{Workout Wednesday}

read an interesting article in my health magazine this morning saying that new research shows that the most effective way of making healthy changes in your life is to add one thing at a time. once you've mastered that, then work on adding another. like say, eating a healthy breakfast every morning until it becomes just 'what you do', then add a healthy lunch or a scheduled walk/workout, and so on and so forth. that keeps you from getting overwhelmed and giving up. makes total sense to me.

thinking my new daily habit is to at least do ab exercises.

 on that note, this is what's going down in my living room today, who's with me?!

{via}

*warning* i might not be able to move tomorrow..stay tuned..

i've recently added a few new items from my closet

available for purchase over HERE

xx

Stretch It Out...

lately i've been soooo tight it's not even funny...

carrying around a nearly 20 pounder all the time will do that to a gal, i guess.

i just did this yoga stretching sequence and had to pass it along..it was that good.

 i was planning on telling you my favorite poses but that would be every one of these! it felt so good and seriously only took a couple minutes. i have to keep this up on a more regular basis.

if you'd like to follow the step-by-step guide head on over to 

mindbodygreen to check it out.

happy stretching and enjoy your day!

xoxo

{Bits of my Week}

{surprise flowers from mr. w}

{this weather calls for homemade pot pie}

{love a dark colored manicure}

{swinging...}

{...and wiped out}

{brightened my morning as i was up at 5am for work}

{love the doors on the UWS}

{gettin' our tree..}

{..which led to this}

{which taught her how to do this..}

{..preciousness}

{finally getting back into my workout groove}

hope you've enjoyed your weekend!

xoxo

ABsolutely awesome

happy humpday ya'll! today is actually my 'sunday' with mr. w and my viv girly so sorry for the short post, but i wanted to stop by and share what i'll be doing today for my ab exercise. 

 

 

{via}

 

we all know jillian michaels has a chiseled torso, so who better to take some ab advice from?

check out her routine over at women's health magazine, and how about you do it with me?!

i might not be able to move tomorrow, but no pain no gain, right?

stay tuned...

xoxo

workout wednesday

baking is one of my favorite pastimes... i love to bake! and mr. w loves it when i bake! hopefully one day viv will too. (i've always dreamed of being the 'cool mom who bakes the best cookies EVER' for all my kids and their friends...oh the things i aspire to!)

well, as i said last week, even tho this girl loves herself a yummy baked goody, i always try to find ways to slip in some nutrients in any way possible. i firmly believe that even indulgent treats can still be made with ingredients that will love your body as much as your taste buds love to eat them. 

my go-to whenever i'm in the baking mood is a classic chocolate chip cookie. i've actually gotten to where i can't ask kyle what he wants when i feel like baking if i want to try a different recipe because his response is always "but babe...you're chocolate chip cookies are just sooo good!" *insert mr. w's best puppy dog eyes* (i can hear it now, the same thing coming from tiny children's voices! begging for the best chocolate chip cookies in the world!!!) how pathetic do i seem right now? :)

  

little by little over the years i've gradually made adjustments to the original recipe, most of the time not telling kyle because i want to see his reaction before telling him. nearly every single time i've altered the recipe to make them healthier, he has asked what i did differently this  time because they were his favorite so far! that equals success in my book. impress a chef: check!

so here's my spin on the classic nestle tollhouse chocolate chip cookie recipe...the same recipe that monica and phoebe tried to recreate without a recipe and after i think 18 different tries they realized her grandma's 'secret' recipe was the classic "nestle' tollhauz" recipe...ha, i love that show!

here's my adapted version as follows:

2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup smart balance butter

1/4 cup applesauce

3/4 cup organic evaporated cane juice (aka sugar)

3/4 cup sucanat (brown sugar if desired)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 chia eggs (2 tablespoons chia seeds mixed with 6 tablespoons warm water)

3/4 cup dark chocolate chips 

1) preheat oven to 375 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment.

2) mix chia seeds with warm water, stir in small bowl and allow to set for five minutes. this allows the fiber to take over and make a gel, which replaces the eggs in this recipe.

3) cream butter, applesauce, both sugars, and vanilla in large bowl. and chia eggs and continue to cream until well blended. and all other dry ingredients except chocolate and blend until well mixed. next, hand stir the chocolate chips . drop by rounded teaspoons onto baking sheets.

4) bake for 8-11 minutes depending on oven and desired cookie density. (i like mine more cooked, mr. w like his gooey. i usually do one pan gooey, one a little more cooked.) remove from baking sheet and allow to cool before inhaling, if you have any amount of self restraint to wait that long!

*a few things i should mention: sucanat is a more natural version of brown sugar. it's organic and not as processed. brown sugar is simply white sugar that has had color added to it, whereas sucanat is color because it hasn't been bleached out.

sometimes i like a few cookies without the chocolate (i have since i was a kid) so a lot of the time i don't use as many chips as the recipes states so that the last few scoops will be chocolate free.

if you're a coconut fan you could also use regular coconut oil rather than the butter. it would add a slight coconut undertone to these. i think it'd be delish as i'm a huge coconut lover, but i've not tried it this way yet.

since this recipe is egg free, there's no need to worry about salmonella if you're a cookie dough lover. and let's face it, who isn't? you could even freeze this dough to have on hand for the occasional cookie dough nibble or to bake a cookie or two when the sweet tooth hankerin' strikes.*

i hope you find these as tasty as we do!

xoxo

workout wednesday

any of you who know me know how much i really enjoy working out and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

 i believe in everything in moderation. working out when you can even if its only for 15-20 minutes, eating healthy 80% of the time, etc...

i also think if you make small changes/sacrifices they can add up to big results over time. maybe that means taking the stairs rather than the elevator, having one slice of bread instead of two on your sandwich, using nonfat milk instead of 2% percent in your morning latte, just small changes that, at the end of the day, you don't end up even realizing were sacrifices. then, it's ok if you can't fit in a workout daily, because you've still found small ways to challenge your body daily. 

i believe it's also all about moderation when it comes to diet. i try to focus on eating healthy, nutrient rich foods that fuel my body and help it function at its best by making small changes that make big differences such as subbing whole wheat flour for white in recipes, using quinoa or other healthy grains rather than white rice or pasta when i'm wanting some carbs, and even finding a super healthy egg substitute when baking (i'll fill you in on this trick soon!) don't get me wrong, i love a good burger and fries, or ice cream dessert, and when i know the majority of what i've eaten has been good for my body, i don't feel guilty indulging in the occasional fried treat! 

i've not always been this way. i've had my bouts of restricting my calories and being a major calorie counter, only to find myself actually gaining weight because i'd binge on all the 'bad' foods i never allowed myself, then i'd feel guilty for being 'weak' and i'd get off track on my diet rather than allowing myself to eat any food so long as it was in moderation and allow myself to truly enjoy the indulgence, savor it, and move on...not dwell on what i 'could not' have. i've found that when i don't feel deprived i don't find myself craving the 'bad' stuff as much either simply because i know that if i really want it, i can have it.  

i still definitely slip up from time to time and must remind myself that my body is what i put into it and what i make of it. it is a gift from God that i want to do my best to take care of. 

boy, i've rambled...that was only meant to be a quick introduction for a new feature i want to start. i know this blog was originally made as a design blog, but there are other areas of my life that i have great passion for and would love to share with you. health and fitness being one of those passions. sooo... without further ado i'd like to start workout wednesdays, where i will be posting a favorite workout, recipe, healthy lifestyle concept, what have you, to help you (and myself) stay inspired to take care of our bodies! 

but i have a favor to ask of you too...if i give you some of my tips/ideas, can you return the favor? i'm always looking for new ways to challenge my body, fuel it in a delicious and healthy manner, or simply be motivated to take the time to squeeze in a workout when lying on the sofa during viv's naptime sounds much more appealing...

so how's about it? i scratch your back and you can scratch mine?..

i'll leave you with one of my favie types of lunges courtesy of womenshealthmag.com. i've noticed such a difference in the definition of my legs since incorporating this move into my leg workouts.

"Stand with your feet hip-width apart, hands on your hips. Take a big step back with your left leg, crossing it behind your right. Bend your knees and lower your hips until your right thigh is nearly parallel to the floor (shown). Keep your torso upright and your hips and shoulders as square as possible. Return to start. Perform 10 reps and repeat, stepping back with your right leg. Add dumbbells once you master the movement with perfect form."

xoxo

{description of move and photo from womenshealthmag.com}