Livin' It Up... Mommy Guilt

Mommy guilt is a real thing. So much of what I do is dedicated to Little Man and prevents me from doing what I want to do. Some of these things seem selfish, like taking a nap or sitting on the patio reading a book... in silence. But as a mom, I have this little voice in my head that tells me, "you're a parent, you signed up for this and he comes first."

It's hard to ignore the voice, but I've learned that sometimes being selfish actually benefits more than just me. When I get a moment to myself it allows me to decompress and let go of some of the stress putting me in a better mood and be more tolerable. As Little Man has gotten older it makes it easier for him to understand when mommy needs a timeout and he's more self sufficient allowing for more of these me moments.

Here are some ways I find myself being selfish:

• A girls' night once a month.
• Nap on the couch while he quietly does an art project or reads. 
• Little Man has a dedicated bedtime. Once he's down for bed I catch up on shows I've recorded.
• Signed up for a gym membership with childcare.
• Whenever Little Man is not in the car, the windows are down and music blaring. 
• If Little Man hasn't been on his best behavior I will wait for him to fall asleep to eat the ice cream we were looking forward to after dinner.
• Splurge on Starbucks
• Scrap dinner plans on occasion and resort to take out.
• Put off my to do list when I'm really not feeling it. 
• I don't volunteer at his school.... I'm really only tolerable for my kid and those of my friends. 
• Enjoy going to work and getting off to race over to his daycare to hear him squeal, "Mommy!"
• Asking his dad to take him to the barber shop.
• I'm environmentally unfriendly for convenience factors.

While I'm writing this I actually feel guilty for seeing how expansion the list above feels. But here's the thing... I know I am a great mom and would give up any of these guilty pleasures if they actually were not in his best interest.

It's funny to think, I'm sitting on the couch typing this post while he's sitting next to me playing on his iPad. We're both doing something we enjoy and having our own "me" time. So, it's all about balance. Making time for me, him, and us.

Speaking of us... he wants to go grab McDonald's for lunch (ick! I don't like McDonald's) and selfishly I am going to waste the extra gas and money to head down the street to pick myself up a burger from my favorite place instead.

Doin' Some Cookin'... Flat Belly Smoothie

Flat Belly Challenge Day 1:

My workout today consists of an abdominal circuit, Walk/Run Interval, and an hour at Zumba class.

For breakfast I whipped up the Flat Belly Smoothie that is packed with ingredients that fight belly fat and reduce bloating.

If only I could just sip on this and skip those crunches at the gym, although, I have heard the saying, "abs are made in the kitchen." I'm only half joking.

Flat Belly Smoothie

Adapted From: PopSugar Fitness

Makes 1 Serving

Stars of the Show:

• 6 oz container vanilla fat free Greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp almond butter
• 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
• 1/2 cup frozen pineapple chunks
• 1 cup baby kale
• 3/4 cup water

And Action:

Place all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth. Enjoy!

Doin' Some Cookin'... Parmesan Meatloaf

Okay, so I realize this is my third meatloaf recipe I've posted since November and that I've ranted about not really being on board to put together another meatloaf but this may be the game changer and here's why. After baking this I cut it into squares and served it on a bed of spaghetti and used it as a giant meatball. Kid approved!! Across the board rave reviews.

If you are tired of the same meatloaf recipe you should give this a try. It is perfectly seasoned with Italian spices and although it has equal parts ground beef and ground turkey it is not dry at all and holds up well reheated in the microwave the next day.

Parmesan Meatloaf

Adapted From: Mommy I'm Hungry!

Makes 6 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 cup marinara sauce
• 1 cup Italian cheese blend
• dried parsley, for garnish

And Action:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside.

In a large bowl combine the ground turkey thru the parmesan cheese. Try not to over handle as that will cause it to become tough. Place the mixture in the baking dish forming a loaf. Top the meatloaf with the marinara sauce.

Bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and sprinkle with the Italian cheese blend and bake another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven. Serve over a bed of pasta noodles tossed with the leftover marinara sauce and garnish with parsley. Enjoy!

Doin' Some Cookin'... Fish Tacos with Sautéed Zucchini

These fish tacos are nothing like restaurant-style. These are minimalist tacos and a diet friendly dinner for those trying to watch their waistlines. No addition of sour cream and the fish is not batter fried. The fish is pan fried with a simple bed of sliced avocado on a corn tortilla and served with a side of sauteed zucchini. The chili powder and cayenne pepper give this a fiery bite to help boost flavor but please note it may be too spicy for the little ones. 

Fish Tacos with Sautéed Zucchini

Adapted From: Every Day with Rachael Ray

Makes 2 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 1/2 lb halibut
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 zucchini, cubed
• cilantro, to taste
• sea salt, to taste
• 4 corn tortillas
• chili powder, to taste
• cayenne pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 avocado, sliced

And Action:

Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Place the halibut in a small bowl and drizzle with 1/2 of the lime juice. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

In a small skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the zucchini and season with salt. Once browned drizzle with the other half of the lime juice and cilantro.

Spread the tortillas on a baking sheet and heat in the oven for 10 minutes.

Season the halibut with the chili powder, cayenne pepper, and salt. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the fish, 4 minutes each side. Break the fish into bite sized pieces. Arrange the tortillas with sliced avocado and top with the fish. Serve with the sauteed zucchini. Enjoy!

Livin' It Up... Resolutions 2015

I don't know what it is about Mondays and the New Year being like a giant reset button when it comes to making life changes. Every year I say, "NO!" to making New Year's resolutions and after a week a sort of guilt washes over me and I finally sit down and make a list of good intentions for the year.

As far as 2014 went I had about 5 or 6 items on the list of resolutions and only really accomplished one of them which was to "pay it forward". At the start of the Thanksgiving season I visited the website, GoFundMe, and selected families to donate to whose stories tugged at my heart strings. My contributions were small, $5 to $10, but I spread about $100+ throughout the Houston area. Depending on how active the families are on the website you can opt in to receive email updates of their stories. The most rewarding feeling was receiving personalized thank you messages from those families.

Because it felt so good fulfilling random acts of kindness this will definitely be a repeat for 2015. Here's my list of resolutions, a much heftier list than last year:

1. Pay It Forward
2. Lose 40 Pounds
3. Do Something For Myself Once A Week... A nap sounds like a decadent treat.
4. Nurture Friendships
5. Travel To New Places
6. Be The One To Reach Out... I'm terrible when it comes to out of sight, out of mind. 
7. 6 Month's Worth Of Living Expenses Saved
8. Get 8 Hours Of Sleep!!
9. Declutter
10. Drink More Water
11. Walk To Work When I Can
12. Learn To Use My Camera... Reach for my iPhone out of convenience when I have a really nice camera. 
13. Download New Music
14. Leave Work Earlier
15. Say No To Fast Food
16. Work On My Handwriting
17. Dive Deeper In My Hobbies
18. Start A Garden
19. Follow Through On A New Year's Resolution, HAHA!!