it a brutal workout - in a good way)
We loved spending that time together,
suffering through the burning thighs
and the sweatiness that accompanied it.

I had my Writings of Isaiah test that I was worried about
and felt like I did really well on it.

Kaiya was SUPER happy all day.
Full of smiles and giggles and crawling!
(Except I didn't get to see her crawl so it doesn't count, haha)

My favorite moment was when I held
Kaiya in my arms before bedtime.
Joshua kept leaning in and making funny noises at her.
Each time he did, she would squeal and giggle uncontrollably,
hide her face in my shoulder, and then look at Joshua expectantly,
just waiting for the next silly noise.

We did this over and over and over...and over.
It was one of those moments I don't ever want to forget.
It was so full of joy and love.
Love for my baby and love for my sweet husband.

Wednesday, on the other hand was soooo hard.
One of those days where I felt like a "bad mom".
Everything seemed to go wrong.
I could not get anything done.
Kaiya was fussy ALL day.
I could not figure out what was wrong!

I just held her and rocked her, trying to provide some comfort.
I felt so overwhelmed and so unqualified to be a mother.
I was tired and stressed (lots of midterms to study for).
And no matter how hard I tried to get her to go to sleep,
she would not have it!

So she cried, and I cried.
And then I prayed.
I prayed for strength at this moment
because I could not do it on my own anymore.
I prayed for Kaiya and I prayed for myself.

And even though she did not quiet down immediately,
she did eventually fall asleep for the night.
And I got to sleep.
I also got the loving embrace of a caring husband
when he got home from work.

Life's hard, but I'm blessed.
Even on my "bad mom" days.

A good reminder for me! (image found on Pinterest)