Who Says..

That eating healthy has to BOOOOORING?! Not in this house! Not me! When I used to think of having a SALAD I thought of lettuce, shredded carrots, tomato, and some dressing. Blech! How boring and NOT appetizing does that sound?

So, make your food sexy. Make your food attractive. Make your food spicy. Make your salad sassy.

Today I made a concoction. Of some of my favorite foods and it just so happens to come in a salad-like form.

Arugula
Artichoke
Roasted red peppers
Beets
Tomatoes
Pepper
EVOO
Rice vinegar

Mix in a bowl to your liking and voila!

Scrumptious, energizing, sexy "salad."

Bon appetit!

Holy Sh!t!

Today was hands down one of the most interesting days I've had in a long time.

For instance; I woke up to a phone call from my sister telling me she was on her way over (she never wants to come by my place). My niece wanted nothing to do with me (enter sad face here). My son took TWO 2.5 hour naps (haha! Imagine the sleep I'm NOT going to get tonight). I went to Target and bought the only thing I REALLY REALLY went there for (a new sippy cup). It snowed like 5 freaking inches in Chicago and everyone is/was/probably still are freaking out about it (oh, wait, that's normal). Truth be told I was wishing for more but that just makes me an outcast, whatevs. My husband walked through the door with a bottle of wine (ohh la la). I pushed my son in his stroller across the street with snow on the ground (what the HELL was I thinking). I folded the towels.

OF COURSE I save the best for last. This may go down in the books as the first actual experience where I think Johnny and I BOTH enjoyed the same experience. Let me rephrase that because he absolutely loved being pushed on the swing at the park and I absolutely loved pushing him and seeing how happy he was. This was the first experience where he intentionally put himself in a position to be messed with and I took the bull by the horns! He put both feet into his little car/scooter/thingy and was holding on staring at me. Staring at me like, come on ma, do something! So I did!

I grabbed the handle and started pushing and pulling him slowly. He giggled. I died laughing. My husband, John, loading up the dishwasher (I know, back off bitch he's mine) turned around and smiled. Then of course because I have that wild, I need to take things to the extreme personality; I went balls out! I started pushing him so fast, whipping around corners, going into different rooms; making beep noises, car noises, animal noises, creepy noises that I don't even know where they came from. Now, my son who is my equal in the wild department started off by laughing. He loved it! Those super hard, air gasping, BEAUTIFUL giggles are something I will never ever ever forget. His hair blowing in the wind created by my insanity, his twinkling eyes, his hands grasped tightly around the handle (how does he know he's supposed to hold on!!?). Then it became a mission to him. I, of course, was out of breath because I was like the energizer bunny, but I kept going anyways. He was certain that he was in charge. That he was driving the car. That he was the master. This went on for a good 20 minutes. It ended with us having our nightly fight and bed time temper tantrum but hey, it's all good, I run this!

I wish I had pictures of this, but I forever have the memory of the joy this brought to our lives.

Here's a pic of the "thingy." It's on my bed because unless I hid it, we'd be joy riding til the wee hours in the morning; and this mama prefers to spend her Friday nights a little differently these days.

Jessica

Who is Your Child?

When my son was just 1 month old I was asked a question by someone that just boggled my mind; "Can you explain your sons personality in 3 words?" My initial thoughts were something along these lines: I can barely get breast feeding down, he isn't sleeping at night, I'm NEVER sleeping, I'm nervous he's not eating enough, I'm still NOT sleeping, I have to take care of this precious being forever, my body is still healing from labor and delivery; no I can't explain my sons personality! Does he even have one?! Okay, killer spaz, slow down and take a breath and relay a responsible answer. To this day I can't remember exactly what I said, but I do know that whatever I said was indeed true, but the many days of just passing through and being so foggy brained have taken over my mind to remember that exact statement.

It's been a while since I've blogged about my son. When he was born I just could not believe that he was mine. I couldn't believe that I had the full responsibility of his success, failure, love, ability to succeed in society, etc., all in my hands. But this little boy; this little 14 month old boy, has truly captured my heart. He is embodied in my entire mind, body, and soul. He IS me. He is life's most precious gift. His huge smile, larger than life cheeks, squinty eyes, button nose, curly hair, puffed out belly, and angelic face is all mine. Johnny loves to play with everything that is NOT a toy. He loves spoons (wooden), forks, chairs, stools, electronic devices, plugs, pots, pans, my hairspray bottle, and plungers. He is a mans man and a TOTAL dude. He loves trucks and is so musically inclined. He has rhythm, beat, and loves to sing. He plays the drums (on chairs, tables, and tupperware), he plays the xylophone heavily, and really shakes it when I sing KC and the Sunshine Bands "Shake your Booty." He is rough, playful, and has an attitude that just wont quit. He knows how to press my buttons and does so frequently. He hate shoes and coats (living in Chicago just imagine how fun this process is!) and would rather walk around barefoot with just a diaper on, holding his sippy cup in one hand.

His laugh and smile are contagious and the darkness of his eyes makes him so dreamy. As much as I need my time alone, I never want to be away from him for a moment. As you can see, I have many ways to describe him and his personality. I know what he likes and what he doesn't like (his favorite food is whole bananas and turkey; not together). He loves his orange handmade blanket and sleeps on top of it every single night. He isn't much of a cuddler anymore (he'd rather walk around and make noise) but he does want to give me a kiss, hug, and even hold my hand during the most random moments. He loves milk and drinks tons of water throughout the day. He is stubborn and independent. I have changed his diaper more than 3,000 times and yet EVERY single time he still gives me a hard time. He hates baths but loves the pool. He is the joy and love of my life and I couldn't be more blessed.

Until next  time,
Jessica

Yummy No Bake Protein Bars

 

Ingredients:

3 scoops of Isagenix Isalean Dutch Chocolate Shake

3/4 C quinoa flakes

1.5 TBSP Chia Seeds

1/4 C Unsweetened Vanilla Almond milk

1-2 TBSP Chopped almonds

1/2 TBSP Unsweetened Cacoa Powder 

2 TBSP Peanut Butter (look for least amount of sugar per serving)

*Optional: Dried fruit 

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. 

Line pan with baking paper.

press mixture into pan until flat and even.

Cover with foil or plastic.

Refrigerate over night.

Cut into desired squares.

Enjoy!