Hi friends!
How is your morning going so far? KK and I dropped KJ off at school and hit the bakery for two loaves of sourdough and a cinnamon roll! We shared half and shared the other half with Mr. Hungry because we are nice like that, haha (Although I got to say KK didn’t really want to share anymore.)
This weekend we have a lot of fun plans, including a child-free dinner with friends and taking the kids to the dinosaur museum. This weekend I officially enter the third trimester, and I’ve definitely felt some of that oscillating energy levels common in this trimester. One day I felt like I had great energy all day. Another, I’ll feel like I was hit by a truck. Now I have a preschooler, so you never know how much of the energy oscillation is due to fighting off the newest virus or just regular pregnancy energy swings. Either way, praying for a healthy energy-filled weekend! I hope y’all have a great weekend!
WTE Meal Plan
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Around the Blog:
Here are some posts you may have missed on the blog the last two weeks:
- My Top 10 Nutrition Tips
- Chimichurri Salmon
- Sausage and Spinach Tortellini Soup
- Baby 3 Update 22-26 Weeks
- 2023 ButcherBox Review Update
Friday Favorites & Food:
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Ruggable Rugs
I was thanking my lucky stars that we have ruggable rugs in the boy’s rooms after this little incident! Mr. Hungry and I are at odds about ruggable rugs. He doesn’t like that they aren’t very cushy (even for the extra padded ones.) But I think they are invaluable for high-traffic or high-incident areas! Washable markers on a washable rug were no big deal, so for me, that’s a thousand times worth it! We have one in each of the boy’s rooms and one under the dining room table.
Rec Center Sports Classes
We’ve been taking the boys to a weekend sports class that is an intro to all sports classes. The 18-month – 3-year-old class is first, then the 3-6-year-olds. ! Going as a family where we have man-to-man coverage has been great! The boys love the class. Each week is a new sport to try out! KJ gets a kick out of watching the “babies” go first.
PS: I tried to sign KJ up over the summer for this class but had to stop going because I couldn’t be in two places at once (help KJ feel comfortable in class and wrangle a crawling baby.) I couldn’t keep it together, the instructor asked me several times to keep the baby out of the way, but when I would try to take him out, KJ didn’t want to stay in class, so I stopped going. There were other moms there wrangling multiple kids, babies, and 3-year-olds, but KJ takes a while to warm up in new situations, and KK has never been one to sit for anything, not TV, not snacks, not anything. It was tough, and I felt like a failure, but now seeing how KK continues to go go go compared to his peers, I realize that’s just him! And that’s okay. He’s been a pretty easy baby, but he is adventurous! I realized that not being the right time for us doesn’t make me a bad mom. So just in case, you find yourself overwhelmed by taking multiple kids to activities when other people seem to have it together, you are not alone!
Partners In Crime
Speaking of multiple kids, I’ve noticed as KK’s language has exploded in the last month, so has their brotherly relationship. As we approach the baby girls’ due date and KK’s second birthday, wwe havemore and more and more moments where the boys play together, including becoming “partners in crime.” I still don’t know who arew the markers on the carpet above, either. KJ was insistent he didn’t do it, and that KK didn’t do it either, so there is that. I worried that 2.5 years might be too big of a gap for the kids to be friends, so it’s been really fun to see them enjoying playing together!
My friend sent me a recipe for slow cooker Pork Bahn Mi Sandwiches, raving about how good it was. Now I’ve never had a Pork Bahn Mi sandwich, but Mr. Hungry seemed excited about making them at home, so we gave it a whirl. OH , M GEEE, it was seriously SOOOOOO good! Highly highly recommend it! It would be a great recipe for the Super Bowl to feed a crowd!
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Meal Prep Healthy French Toast/New Meal Prep Philosophy
I made a batch of healthy french toast this weekend for the kids! I love using the honey whole wheat bread from the bakery because it’s hardy, whole grain, and has zero preservatives. I let it cool completely on a cooling rack before freezing it in a large freezer bag. I reheat it by microwaving for 30 seconds on each side and popping it in the toaster.
Recently I attended a talk at a church Mom’s group I’m in, and the speaker was talking about being a CEO of your home. She talked about running her home with designated tasks on designated days. She had spent time as both a stay-at-home mom of five and a working mom, so she had great tips for all of us. Here are some tips that have changed how I meal plan/prep.
Designated Meal Plan Day
I now have Thursday as my designated meal-planning day. I often felt scrambled between planning recipes I was making for the blog, filming for Instagram, and making a meal plan for the week. I was trying to squeeze this planning in on the chaos of the weekend, and it didn’t work because I needed some time to think about content creation and our family meal plan at the same time, as obviously, we eat all the food whether I film it or not. Now, my plan is ready by Friday morning, and my grocery list is in my wallet so I can hit up the store without having to go upstairs to look at my computer and plan and look in our freezer to see what we have, etc. But, whether you’re running a food blog or not, I think having your meal plan and grocery list ready BEFORE the start of the weekend is a good idea and can be achieved with a dedicated meal plan day. Not sure why it took me so long to figure this out.
Making Double Batches Of Everything
At this point in our life, I have zero desire to set aside some valuable family time on the weekend to cook food for the week. Some dietitian bloggers (@theleangreenbean) are fantastic at getting so much done in under an hour, but it just doesn’t work for me or us. But I’m making double batches of EVERYTHING whenever I make it and using the freezer. If I used to make one loaf of bread for meal prep french toast, I now make two. I never make one batch of cookie dough anymore. I just double or triple everything and throw it in the freezer because the clean-up process takes the same time whether I make one or three batches. So far, it’s been an enormous help!
Utilizing The Slow Cooker
She also talked about how often she used the slow cooker on days when her kids had a lot of late activities. Genius. The problem is, I’m picky on slow cooker food. We don’t like your traditional slow cooker foods like pot roast, so I’m trying to build up a go-to list of slow cooker recipes. That Pork Bahn Mi will be on the list!
Fitness – 27 weeks pregnant
Fitness is looking reduced these days! But I’m still lifting around twice a week, sometimes three. Otherwise, I’m going on walks and thankful for getting some movement in! I’m also heading into to see Dr. Khavari bi-weekly.
Friday Flashbacks
Ultimate Superfood Breakfast Bars
That’s it, friends! I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
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