Eating more veggies and Evan's favorite place

One of my goals these days is to eat more vegetables.  I scarf so much fruit down (last week I ate 2 pounds of grapes in two days), which I don't think is bad, but I hardly ever eat any veggies.  Like none.  Sometimes I eat carrots and I eat cabbage in my eggs, but that's about it.  I'd really like to start incorporating more veggies into my meals, particularly lunch and dinner.  Maybe eventually I'll get veggies into my breakfast, but I'm not quite ready to go that far yet.  So, my first step in this plan was to actually buy vegetables!  On Friday, Evan and I walked (or ran, since I tend to turn any opportunity into a running opportunity) to my doctor's office so I could get my TB test read (I got a TB test last week but then totally forgot to actually get it read - so this was actually my second test).  On the way out, I spotted a Farmer's Market in the parking lot.  Perfect!  Since I had been at the doctor's and needed ID, I had my money with me (normally I don't carry my wallet on runs) so I could actually buy things.

This is what I ended up with:

Instagram: @mapleandmud

Some carrots, really, really sweet tomatoes, and string beans.  I also bought an Australian Crystal Apple Cucumber, which is a rare heirloom seed.  The guy selling it said that it tastes similar to honeydew.  I haven't tried it yet, but I'll let you know what it's like.

The string beans are purple and green, but when you cook them the purple ones turn green.  It's funny, but at least lets me know when they are done cooking.

Instagram: @mapleandmud

I sauteed the string beans in coconut oil, salt, pepper, and garlic.  They were pretty tasty.  I even cooked extra and brought some in my lunch today.  The tomatoes are good to snack on because they are so sweet, but I've also been eating them in salads too.

After the farmer's market we headed to the playground, of course.  The playground is always on our agenda when we are out for a run.  I feel like it's only fair that after sitting for an hour in the stroller Evan gets a bit of time to run around.  He loves the playground, until someone else shows up.  It's funny really - he'll be playing and running around and then the second someone else shows up he wants me to pick him up.  Randomly, our friends came to the playground while we were there and he totally clammed up.  After about 15 minutes he got enough courage to go play though, so that was good.  He loves this little yellow car.

He rocks it back and forth so fast.  I love this playground because it's fairly simple without too many large structures that he could fall off of.  Plus, it's often completely empty.

The see-saw or teeter-totter (not sure what the appropriate name is) is a great thigh workout for me because Evan likes to go up and down but I have to be sitting on the seat or he gets mad.  I tried to just push one side down, but that didn't work.  Of course not.  I need to be sitting and working my thighs.

The rest of the weekend was spent teaching golf, watching my nieces again, and getting household chores done.  While watching my nieces we made Power Packed Fruit and Veggie Muffins.  I found the recipe on Pinterest and decided to try it out.  They turned out really good and all the kids liked them, even though they saw me put broccoli and zucchini in the batter.  The only problem was they really stuck to the muffin baking cups.  The recipe noted this and suggested using parchment muffin baking cups, but the girls really, really wanted to use pretty baking cups.  So, we used the pretty ones and all the muffins stuck.  I did notice that when I put all the muffins in a zip lock baggie and the moisture kind of built up a little, the paper got damp and peeled off much easier.

Yesterday I didn't get a run in because it was pouring out in the morning.  I may have gone in the rain, but I wasn't going to make Evan go in the rain.  I was bummed because on top of running, the hubs and I had a date to go golfing together.  Oh well, hopefully we'll go next week instead.  Instead we put our bed back together, cleaned out a few closets, and did a lot of laundry.  Fun times people!

That was my weekend - nothing spectacular but still a good time.  This morning I got up to do PiYo Sweat but the DVD machine wasn't working very well so I only go 15 minutes of it done.  I guess better than nothing - but, I could have used those extra 15 minutes of sleep!

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What was your best moment this weekend?

Do you say see-saw or teeter-totter?

New Year, New You

Or new me actually.  Ok, so not a completely new me since I am pretty happy with the old me.  I admit, it would be nice to fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes one day, but what can I say.  I haven’t really been running much these days and I haven’t found the motivation to do the strength training I had been working on – and I ate about 3000 cookies while in Vermont.  Once I head back to work I think I will get back on track. 

But, back to New Year resolutions.  Or commitments, as Meghan calls them.  I kind of rather like the term commitments, since there is no pass/fail.  And I’d like these changes to stick.   I don’t really have too many changes I want to make, but I’ll review a few of them below.


Commitment 1

Be more organized.  This is pretty much the main commitment I’d like to make.  I used to be completely organized all the time.  At one time I was very Type A.  Then I went to Honduras, learned to relax, and can’t go back.  I don’t actually want to go completely back, because it’s so much better being a Type A-.  However, my life could use an organization make-over.  Mainly because I am SOOOO busy and there really is barely enough time to get things done.  Here are things I plan on organizing:

     a) My Apartment: Yes, things are still in boxes and bags and hidden in closets.  I just never got unpacked all the way because I had to go to Vegas for a week right after moving and then was too pregnant-tired, and then the baby came, etc.  Yeah, so many excuses.  However, I am done.  Things have to find a home in this apartment and that’s the end of the story.  How am I going to do this?  I have this plan of assigning weekends to rooms.  For example, this weekend coming up will be the dining room.  There is one big box left in the dining room and I’d like to unpack it.  The following weekend I will do the kitchen, etc.  When I’ve finished each room, then each weekend I will clean/straighten each room.

     b) My Time: I waste a ton of time just thinking about things and not actually doing them.  And let’s face it, I don’t have much time.  When I work, I get home at 6:30pm, the baby gets a bath at 7pm, and goes to bed by 8pm.  And somewhere in there I have to cook dinner, prepare lunch for the next day, wash diapers, stuff diapers, fold clothes, do laundry, wash/disinfect pump parts, etc.  Thankfully I can work from home two days so on those days I finish at 4pm – but somehow I always find it to be 6pm and I haven’t done anything.  Plus, the end of this month I am starting classes again so I’ll have class on Mondays and Wednesdays.  Even less time!  So, I really need to organize my meals far in advance – and prepare as much as I can on the weekends (cook chicken, cut veggies, etc.).  And I need a system so each day I’m doing something but not everything – Mondays fold laundry, Tuesdays wash diapers, etc.

    c) Money: This is a big one.  It is hard to organize something you don’t have.  Or don’t have enough of – we are super short on money these days and it’s about time I organized a budget.  Now that we have to pay for daycare, any extra money we had is gone, gone, gone.  If we want to still buy gifts for people, get the dog groomed, etc. we’ll have to put money away each paycheck.  I am determined to get our finances in order and not spend above our means.  I knew having a baby was going to be hard financially but the cuts we’ll have to make are totally worth it.  At least our car already broke and cost us a fortune!  One less thing to worry about!  Plus, golf starts up the end of April so I can build our small savings account back up to where it was…before maternity leave, the car, and Christmas depleted it!


Commitment 2

Be healthier.  I am a pretty healthy person, I admit.  I have a small sugar addiction, but so far a decent metabolism that allows me to eat lots and lots of candy without too many repercussions (although I’m getting old so that may change).  However, I am trying to make a few changes to improve my health.

     a) Eat a fruit or veggie with every meal.  This is hard because I pretty much hate vegetables.  I love fruit, but really need to work on the veggie side.  Yesterday night I had broccoli with dinner.  Yes, it is practically a miracle because I HATE broccoli, but I did it anyway.  Now I have a son and I need to be a good example to him – and eating vegetables is good for you.

     b) Have snacks on hand.  One of my main problems is being hungry all the time.  When I get home from work at 6:30pm, I shove a ton of food into my mouth because I’m so hungry.  I can’t wait to prepare dinner – I have to eat something right away.  This usually means a bunch of chips.  If I had something already prepared to munch on when I came home, maybe I could skip the five servings of tortilla chips.  Or maybe I will eat the prepared snack AND the chips.  It’s worth a try though.

     c) Floss my teeth.  More often.  No explanation needed.

I think those are pretty much it.  Nothing too crazy or ridiculous.  Nothing I can’t possibly achieve.  Just a few things that will make my life easier and happier and more relaxed.  Right?

What resolutions or commitments are you making for 2013?