Monday 5 May 2014

Momma Monday: 6 Toddler Friendly Snacks for Traveling


We've all been there. The dreaded long car rides where you get 5 minutes down the road and the children in the backseat are already wanting food. But stopping at the golden arches or getting a box of tim bits can get quite costly especially on long car trips. So pack up the cooler and get out your zip lock bags, because here are 6 great snack foods that aren't messy, healthy, and easy to prepare before you hit your destination.

CHEESE & DELI MEAT

This combo is a sure fire way to keep the little ones at bay for a while. I usually get cookie cutters and cut out cool shapes of the meat and cheese so that it's something different. Or you can cut the cheese into easy pick-up cubes for little fingers, use string cheese, and even add in some crackers for something crunchy.

TRAIL MIX

My kids love trail mix, and because you can either buy it at a bulk food store, or make it yourself, it makes for a great snack on the go. You can use dried fruit pieces, nuts, chocolate chips, pretzels, etc. to suit the wants of whoever is eating it.

FRUITS & VEGGIES

Also another huge hit. I use carrots, cucumbers, celery, berries, banana, apple slices, grapes, you name it you can put it in a baggie or little snack box and they'll be happy.

GRANOLA BARS

Opt out for the chocolate covered, ooey gooey caramel filled ones and you'll have a snack full of fiber, easy to eat and will keep them full until you reach your destination. You can also find great recipes online to make your own granola bars :)

MINI SANDWICHES

Huge hit with my kids. They love PB&J so i make a bunch of those and throw in some deli meat & cheese slices in another, and its like a mini lunch that doesn't make hardly any mess (give or take some crumbs) and will leave them satiated.

CEREAL

Last but not least. Fill up those little snack packs with cereal like cheerios, fruit loops, lucky charms, reese puffs, mini wheats, you name it. I opt out for only fruit loops & cheerios because there not full of lots of sugar, and even if they drop some they don't break into a gazillion crumbs everywhere.


Wednesday 23 April 2014

Weightloss Wednesday: 5 Protein Packed Smoothies


Smoothies are always convenient, and great for those of us who are on the go. There great meal replacements (when done properly) and post-workout snacks to replenish your body with nutrients. Yet using protein powder can be quite costly and high in calories if your not careful on what types you buy and how many grams of protein you get out of each scoop of powder. I found this protein called Dyna-wave and its only 30$ a bag you can find it online, at no frills, Costco and some other nutrition stores. Per 1 scoop is 135 calories with 30g of protein.

Different Forms of Protein
Peanut Butter                    Coconut Milk
Flax Seeds                        Oats
Chia Seeds                       Milk
Almond Butter                  Quinoa
Raw Egg                           Yogurt

Those are just a few ways to add protein into your smoothies without using protein powder, saves on calories also. Here's a few recipes of mine I use on a daily & weekly basis, ENJOY! :)

Peanut Butter Power Banana Breakfast Smoothie

  •  1/2 cup 1% milk
  • 1 banana cut into chunks
  • 1 tbsp peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup cottage cheese
  • 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
  • 1/2 tsp instant coffee granules
  • dash of cinnamon
  • 2-3 icecubes
Makes 2 servings

Calories: 239 Per Serving
Protein: 22.5 grams

Chia Green Protein Smoothie

  • 1 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1 cup spinach
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 1 banana
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 2-3 ice cubes
 Makes 2 Servings

Calories: 300 Per Serving
Protein: 26 grams

 Very Berry Banana Protein Smoothie

  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1 cup flax milk
  • 1/2 banana
  • 1/2 cup blackberries
  • 1/2 cup raspberries
  • 1/2 cup strawberries
  • 2 ice cubes
Makes 2 Servings 

Calories: 288 Per Serving
Protein: 24 grams

Go Green Protein Smoothie

  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 2 cups spinach
  • 1/2 - 1 cup kale
  • 1 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1 cup pineapple chunks
  • 1 1/2 cups water
Makes 2 Servings

Calories: 295 Per Serving
Protein: 26 grams

 Strawberry Chocolate Protein Smoothie

  • 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 1/2 cups strawberries
  • 2 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 2-3 ice cubes
 Makes 2 Servings

Calories: 270 Per Serving
Protein: 27 grams


And there you have it, 5 delicious smoothie recipes to try for any time :)













Wednesday 16 April 2014

Weightloss Wednesday: How Many Calories Should I Eat?

When I began my weight loss journey I didn't know where to begin. How does one lose weight? It's not rocket science, right? I've heard many different ways. Like padlocking your mouth and throwing the key away :) The point is, to lose weight, you have to eat less calories than you burn. Or start off by changing your diet piece by piece. Switch out soda & high sugared fruit juice for water, eat one piece of cake instead of the whole thing, if you go out to McDonalds or whatever order a salad or a grilled chicken burger WITHOUT making it a combo. These are sure fire ways to help you start on your weightless journey.










When I first started out losing weight I tried playing around with daily calorie intake needs and it started me off at eating 6 meals a day equaling out to 1600 calories, and I did 1-2 hours of exercise daily. I GAINED weight within my first week. I looked even more like a beached whale and I died a little on the inside. There is so much that your CI depends on. Whats your weight, height, age, gender, BMI, BMR, etc... Because everybody is different and unique that everyone's CI will be a lot different. Same as if you start off at 200lbs (like me) I had to eat 1200 calories to start off with to create a calorie deficit to actually lose weight whereas now im 145lbs and I eat 1400 calories to keep losing my weight. Weird huh? This site is what helped me and is very useful is a DAILY CALORIE NEEDS calculator. Plug in your information and get going :P










The site said I needed to eat 2099 calories (which I nearly gagged) to maintain my current weight, 1679 calories for fat loss, and 1260 for extreme fat loss. So I came to a median between the two and stick to 1300-1400 per day :) It also gives you this really cool 7 day calorie cycle (the zig zag), and also has meal plans for all calorie needs and shows you what the meals should look like that your eating.


Wednesday 9 April 2014

Weight loss Wednesday: A Guide To Clean Eating

About a month ago I decided to start clean eating, and it's been one of the hardest yet gratifying and rewarding things I think I've ever done. It took me about a couple weeks to get into the swing of things because I had no one to help me and basically followed everything off of websites because I had no idea what foods are okay, and what foods I should avoid. After that ordeal I thought to myself, there has to be an easier way to do this. So I have put together a Guide on how you can start clean eating too without all the hassle and hopefully have an easier transition than I did :)

1. Throw out ALL the junk in your fridge and pantry.
I didn't throw away all my food I gave some of it to my parents and kept some for my husband who still needs to eat that crap because he's in the middle of bulking up while im trying to widdle down so our diets collide quiet frequently, and also makes this process a lot harder. Sift through to make room for all your new healthy foods :) The easiest way to do this is to check the ingredients, if you can't pronounce it, have no idea what it even is, or if theres an ingredient list of 10 gazillion things, CHUCK. IT. OUT. Say your goodbyes and give it the boot. The more junk food like chocolate, chips, ect you don't have stashed in your cubbards, the less tempted you'll be to inhale them when nobodies around and lie to yourself that you don't feel bad for eating them anyways :)

2: GROCERY SHOPPING
The hardest part of my transition. Finding a BASIC clean eating diet grocery list was like finding a needle in a haystack in the middle of a blizzard.

TIP: It will be a bit difficult at first but try substitution first rather than just dropping everything cold turkey if you think you won't be able to stick with it right away. I went cold turkey and it was EXTREMELY difficult to keep to it at first but eventually my taste buds got used to what I was eating instead of the crap it had before.

Here's a list of everything you should try to incorporate into your new clean eating diet.

 TIPS
- Steam, Bake, Grill, or eat your food raw
- Fill 2/3 of your plate with veggies
- Eat Fruit for dessert
- Drink your body weight in water daily (or at least 64oz)
- If you incorporate red meat into your diet have it 90% lean or higher beef


Tuesday 8 April 2014

Fashion Trend Tuesday: Spring Makeup Video Tutorials



Spring is an amazing time of year for bright colorful makeup. Keeping it subtle but vibrant will have all eyes on you and the compliments will be endless. Some top trends of the 2014 Spring scene is light pinks, bright orange all over, color blocking eyeliner, glowing radiant skin, and a bold colorful lipstick to match. Let's get started

Spring Sunrise Inspired Makeup by Carli Bybel

Spring Inspired Makeup by Easy Neon
 

 

 

Those are the top 5 in my books. There vibrant, make your eyes pop, and I follow all their youtube channels religiously and are just amazing people and their tutorials are to every detail and so easy to follow, enjoy playing with your makeup! :)

Friday 28 March 2014

Freebie Friday: Easter Printable

I am so happy about this Easter! My children will both be old enough to have their first real Easter Egg Hunt by themselves! :D I can't wait. I went out and bought those plastic eggs that you can fill yourself so instead of just hunting for little chocolate eggs, they get eggs, candy, and small toys like bouncy balls, pretend jewelery, crayons, etc. I am just so excited to see their little faces light up when they wake up Easter morning and discover that their are Bright colorful Easter eggs spread about the house that the Easter bunny left behind the night before :)

As with every holiday that comes around I've created a simple Easter Subway Art Printable for you all to enjoy!


Monday 24 March 2014

Momma Monday: The Ultimate Spring Cleaning Guide & Daily Cleaning Schedule


It may still be frigid outside with -20 degree weather, and it may blizzard occasionally, but it's finally that time of year! SPRING! Where the snow melts and green grass takes it's place, and icy tree branches bud with new leaves and foliage. Where flowers begin to bloom and birds begin to sing. But with spring, comes spring cleaning. There are many people who dread this time, but me, I lavish in it. It's a secret of mine that I actually ENJOY (yes you read that correctly) cleaning. I love organizing. Yet you wouldn't think so because of the amount of toys, my husbands work gear, and nick nacks in absolutely every corner in every room. My family apparently doesn't like organizing. haha But I love going through every room, every space and throwing out junk, wiping down my decor and getting rid of those pesky little dust bunnies that decided to make the space behind our couch their home away from home through the winter. There is honestly so much to do, and never enough time, nor space to do it, especially with two little ones running around as well things will always be hectic. So I did a little researching, and came up with a massive list of stuff that is what I usually do every spring, and I have also supplied you with a daily cleaning list which I follow as if it were my bible, and my house went from disaster WW5 to just messy looking, which is as good as it'll get for right now Guaranteed.

Below is both printables, and I hope you enjoy and get rid of your junk this spring! For another person's trash is another person's treasure :)



Thursday 6 March 2014

Food Frenzy Thursday: Oatmeal Pancakes


Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. I usually have a bowl of oatmeal with cinnamon and half a banana and a big glass of milk, a protein shake, or my favorite. PANCAKES! Yet usually after you've made your batter, cooked them till golden brown, slathered them in butter and ooey gooey maple syrup, your already at 600 calories for breakfast. That's half my daily intake allowance (not cool). I surfed the web for hours the other day because I needed to find something that was still healthy, but as delicious as a normal wholesome stack of pancakes. I came across a bunch of oatmeal gluten-free pancakes, pancakes without sugar, and flour, and the possibilities were endless. So I decided on these (which in turn were fantabulous)

OATMEAL PANCAKES

Ingredients
  • 1 1/4 cup Old Fashioned Quaker Oats
  • 1 1/4 cup Skim Milk 
  • 1 Large Egg
  • 1 Tbsp light olive oil
  • 1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
Directions
  1.  In a medium bowl, mix oats with milk, let stand 5 minutes.
  2. Add in egg and oil, and mix.
  3. Add dry ingredients until just well blended
  4. Drop by 1/4 cup measurements and flatten out a bit
  5. Cook on hot nonstick skillet or pancake griddle until brown
  6. Flip and cook until lightly golden
  7. Top with whatever you like (not including in nutritional value)
Makes 4 servings.


** I like to add peanut butter and 1 mashed banana to my pancakes sometimes, they taste super good and are jam packed with loads of protein :) Also try using a sugar free syrup 
* I also

Sunday 16 February 2014

Momma Monday: How to fold a fitted crib sheet


My obsession with fitted crib sheets has gotten the best of me since having two little girls. Not to mention the internet is my enabler when it comes to cute, bright, and colorful patterned bed spreads that you can match your bedding with everything and anything, or even mix and match :D Yet coming to the realization that most of the time my linen closet looks like a rumpled pile of sheets and bedspreads because trying to fold these suckers is super hard unless you know how to do it properly, which I`m trying to perfect, but with not much luck haha.

One day I decided to search on how to fold them properly. There`s only so much you can do to try and make them LOOK neat without them really being neat and tidy and easily stackable in your closet.

I came across this youtube video How To Fold A Fitted Sheet. By far changed my life, and it`s super easy to follow. It takes a couple of tries to actually get it right I kept losing my corners in the process of folding and felt like shredding them all, but after a while I got the hang of it :) Once you become a pro, the biggest demise of motherhood has been conquered :D good luck!

Friday 7 February 2014

Freebie Friday: Valentines Day Subway Art

I love valentines day, and all the cute, sappy, adorable things that comes with it. Candy hearts, love notes, kisses, romantic evenings, flowers, chocolate, and just a day to show those who are important to you how much you really love them :) This year will be different for me unfortunately because my husbands away on course so he's gone till mid-may, bummer. But each day I do some crafts with the kids so when he comes home he'll have a box of stuff to open :D love it!

Anyways here I made some simple subway art, hope you all enjoy! Just right-click to save as onto your computer :)

** not sure why my background went grey, working on fixing that! :)




Tuesday 21 January 2014

Fashion Trend Tuesday: Momma Spring Trends for 2014

I am so glad that soon [i hope!] winter will be over and spring will be here. It's one of my favorite seasons. It's always so pretty outside with flowers blooming, animals waking up from their hibernation, trees growing back their foliage, and the nice sunny warm weather that slowly creeps in. I find every year I'm in the same predicament, I'm still stuck in the winter rut of big poofy jackets, sweaters, zillions of layers, scarfs, and big clunky boots, and when the weather gets warmer I'm still dressed like it's -40 outside haha.

Apparently the trendy colors for 2014 are bright pastels. I LOVE pastels. Not only do they subtly compliment anything you wear, but they add a pop of color and aren't overbearing. A lot of the looks this year are crop tops, fringe, bomber jackets, button down shirts, sheer, and exaggerated silhouettes like big boxy jackets, and huge flared pants. There's also florals, tea length skirts, and knit sweater cardigans [thin ones of course.]

Personally, a lot of the "trends" they post on the internet, or TV are WAY too out of this world for regular everyday life, or even the on-the-go mom. Like think about it, wearing big flare pants and a boxy jacket that makes you look like you should be on a runway instead of running around and yelling at your 4 kids to behave when your out in public isn't realistic.

Below are some outfits that are reasonable for spring, and for moms on the go! :)



- Trendy, yet not over the top. Also I would probably switch out the heels for some comfortable black flats





- this one is my favorite. i LOVE green, and it's just so simple, comfortable & classy, yet very casual :)


Monday 20 January 2014

Momma Monday: Top 20 things NOT to say to the Parents of Toddlers



I came across multiple versions of this on babble.com and it just made me laugh because 100% of it's so true. How many of us are asked ridiculous questions about our growing toddlers, or people have given there opinion about where our children should be on the milestone track when according to others, there "falling behind". This is one of my biggest pet peeves indefinitely. I didn't used to mind, until we were in a grocery store one day and my daughter was about 15 months old, and a lady was stating that A child that age should already be potty trained, and talking in mid-full sentences. I'm like, what planet did you come from, one with super kids or what? I will not stand for others comparing my child to somebody else as they all grow up differently, and at there own pace, and we can't force that.


What NOT to say to Parents with Toddlers

Strangers Are Weird
"Oh is she shy?"
No she doesn't know you and it takes her a few minutes to be comfortable in a new environment.

On Things That Are None of Your Business
"Isn't she potty trained yet?"
Exactly how old were you when you stopped pooping in a diaper?

On Little Boys With Long Hair
"When are you going to cut that hair?"
My son has his own (pretty darned cute) ideas about hair style and length, thank you very much.

No Naps = Zombie Toddler. LEARN THIS.
"Oh, he can miss his nap - it won't hurt!"
Oh sure, you won't mind babysitting them say from 5:00 PM onwards; getting them dinner and tucked into bed would you? However, Zombie Toddler will appear to eat your brains during these hours wherein their exhausted little brains and bodies cry foul.
** this is what happens to my kids. They become Crankzilla, queens of the underworld. 

SO TIRED
"I KNOW, me too."
The response I got when stating I was tired to a twenty-something Barista with no kids. I just laughed and laughed.
Babies & Toddlers Cry. KNOW THIS.
"Why won't she stop crying? What's wrong with her?"  Must be your face. Also? BABIES/TODDLERS CRY.

 ** this is my favorite. I'd love to see a baby&toddler not cry so much. Even if it were for a day, it'd be really nice :)

So Funny! So Smart!
"Oops, I guess the littlest one was a surprise, eh?"
Actually I had 7 miscarriages in 4 years. Would you like to know anything else about my child bearing history?
** this one is on ball. My mother tried for 12 years to conceive a child and adopted my brother & sister, had more miscarriages in between, and didn't know she was pregnant with me till she was 5 months along. So i was known as the surprise or even worse, the accident.. but they don't know how hard and long it took her to actually bear her own child.

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire
"You know, MY kids never acted like that…"
LIES. All LIES. Your memory sucks.

And It’s Your Business How?
"You're still nursing? But she's so old now!"
Natural weaning is between the ages of 2 and 7. Yes 7. I nursed my first baby until age 5 and I plan to do the same with my second. Not sure why it bothers you?


Ask a Silly Question…
"Does he/she always behave like this?"
Only when you're around.
Organically Grown
"Oh twins!?! Are they natural?"
Why yes they are 100% human, or are you asking if I used fertility treatments?

What’s Wrong With YOU?
"What's wrong with him?"
HE'S TWO.

Such a Zealot
"You must have a lot of time on your hands to be making such healthy meals from scratch all the time!"
I've got to give my kids some sort of material for therapy when they're grown, don't I?

** I have two kids under 3, and even I can still find time to make a healthy meal, weather it be quick and simple, a freezer meal I made days ago, or a simple fruit, veggie, cheese, and kabasa platter. Your children can't live off of hotdogs, grilled cheese, and kraft dinner forever.

For The Single Parents
"You don't need to date, you need to focus on your kids until they're out of the house."
You need to focus on your words before they come out of your mouth.

Just NO
"I used to spank my kids and they turned out just fine!"
Says YOU.

Don’t Talk To Me About Magic!
"Ok -- I know there's a ton of them... ok - here's one; I am always kind of amazed when my kids are in meltdown mode, throwing full on tantrums, I am completely dishevelled and / or crying, and we are in public - usually eating at a cafe or something and some older woman (who has forgotten everything or never had kids) says, 'remember this time forever. It's magical. You are so lucky.' GAAAAHHHHH! In fact, ANYBODY who says this to parents of young children should stop doing so. First of all, we do NOT need MORE guilt for thinking of our children as tiny dictators at times, and second - we KNOW it goes fast, we KNOW it's a magical time, but it feels and looks like the army when you're in it. A look of sympathy and maybe helping put my kids' boot back on would be more helpful." 
On Co-Sleeping
"It irritates me when people tell me not to let my son sleep in my bed. It's our special time to cuddle, he feels safe and secure, it builds our relationship. That is what is important to me!"





Wednesday 8 January 2014

The Grocery App EVERYONE Needs!

As we all know, a healthy lifestyle and weight loss doesn't just consist of exercise. It begins in the kitchen. If you ate like a pig but went to the gym for an hour a day, kudos, but you wouldn't see much of an improvement in your overall health or well being. Unless your one of those people, who like my husband, have an incredibly high metabolism and food disintegrates before it even makes it past your esophagus and you can eat all the crap you want, enjoy it while it lasts. Because i'll be one of those who laughs when you turn 30/40 and get really fat. Ugh, so fat :) haha

I'm a stay at home mom. Trying to find time to make a proper healthy meal that my kids will eat and enjoy at the same time can be very limiting. I do a lot of make a head meals, and they are a godsend. Seriously, they have saved my life, and am forever in-debt to pinterest&blogger for finding these amazing people who posted such incredible ideas. Spend 5 hours a day cooking to make 1 - 2 months work of freezer meals so I only have to cook 30 - 60 minutes a night instead of 2 hours. WINNING!

I am also really bad for going to the grocery store and overspending. I do write a list, but its more of a rough guideline haha. I'm also very anal about how I shop. I have my list planned out with categories like produce, meat, dairy etc, and when someone gets me off track and I recheck my list and I've missed a bunch of things, I get angry and frustrated because not only did I miss items that are ESSENTIAL, I now have to spend another half hour back tracking to pick those items up. Not impressed. BUT, one day, I stumbled across the most amazing grocery app in the world. I will use this every time I shop, and nothing else. It's changed my life, and has saved me and my family SO much money on groceries that I feel like that woman off that IKEA commercial yelling to start the car! running with a shopping cart in red vibrant heels feeling like wonder woman :)

The app is called myShopi. you can download it for FREE for your android, tablet, iphone, ipad, anything that supports apps, it's free :) YIPPIE!
Now here's the functionality of the app:

Organize By Category
like beverages, produce, bakery, dairy, meat/butcher, incidentals etc. you can even organize by aisles!

Database of 1000 Predefined Items
 stuff like bread, milk, chicken, broccoli, and bananas. My favorite part about the database is you can add in any product you like to buy into the database and add a picture of that product either from google, your storage device, or take a picture of it. SO FREAKING COOL!

Track Your History
the app keeps track of frequently purchased items from previous grocery shops so you can backtrack to add them to your new list for next month, week, whatever. Also, you can add items to favorites, which is even quicker to add to new lists.

Multiple Lists
you can create a wide range of lists by the store and what they offer to person, etc. so you could get a grocery list for wal-mart or nofrills, or you can shop by person like your husband, or kids, or sister and add items that they want to their own specific lists. super duper awesome!

Send by E-mail & SMS
Seriously. It's just too good to be true. I do my BIG list on my Ipad, but i'm not going to lug around my ipad with my husband and two kids AND a cart to do grocery shopping, it's not just logical. So I send it to my email and when I click on the link, it gets sent directly to the myShopi app on my phone. Not to mention, you can send it to ANYONE who has the app downloaded. If you need someone to pick up something for you, send the list, BAM they go get your stuff.

Price Description
My other fav on this app. You can enter in the price of each item you want to purchase and you can buy by box, can, package, lb, g, kg, ml, l, etc, and it'll tell you how much your grocery list will cost (before taxes obviously)




This is a screenshot of what it looks like on an Iphone. You can see what categories are already in the database, along with the items in that category. Like look how much variety you have in just the fruits category, and you can add more! If you suck at grocery shopping and aren't a coupon fanatic this app could just change your life.