PARENTHOOD // Sleep... That was fun.

Just a little hotel ticklefest to brighten up your day.  Oh that and I pretty much pinpointed this scene right above to the reason my rockstar sleeper of a son has been shacking up with us the past few weeks.

What happened to the little boy who used to say "nigh nigh" and walk to the foot of the stairs to go to bed.  I guess this is just one of the many lessons you learn being a parent.  Just when you think you know what your doing... boom.  Curveball!

I have to say I was really diggin' the extra snuggles at first.  I mean... he's just so cute when he sleeps.  And then there's how he likes to lay head to head.  Oh no... not like that... I know what your thinking.  Heads side to side like normal people.  No, my son likes to lay directly on top of me... head on head.  It's sweet, and I know one day I will look back and wish I had that little head on mine, but right now I am in desperate need of a good night sleep.  Wish me luck.

YOU ARE. YOU EAT. // Week 3

So clearly I am not having the easiest time with the meal planning... well actually the meal planning is going well... the remembering to photograph and write the recipes while I'm cooking is the hard part.  So I decided I will just post what my meal plan for the week and post recipes as I get a chance.  I usually rotate a lot of the same things so the majority of my recipes should be up here in no time.  Also, I will just link to a recipe if it is one that I get from somewhere else.  Anyway here is our plan from this week:

This weeks menu//

1. Chicken Soup

2. Butter Roasted Salmon* and Kale Salad

3. Chicken Stir-Fry

4. Vegetable Lasagna

*So in all honesty I didn't try the salmon... Im a little bit funny about fish and unless I feel like it is really fresh good fish I want nothing to do with it.  However I am trying to add more salmon into my diet because it is so good for you so I found this recipe and thought it sounded good and gave it a try... I mean I love butter so whats not to love here, right?  Well i pretty much got turned off by the whole meal from the start.  I used frozen wild salmon filets and the whole defrosting fishiness really grossed me out.  Now that I made that sound really appetizing... go on try it! (Let me know if anyone does give it a shot and if I should try it again)

Shopping List//

Produce:

1 Bag Organic Baby Carrots (save some for soup and stir-fry)

1 Bunch of Organic Celery

3 Onions

1 Head of Garlic

1 Piece of Ginger

1 bunch- fresh thyme

1 bunch- fresh dill

1 bunch- fresh rosemary

1 head of broccoli

1 pineapple

1 apple

1 bunch of kale

2 lemons

4 scallions

1 eggplant

1 zucchini 

1 spaghetti squash

Dairy:

butter

pecorino romano cheese

ricotta cheese

shredded mozzerella

block of part skim mozzarella

Meats/Fish:

1 whole chicken or 1 rotisserie chicken 

salmon filets

4 chicken breasts

Pantry:

1-2 cartons organic chicken stock

1 box of soup pasta

1 box lasagna

1 large jar tomato sauce (Rao's is our sauce of choice)
canola oil
whole wheat bread crumbs

brown rice

rice vinegar

soy sauce

honey
brown sugar

olive oil

red pepper flakes 

sesame seeds

VEGETABLE LASAGNA.

Ingredients:
1 box dried lasagna

1 eggplant (thinly sliced)

1 zucchini (thinly sliced)

1 spaghetti squash*

1 cube part skim mozzarella (roughly cut into approx.1" cubes)

1 bag shredded mozzarella

2 cups ricotta cheese

1 jar marinara sauce

2 cloves garlic

grated pecorino romano cheese

Directions:
In a large pot salt water and bring to a boil.  Add a tablespoon of olive oil and lasagna.  Cook according to instructions minus a minute or two since the pasta will continue to cook in oven.  Drain and set aside.  

Meanwhile, in large pan heat olive oil and add two cloves of mixed garlic.  Add sauce and cook until heated through.  (If you want to add meat to your lasagna you would do so here.  Just chop up ground beef and cook before you add sauce.)

To assemble lasagna take a baking dish and layer sauce, lasagna, eggplant, zucchini, spaghetti squash, cubed mozzarella, shredded mozzarella, dollop about 15-20 spoonfuls of ricotta cheese throughout.  Repeat about 3 or 4 times until you reach the top of your pan.  Top with sauce and pecorino romano. 

Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes to an hour covered with foil.  I take off the foil and cook for another 10 minutes or so to get it a little crispy on top.

Serve with a warm crispy loaf of bread and top with cheese.

Enjoy!

*Note:  The flesh of spaghetti squash is stringy much like spaghetti.  To prepare it puncture the flesh a few times with a fork and put in the microwave on a plate.  Microwave for 12 minutes rotating every 3 minutes.  Let it cool a bit and slice lengthwise.  Scoop out the seeds and the flesh kind falls away from the skin in ribbons.  

CHICKEN STIR-FRY.

Ingredients:
4 boneless chicken breasts (cut into peices)
1 cup brown rice
2 tbsp. canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. ginger (minced)
6 cloves garlic (minced)
4 scallions (minced)
1 head broccoli (chopped)
3/4 cup fresh pineapple (chopped)
1 gala apple (chopped)
1 carrot (cut into matchsticks)
1 onion (cut into 1 " strips)
1 cup kale (cut into ribbons)
1 avocado- optional

Directions:
Cook brown rice according to instructions.  

Heat large pan over medium high heat.  Add canola oil, ginger, garlic, scallion, and stir for about a minute.  Add chicken and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes.  Add broccoli, apple, pineapple, onion, carrot, kale, vinegar, honey and sugar.  Cook for another 2 minutes or so and add soy sauce.  Serve over brown rice and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  You can also serve with a few avocado slices.

Enjoy!

CHICKEN SOUP.

Ok, so there are two versions of this soup I make.  The quick and easy rotisserie way or the completely from scratch way (which still uses some chicken stock).  I pretty much always make it with a rotisserie because I'm usually short on time and handling a whole raw chicken really grosses me out... I've included both ways.  

Ingredients:1 whole 3-4 lb. (rinsed) chicken or 1 rotisserie chicken*
1 box of organic chicken broth or 2 boxes if your are using rotisserie chicken
1/2- 1 box pasta
1 bag organic baby carrots or about 6 regular carrots (chopped into 1/2 inch pieces)

4 celery stalks (cut into 1/2 inch pieces)

1-2 onions (cut into 1/2 inch pieces)
1 clove garlic (minced)- optional
fresh thyme (minced)
fresh dill (minced)
fresh rosemary (minced)
sea salt
pepper
organic chicken bouillon powder- optional


Directions:In a large pot, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium, combine carrot, celery, onion, garlic, thyme, dill, rosemary, salt and pepper.  Sauté for about 5 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften. At this point we add the chicken:

Whole Chicken:Move the vegetables to the sides and add your chicken to the pot breast side down.  Let it brown up for about 1 minute and pour in box of chicken stock.  Add enough water to cover the chicken and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and partially cover; cook until for about 45 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.  Skim and foam or fat that rises to the top if you would like.  (I usually don't, I'm not patient enough and it kind of gets mixed in) Remove chicken and set aside, when it is cook enough shred it into pieces and return it to the pot.

Rotisserie Chicken:Shred the rotisserie chicken into bite-size pieces and add it to the pot.  Sauté the chicken for about a minute or two to combine all the flavors.  Add two boxes of organic chicken stock and cook until heated through (you can add water to it if you want to get some more out of it).

Add your choice of pasta or rice and cook until a little al dente.  (I use something different just about every time ditalini, farfalline, cut spaghetti, egg noodles, or orzo depending on what I have) Some people like to cook the pasta separtely and add it individually to the soup. I add it right in because I like that it adds some starch to the water and thickens it up a bit.  If you plan on having leftovers and eating this throughout the week know that the pasta will absorb the broth and get significantly bigger and soggy.  I happen to like my soup pretty thick and also when cooking for a toddler this makes it way easier for them to eat.  You can play around and see which way you like it the best.  


I taste it many times along the way to adjust to your liking.  Usually I'll add salt, If I think it is too salty I just add some water, if I think it needs a little more chicken goodness I'll sprinkle in some organic chicken bouillon.   

Enjoy!

*Note: Always try to use organic or natural chicken, it really makes a huge difference taste and health wise.  They are sometimes a little harder to find and a little more expensive but it totally worth it.  I buy Harvestland Natural Rotisserie Chicken from BJ's, it is US-raised on a vegetarian diet and has no hormones, no antibiotics, and no animal by-products.  

PARENTHOOD // How you know it's love.

Sometimes being a parent is really hard... and then your little boy leans in and smushes his forehead into the bridge of your nose and you know that he really loves you... and everything is ok.  

Thanks Kurt.

P.S.  Remember that time I said I was gonna post a meal plan every Friday?  Tomorrow.  I Promise.

CURRENTLY.

So I took a little time away from here the past few days... I had planned on scheduling posts for when we were away, but one of my resolutions was also to disconnect a bit... so it didn't happen and Im cutting myself a little slack!!!  Also, we missed a menu plan for this week because I didn't do any cooking while I was away... but you can look for one on Friday.  (I figured this was the best day to post because most people do their shopping and planning over the weekend.)

We just got back from a little trip to Florida and I'm not too happy about it right now.  Currently I am freezing sitting here in my winter parka, scarf, and boots... Why? Because I am just way too cold to take one single layer off, I need them all right now.

Do you get a little blue when you come back from a vacation?  I definitely do!  Yesterday was our first day back and it really took everything I had to muster up the strength to get out of bed and brush my teeth, let alone go food shopping and unpack.  (Im still working on the unpacking)  It's just so cold and brown here...  I miss letting my kid run around without any clothes on and going to the park and sunshine and trees (Why do we live here again?)

This morning we dropped Kurt off at Kris' moms and headed into Seaside to get some work done... which has not done much for my back from vacation funk.  It was my first time seeing the store since Kris and his crew gutted it from the storm damage.  It's all a little overwhelming right now... I have a really long list of to do's and decisions that I have been putting off and it is time to get to it.  I need a major dose of motivation and maybe a fairy godmother that can just tell me what to do.

BRINGING UP BOY.

As a little girl, I couldn't wait to be a mom!  I didn't play with barbies I played with babies... I had a diaper bag that I brought around with me and everything.  That being said, you would think I'd have this mom thing a little more together.  My kid has gone shoeless, hatless, and coatless way more than i'd like to admit and I forget diapers an embarrassing amount.  Then there was that time 2 weeks after he was born that we walked into a resaturant to be greeted by a friend asking "where's the baby?", followed by Kris and I running frantically to the car to retrieve our sleeping babe snuggled up in his car seat.  (It takes a bit of time to adjust to life with a newborn, and they are so darn quite... please don't call child protective services... I'm a good mom, I swear!)  I mean... my 8 year old self would have never, in fact i'm sure she's cringing somewhere deep down.  I imagined my future self to be a perfect tea party hosting, french braiding, angelic lullaby singing, all together all the time mama.  So that may be a little far from the reality.  To start... I didn't have a girl.  When I was pregnant I truly didn't care the sex the baby, but I always pictured myself as a mother to a girl.  I know girls.  It's what I do... dress up and jewelry.  Therefore when I first found out that I had given birth to a big, beautiful, baby boy I panicked that I wouldn't have as much to offer him.

I could not have imagined the amount of joy I find in all things boy.  The way he grunts and growls, the instinctual car sounds he makes at anything with wheels, his rough yet gentle kisses and strong squeezes, the throwing of everything.  I have a new found love for so many things by experiencing them through his eyes... I now realize that I can do boy.  It's not all glitter and hair bows over here... bring on the reptiles.  Then, just when think there is nothing tame about him, I watch as my husband brings him a little too close to the rattlesnake exhibit.  He pulls back with caution and I think... that's my son!

THIS MUST BE THE PLACE.

Sometimes we have a tendancy to take the everyday things in our life for granted.  For me that has always been the beach.  I grew up minutes away from its glistening shores and sadly there has been days when even though my shop is right on the beach I don't even notice the waves crashing on the shore.  I haven't been to the beach since September when at 4:00 pm Kris and I decided on a whim to pack up a few supplies and let Kurt play in the sand before the sun went down.  We watched as our son rolled his little body around feeling the warmth of the hot sand while a perfect breeze ran through his barely there hair.  Once again, I took it for granted.  I realized what a great moment it was for our family, but thought nothing of the simple pleasure of white sand and salt air.

After Sandy ripped apart the east coast and particularly devastated our town, Seaside Heights, I didn't think about the beach.  Owning two businesses completely invested and centered around the beach and boardwalk I was scared for our future and that of my friends and family.  I worry a lot... it's kind of my thing.  I worry for me, I worry for my family, I worry for my friends, I worry for my son... a lot.  Unless everything and everyone in my life is good and happy, I am worrying.  And when everything is going great, I worry that it's too good.  It's a major fault of mine and slowly but surely I am working on it.  Needless to say, after the storm, I have been worrying a lot.  However, not having a place to go to the beach this summer was simply not on my list of worries.

Today, 3 months after the storm, here we are at the beach in sunny florida.  While there are still lots of unknowns for what our summer will hold, things are looking a little a better.  (I mean, we are in florida) It wasn't until today when I nestled my bottom into a beach chair and happily looked on as kurt scooped dirty, coarse, shell like, grey, seaweed encrusted sand into his mouth and rubbed it all over his sticky sunblock lathered chest with wild abandon... that I missed my beach.

HELLO FROM THE ROAD.

We made our way down to Florida this week for some trade shows and a visit with my parents, we also may have squeezed in some Mickey time as well.  I was a little nervous about a 18 hour road trip with a 15 month old, but so far so good.  I will share some of the tips that seemed to have helped us when we get back.  This little guy has been pretty amazing and we are having such a great time.

YOU ARE. YOU EAT. // Week 1

This weeks menu is a little on the weak side.  Just keep in mind this was a clean out the fridge, try to get by all week without food shopping because we are going away kind of meal plan.  But I promised to share my experience, and while I hoped to have a way more glamourous, gourmet experience to share (at least for the first week), here it is:

This weeks menu//
1. Creamy Avocado Pasta
2. Veggie Pizza
3. Tilapia Sticks w/ Sautéed Spinach
4. Scrambled Eggs w/ Spinach and Feta

Shopping List//
Produce:
2 avocados
1 bunch- fresh cilantro
1 package- grape tomatoes
1 head- garlic
4 lemons
1 zucchini
1 bunch- broccolini
1 bunch- green onions (can substitute white or yellow onion)
1 package- spinach

Dairy: 

1 dz. - eggs (organic/ cage free/ omega 3)

parmesan cheese locatelli romano

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

1/2 cup shredded cheddar

cojita cheese can substitute feta

pizza dough

Pantry:
12 oz. - Bowtie Pasta (or pasta of choice)
1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs

Fish Market:
3- Fresh Tilapia filets

BAKED TILAPIA STICKS.

BAKED TILAPIA STICKS

Ingredients:
3 tilapia filets (cut into one inch strips)
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
2 teaspoons parmesan
1/2 cup buttermilk (can substitute with 2 eggs)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

While your oven is preheating, wash your tilapia filets and cut into one inch strips.  Combine panko bread crumbs, thyme, parmesan, italian seasoning, salt and pepper (you can also use pre seasoned italian breadcrumbs).  Pour buttermilk into a bowl.  Coat tilapia sticks in buttermilk followed by the breadcrumb mixture.  Line on baking sheet.

Bake for about 12 minutes turning once.  Tilapia sticks should be nicely browned.  Serve with lemon wedges.

*Note// When I first made this recipe I based it off of a recipe from Tyler Florence.  I never have buttermilk and hate having to buy it because you usually use a little bit and end up throwing the rest out.  I figured I would change it up a bit and use milk because it is what I had on hand.  I wouldn't really recommend this, the breadcrumbs didn't stick as much as I would have liked.  Next time I will try it with buttermilk otherwise I will just use egg like I normally do when I make them on the stove top.

SAUTÉED SPINACH
I always like to serve fish with sautéed spinach.  Just cook the spinach on the stovetop in a large pan and add a touch of water and cover to steam it.  Once it wilts finish with a little garlic salt and butter.

VEGGIE PIZZA.

This time I used a pre made pizza dough.  I like to keep one in the house for when i'm in a pinch.  It's an easy way to clean out the fridge and use any leftover produce I have.   Next time I want to try to make my own and am thinking of trying this recipe.

Ingredients:
pizza dough
3 teaspoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 zucchini
1 bunch broccolini
1 bunch green onion (can substitute yellow or white onion)
1 or 2 handfuls of grape tomatoes (halved or quartered)
1 cup of mozzarella/ cheddar mixture (shredded)
1/2 cup of parmesan

Directions:
Pre slice all your veggies.  Combine olive oil and minced garlic.  Read directions for your pizza crust, brush crush with oil and garlic mixture and pre bake my crust for about 5-8 minutes. This will make sure your crust is nice and crispy.

Sprinkle your crust with mozzarella/cheddar mixture (leave some for the top) and layer on veggies.  Top with the rest of cheese mixture and sprinkle parmesan.

Enjoy!

AVOCADO PASTA.

Ingredients:
12 oz. pasta (I used bowties but any pasta will work)
2 avocados (pitted with the flesh scooped out)
2 lemons (juiced)
5 grape tomatoes (quartered) - optional
1 bunch fresh cilantro (fine chopped)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 teaspoon parmesan
cojita cheese (handful for garnishing)

Directions:
In a medium size pot, bring water to a boil and add a pinch of salt.  Cook pasta of choice according to directions on the box.  We like our pasta a little al dente so I usually cook it the minimum amount of time.

Meanwhile, combine the avocado flesh, lemon juice, cilantro, garlic and parmesan.  You can add all of these ingredients in a food proccessor or just mash them together (if you are lazy like me and don't want to clean a food processor this is the way to go).  Put this mixture aside and wait till your pasta is cooked.

Once pasta is cooked, drain and toss with avocado sauce.  Add cojita cheese (or feta if you don't have cojita) and some fresh cilantro.

Enjoy!

*Note: If you are not using a food processor make sure you cut garlic and cilantro as fine as possible so you don't bite into big bits.

BITS OF LUCK.

I constantly find myself saying the phrase, "how lucky am I?"  Everyday there are a million little moments that I feel so blessed I get to experience.  They may not be glamorous, they may not be pretty, they may not be significant... but they are all mine, and for that I am thankful.  I know there will be a point in my life that I will look back and wish I could relive these days, and hopefully these little bits will help me do so.  Enjoy!

1. Kurt's favorite gift this Christmas was these nesting/stacking blocks.  He can't even contain his excitement when we take them out. Oh, and knocking them down... does it get any better?

 2. Christmas is officially over our house.  We finally got all the decorations away and I gotta say... it feels good.  However, I did feel the need to keep this little guy around for a few more weeks.  He is wintery and cheery and makes me oh, so happy!

3. The other night Kris and I sat down and really docs into setting some goals for ourselves.  It felt good and helped ease some of the anxieties we are having over the future of our businesses since the hurricane.  Kris had learned this goal setting routine a few years ago, and I think it really helped me prioritize a lot.  First we briefly described the life we want to strive for and then we wrote down three five year goals and three one year goals each for four categories: Personal, Health, Career, and Financial.  They each had to be measurable and attainable.  It was really nice to sit down with one another over a glass of wine and talk about our future.  Try it... I highly recommend it.

4.  Packing.  I really dislike packing.  However it always seems to make me hang up the big pile of clothes on my floor and tackle the heaping mound of laundry.   But it's always followed by an adventure... and for that reason, I really like packing.

TODDLER TALK. // With Kurt.

With each day that goes by, this little guy becomes more and more fun. We have started calling him the mayor whenever we go somewhere... when he walks in a room he wants to walk around and wave to everyone saying hi.  (I really hope I don't have a future politician on my hands).  This kid is the friendliest, funniest little entertainer. And brains! Let's talk about his brains for bit... He is pretty verbal now (well at least we think so) and has quite a bit of a vocabulary under his belt.  It amazes me every time he says a new word (It also amazes me when he licks the floor and chews shoes so keep in mind it's all relative).  Not when I am sitting there repeating "love you" to him 10,000 times but the first time I point to an owl... "owuhl"!  And just like that to me he's a genius.  Here are some of the most popular words as of late:

mama. 

dada. 

nooooona. (nonna) 

pop pop.

nana. (for both kris' mom and banana)

poppy. 

kiki. 

kikkee. (mickey)
yake. (jake and the neverland pirates)

beep. beep.

ahpuhl. (apple)

babbu. (bottle)

wawa. (water)

guk. (pacifier... what we call "nuk")

peeas. (please)

gank gu. (thank you.)

mwah. (kiss)

nigh nigh. (nite nite... followed by him walking over to the stairs pointing to his room)

coookee. (cookie... he some how picked this one up over the holidays)

aahht. (hot... for food, stove, candles, Christmas lights... everything is "aahht")

yesssh. (yes)

eyeaah. (yeah)

NO. (no... always with the finger pointed)

dish. dat (this and that)

hiii. (hi)

bye. bye. (with wave)

and animals... lot's of animals... with sounds.

kaht. (cat) maow. (meow)

koww. (cow) moooooo.

dahg. (dog) wufh. wufh.

fsssh. (fish)

ig. (pig) onkk. onkk.

heep. (sheep) baaaahhhhh.

unkee. (monkey) ah ah ah.

ion. (lion) arrrrrrrr.

(there's more... i know there's more... but for now this is all I can think of.)

YOU ARE. YOU EAT.

I have always loved the documentation of everyday life.  All the little moments that are pieced together to make us who we are.  I have been wanting to create some sort of series of these moments for some time now and figured what better way to do it than right now at the start of a new year.  So join me as I attempt to document the adventures, trials and tribulations of feeding my little family.  You know the saying, "you are what you eat"... well I really don't want to be an artificial, processed, genetically modified mutant.  Therefore, I have become somewhat obsessed with what we put into our bodies and try to make healthy and delicious food.  That and I want my children to grow up with memories of me at the stove with my feet criss crossed over one another, just as I do of my mother.  I want them to argue with their husbands/wives over who's mom makes a better meatball. Overall I want to create a home based on the healthy choices and togetherness of a good meal.  However, because I am still getting myself acquainted with my chefs hat, it takes a good amount of planning to make this happen.  I hope to update my menu plans and shopping lists here on a weekly basis along with the in's and out's of our journey.  

Did I mention that we have a little bit of a love affair with pizza bites?  Yeah... This isn't going to be easy...

TAKING FLIGHT.

This weekend will be filled with quite a bit of soul searching... and to tell you the truth I'm a little scared about it. I'm not quite ready to dive into the decisions I have to make, and I seem to be forced in a direction that is a bit scary to me.  Over the past few years I have experienced a number of ups and downs and oh so many changes. My career, however, has always remained pretty constant and that has provided me a sense of comfort.  Come April I knew exactly where I would be and exactly what to expect (financially and emotionally).  Even through all the struggles that come with owning your own business, I always felt that at the end of each season everything would work out. And it always did.

I like to consider myself a risk taker.  I mean... I did start a business as a college junior (a pretty successful one too).  However, over the years I have settled nicely into my comfort zone and now that I have a husband, house and baby, those risks seem pretty, well, risky.  Kris and I dream up different business ventures in our head for fun and love to drive around and just talk about all the different ideas we have.  But it's just that, talk.  Now I am faced with a situation where I have to decide on the fate of my business.  I feel like I have inched my way to the very edge of the diving board and now is the time to choose.  Will I dive in or slowly crawl back down to more "comfortable" ground?  And what if that ground has been shaken up a bit and seems a little more wobbly than it did before?  I'm still not sure just what direction to take, right now i'm sort of hovering in between, but I am so thankful that I at least I have a decision to make.

(bravery print: available for free download here.)

2012 IN REVIEW.

When I started this post I had planned on choosing 12 of my favorite photos from 2012... and that was pretty much impossible for me.  Instead this post took me a few teary eyed days of browsing through the obscene amount of photos and videos that I took this year.  I really can't even put into words how blessed we were in 2012, this little man brought so much love and joy into our lives on a daily basis.  It is unreal to see how much he has grown.  At the start of 2012 he was 3 months old and just beginning to show us his personality and has grown to be so full of life, laughter, and love.  Thank you, Kurt, for giving us the best year... you make our world go round.

JUICED.

One of the things I am hoping to do this year is focus a little more on myself and my nutrition.  Having a baby the focus has shifted to him, sometimes I turn around it's 5 o'clock and the only thing I have had all day is coffee.  I know, it's so bad!  When I was pregnant I became obsessed with what I was putting into my body and in turn feeding my baby and I got on a huge juicing kick.  It helped me jumpstart my morning and get lots of energy (which was necessary since I didn't drink coffee) plus I felt like it was such an easy way to get in so many fruits and vegetables.  This is my go to recipe:

1 Bunch of Kale
5 Carrots
2 Gala Apples
Peeled Ginger Root (Helps ease morning sickness)

I always use organic produce and will add whatever else I have on hand, like strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, celery.  It will look pretty gross and will be a funny brown color, but it tastes delicious! Enjoy!

FRESH START.

There is something that I just love about a fresh start, add paper products on top of it and you see why a new calendar or planner is pretty exciting stuff around these parts.  Organizing your thoughts and lists in a pretty new place is way more motivation for me to cross things off.  This year I decided to create a printable for yearly and monthly goals to add to my planner, I just used some cute tape and put it right inside my new planner.  However you can also tape them on a wall, in your journal, next to your bed... wherever you fancy.

DOWNLOAD 2013
DOWNLOAD JANUARY
DOWNLOAD FEBRUARY
DOWNLOAD MARCH
DOWNLOAD APRIL
DOWNLOAD MAY
DOWNLOAD JUNE

My goals for the year are a little broader where the monthly goals I set for myself are more specific ways to work toward the yearly goals.  I also like to add birthdays and important dates for the month that way I can pick up cards and gifts throughout the month and not wait till the last minute.  (See... working toward a yearly goal)

Remember to go easy on your self and keep your goals attainable.  Enjoy!