Easy Roasted Asparagus

I recently had a fun conversation with my friends over on IG about asaparagus!

They gave me so many ideas of how to prepare it after I said it felt like an intimidating vegetable to get right.

I opted for the easiest recipe and it was delicious.

Directions:

Wash.  Cut off the bottom 1-2 inches of each stalk.  Put on a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake at 400 for 20--25 minutes or until tender.  Drizzle olive oil on top and season with your favorite seasoning before baking.  They'll be bright green and tender when you're done.

Other friends suggested air frying the asparagus, roasting with lemon juice or lemon pepper seasoning, cooking on a skillet and removing them once they turn bright green.  If they end up an army green they they'll be mushy.

I will be roasting veggies all Summer long.  This same method work great for red potatoes, carrots, zucchnini, sweet potatoes, onions, green beans and more.  I love when Kevin grills meat for dinner and then I make some roasted vegetable sides.

2 Tips to Make Your Salads Extra Delicious

I am trying to eat more salads.  That requires regularly buying, chopping and actually eating salads at home.  My goal is a salad a day and it happens more often than not.  I've been doing side salads with dinner, big salads for lunch or dinner or getting a salad when I'm out to eat.  

I've got two tips for you that will make salad eating so much more enjoyable for you.  It obviously helps if you have dressings you really enjoy and know your favorite salad ingredients.  If not, start small and buy a new dressing or a new veggie and discover what you love on your salads.

#1 Chop your veggies in advance.

Grab a big container with a lid (this Tupperware cupcake container works great) and put little bowls or ramekins inside.  Fill the little bowls with your favorite bite sized ingredients.  Then when you want to eat a salad, you have everything ready to go!  It will feel like your own little salad bar at home.

#2 Make extra protein at dinner time and save it for your salads.

This past week I grilled an extra chicken breast and cooked some extra bacon.  I chopped them into bite size pieces and refrigerated them.  Then when I wanted a salad for lunch, I put a serving of protein in a skillet and heated it up while I was building my salad.  It made my salad much more filling and much quicker since I just needed to reheat the fully cooked meats.  Mixing the grilled chicken and thick cut bacon was an excellent idea.

Enjoy those yummy salads!

Muffin Tin Meals

 My kids love these muffin tin meals or snacks!

They're easy and fun to put together.  It's the perfect way to use up all the last bits of food in your fridge and pantry.  I try to repeat their favorite things a time or two and I love doing these for holidays.  You can add in lots of holiday colored fruits and veggies and skip out on food coloring filled holiday foods.

Olive requested a Halloween lunch this weekend.  Here's what I came up with.  I added in a little Halloween candy, food picks and eye balls to make it extra festive.  The rest just came from our fridge or pantry.  I grabbed all the orange, green and  yellow things I could find.

My kids love these mini muffin pans.  I've got a 12 and 24 pans.  Both work great for these kind of meals.

The 12 slot muffin tins work great for single serving lunches.

These are such a fun after school snack, snack or meal.  I bet your kids or friends would love them!

 

Exercising Made Easy

I'm so happy to be able to say that I've gotten into an exercise routine that feels EASY.

 

Let me explain.

Kevin surprised me with a treadmill for Mother's Day.  He knew I really missed having an easy workout option to do with the kids around and when the weather wasn't great.  Our treadmill didn't survive our last move.  We put our new treadmill in our office and we have both enjoyed using it so much.  I've been pretty consistent with exercising since May, but I feel like I really hit my stride in July.  I've been looking forward to my exercise routine every day since July.

Here's my routine:

1. I write exercise on my daily to do list.  And I love crossing things off my to do list.  This helps me get past not being in the mood to exercise.  It's a daily task that I just do almost every single day.  I'm not crazy about it - if I don't feel good or if we're busy - I'll skip.  But I really enjoy working this into my day.  

2. I also track my workouts - just a quick note in my planner so I can see progress.  I feel proud when I look back and my exercising track record.  Yay for taking good care of myself!  I'm also competitive with myself and like to beat my exercise minutes from week to week.  

3. I change into work out clothes.  Put my hair up.

4. Surround myself with toys in the office that Leo loves and that he only plays with when I exercise.  When I change my clothes, he now yells LET'S GO EXERCISE!!  He knows the drill.  If I exercise with the kids home, I either have them all play upstairs while I get in my exercise or tag team with Kevin and let him know that he's solo parenting while I run upstairs.

5. Fan + treadmill is the perfect combo.  I love a fan blowing right next to the treadmill.  It keeps me from getting to sweaty in the middle of the day.

6. I exercise for 30-45 minutes every day.  I exercise at a different time almost every day.  I just try to work it into my day when my big kids are at school.  I don't set my workout minutes ahead of time.  I just see how the workout goes.  If Leo is playing great and we're in a good groove, I'll exercise as long as he'll allow.  If it's hard or if I'm feeling run down, then we'll do a quick 30 and move on.

7. Find something fun to do while you exercise.  I'll check social media, listen to a great play list, reply to messages or emails, send friends texts or make some to do lists on my phone.  This might be a good time for a podcast or listening to a book, but I haven't gotten into a great routine with either of those.

8.  Cool down in my work out clothes.  Then change.  Freshen up my hair and make up and get busy on my next to dos.  Then later in the day we'll go on a family walk or bike rides.

What's your exercise routine right now?

Let this be your nudge to figure out your favorite way to exercise every day.

If you need someone to encourage you with daily movement, I really enjoy following @nursekatejohnson - she's a mom of 3 littles and she is really encouraging about movement and healthy eating.  I love that her meal ideas are all real food.  No complicated recipes.  Just real food.  You'll love her!

Super Chopped Salad

I talked about this super chopped salad a few weeks ago and I decided it needed its own post.  It was that GOOD.  I could eat it every week.  You know I love a salad.  I really enjoy chopping all the veggies, too.  And this salad was perfect.  It was easy to chop and then have several lunches ready to go for the week.  Let me explain.

Prep 2-3 salads at a time with all the veggies that stay crunchy (lettuce, kale, carrots, broccoli, onions, cauliflower, sweet peppers, snap peas, etc.).  Cut every veggie up into the tiniest bites.  I love match stick carrots for an easy shortcut.

Then prep the more fragile salad ingredients the day you eat the salad (hard boiled eggs, cheese, croutons, dressing, cucumbers and tomatoes).

Put everything in a bowl with a lid and they are ready for easy lunches or dinners all week long.

Grab a big bowl and stir everything up really well. 

Add your dressing (honey mustard) and toss again until everything is perfectly coated.  Enjoy!

This is the perfect salad to eat at your desk, on the go or at home when you kids are eating their lunch.  It's my favorite meal. You could easily add some rotisserie chicken or some chicken strips to make it the perfect dinner.

You've got to give this super chopped salad a try!

Tips for Exercising with Your Kids

For the past almost 10 years, my exercise routine has been centered around my kids.  I'm home with them full time so I have to figure out how to exercise with them or at nap time.  My current exercise routine is walking with my toddler in tow.  We walk almost every day as long as the weather cooperates.  We also go on family walks in the evenings.

I thought I'd share some tips with you in case you find yourself in the same boat as me.  I've walked with single strollers, double stroller loaded with kids, biked with kids on bikes and walked with kids on scooters.  There is no magic formula.  Just figure out what works best for you and your family to get outside.  We like to walk in our neighborhood.  There is no commute - just walk out the door and go.

Tip #1 - Dress in layers.  It was cold enough for jackets this day but my toddler didn't want to wear one.  He was happiest without so I just went with it.  If it's cold I'll bring a hat for him or a blanket.  Then I have it if he asks for it.  He pulls the sunshade down if he needs it or if it's a windy day.  I try to be flexible and now that he's almost 3 let him figure out what he wants to stay comfortable on our walk.

Tip #2 - Pair something fun with your exercise routine.  I try to always build in time for bikes/scooters on the patio after our walks.  That way if Leo asks for his scooter, I can remind him that we'll walk and then scooter.  I usually grab a book and my water bottle while he plays in the backyard.

Tip #3 - Bring whatever you want on our walk.  Some days he brings construction vehicles to check on the construction sites, this day he brought a garden tool and some days he asks for a snack.  We only walk 30-45 minutes close to lunch time so I don't usually bring a snack.  I do keep emergency Dum Dums in my stroller just in case he needs a little extra treat.

Tip #4 - Plan ahead with a snack or with lunch.  We usually end up walking close to lunch time.  We walk, play outside and then come in hungry.  I have found that it's much easier if I take a few minutes to prep his lunch plate earlier in the morning.  That way I can just have him wash his hands and his plate is ready to go.  Then I can focus on making my own lunch while he's eating.  It felt stressful to come up with lunch if I waited until the last minute and he was starving.  This trick helps eliminate stress from lunch time.

Tip #5 - Chat and enjoy your time together.  I do not wear ear buds on my walks with the kids and I never hand him my phone to watch a show while we walk.  I save ear buds for solo walks.  And we don't do screen time outside.  We chat about all the sights and sounds around the neighborhood, stop to look at the creatures we see and sometimes hold hands as we walk.  We've just started playing I Spy and Leo really likes that.  Some days one of us is not excited about our walk and is whiny, but usually we both enjoy the fresh air and sunshine.

What's your current exercise routine?

I keep reading how good daily walks are for your overall health and I know I feel better every day that we make walking a priority.

Exercising in the Cold with Kids

It's not quite winter, but it's definitely gotten cold in Indiana!  My nice weather routine is going on a 30 minute walk every day with my toddler in the stroller after we get the big kids off to school.  My cold weather routine is very similar.  If it's not snowy or icy, then we walk together.  If it's really windy or really cold, I'll do a 20 minute power walk.  I just essentially walk as fast as I can for as long as I can before we turn into popsicles.

 

Cold Weather Exercising Tips (Especially for Moms of Little Ones)

1. Everyone wears layers - hats, jackets with hoods, blankets, gloves for the person pushing the stroller, ear warmers, snacks like a sucker and a small toy like a car or a small stuffed animal.  Covering up your ears will be a game changer.  It keeps you warm and a little less wind blown.  I keep a stack of all the cold weather walking supplies in our mud room.  That way I can just grab everything we need to get out of the house fast.

2. Pick up things along the walk to keep things interesting - rocks, sticks, tall grasses - and talk about all the things you see - holiday decor, hawks, neighbors, dogs, animals, cars and their colors, or keep an eye on the things happening at the houses near you.  The construction sites all around us are very entertaining and exciting.  Leo likes to pick the way we walk.  I'll shout WAY WAY and point to the direction we go.  I don't care at all which route we take and he really seems to enjoy picking the way way :)

3. Put exercise on your daily to do list.  If you're a list maker like me, crossing that item off every day will give you great satisfaction.  You'll never regret getting moving and getting out in the sunshine.

4. Find a window of time where you'll be most successful at fitting in exercise to your daily routine.  For me, that's sometime after I drop the big kids off at school and lunch time.  If I wait until after school I am much less likely to skip my exercise.  If I had a treadmill, early morning or late night walks would be enticing.

5. On the weekends - try to work it out so that you can go for a solo walk!  My husband is home on the weekends during the day so I'll head out and enjoy a quiet walk on my own those days :)

 

How we started.  Sherpa blanket, pom pom hat & jacket.  I had on longs sleeves, puffer jacket and an ear warmer.  I wish I'd remembered my gloves.

Hat off and hood up.  Leo also likes to pull the sun shade down if it's particularly windy.  I love that he's got options to keep himself out of the elements.

He loves finding sticks along the way.  And getting rocks to play with and throw.

 

Rocks and sticks.  Repeat.

What's your winter exercise routine?

Veggie Challenge

Do you eat enough vegetables every day?

I could always do better in this department.  I try to eat veggie packed salads, roast vegetables for dinner and then add them in for snacks whenever I can.

I set a goal for myself this year to eat more vegetables.  

My hope is that by me eating more veggies my family will also eat more veggies.  I'm planning to document my favorite veggie recipes and combinations each month.  I'll also tell you my secret to get your kids to eat veggies along the way.  And if we're being totally honest, winter fruit options are pretty sad in the Midwest this time of year so I'm trying to get creative with vegetables.

Let's cut to the chase!

1 // Fried Egg & Veggie Hash

I love this for breakfast or for lunch.  I fry two eggs hard, add in roasted sweet potatoes, sometimes onion and avocado.  Season it was anything you like.  SO good.  You can add in protein or cheese.  It's yummy with any add ins.

 

Anytime I make this for myself, Leo is determined to share.

2 // Broccoli Salad

I've been eating this broccoli, cauliflower, onion, bacon and sunflower seeds with a homemade mayo dressing.  It's a delicious side dish or a main course.

3 // Roasted Veggies in bulk

I love to roast veggies in big batches and then have them ready to eat all week long.  Diced sweet potatoes are so good with eggs, on salads and as a side dish.  My boys love these so much.  A huge sheet pan full of them don't last very long here.  I've had great luck doing this with sweet potatoes, onions, broccoli, cauliflower and carrots.

4 // Kale Salads

Raw kale is pretty tough to chew, but if you saute it for a few minutes, it is much easier to eat.  It softens up with some olive oil and is so yummy.  This salad had kale, blueberries, roasted sweet potatoes, beans, onions, sunflower seeds and a homemade vinaigrette.  I sauteed the kale, onions and warmed up the sweet potatoes.  Then added in the other toppings and drizzled on some dressing.  I ate it at room temp and it was so good!  I loved having this for lunch several days in a row.  Prep the veggies and then cook the kale fresh each day.

5 // Shop & Chop on the same day

I try my hardest to shop and chop on the same day.  I pick up groceries and before the produce goes into my fridge I wash, chop and prep it to get for the week.  We eat way more healthy foods when I take the time to prep them.  I store it in clear glass containers in the fridge and it's ready to grab and go all week long.  Meal prepping is the best gift I can give to myself all week long.

And bonus, my kids LOVE to help with the fruit and veggie prep.  They get super excited to help and snack on the fruits and veggies as they prep them.  Leo ate tons of carrots this day :)

What's your favorite way to eat veggies??