Bikini Body Mommy 1.0: Day 1 - Fit Test

Had oatmeal with blueberries and cinnamon (and a dash of maple syrup / brown sugar) for breakfast.
Salad  (romaine lettuce, roasted sweet potatoes, ham, and a sprinkle of cheddar) for lunch.

Cora didn't feel like napping right away since she slept in, so I let her watch me do the Fit Test for DAY ONE of the Bikini Body Mommy 1.0 Series.

I've done the fit test four times already (third try starting BBM was this morning) - it's been hard, with moving, and a baby, and no space of our own, but I. Am. Going. To. Make. It. Work.
Also, I am 218.2 pounds, and that is not good. (yes, I wrote that on here. I've gained 10 pounds since we moved back to Michigan because my body doesn't handle stress well, my inlaws have a carb-heavy diet, and we don't have much money to "splurge" on greens.

No more. I'm tired of being bloated and tired, and miss feeling strong like I did after I made it through a few weeks of BBM last time. Plus, I'd love to be healthier for any future pregnancies.

It helps to be a lurker of a "6-week weightless" group on Facebook with several other people - I don't have the money to enter the contest, but I've been trying to at least be more active in how I "live."  It's much easier now that I have my own key to the house and can leave with Cora if I want to. :D



So here is the results of my fit test from this morning - albeit rushed, since Cora wanted to climb on the folding chair I was using and crawl under me when I was trying to push myself.


Fit Test Day 1 Scores:
(50 seconds on, 10 seconds of rest (well, maybe a few more seconds to restart the stopwatch and pull Cora back closer to me)

1. Speed squats:  52
2. High Knees: 118
3. Pushups: 30 (modified against the wall, since Cora took over what little floorspace was available. :D
4. Squat jumps: 33
5. Tricep dips: 27
6. Burpees: 15 (slightly modified so as not to take out the infant crawling around me)
7. Alternating lunges: 35 (I accidentally did these first instead of speed squats because my body got confused. hahaha ...
8. Plank: 35 seconds modified. (on my knees. Technically I shouldn't be doing planks since I have a diastasis recti ... but I wanted to try it.   I need to probably not do them for a while yet. :/



Tomorrow is going to be ... sore. Per the usual.  Come Thursday, though... don't mess with me because I'm stronger than I think! :)

Baby trap!

I was able to make an entire pot of coffee while Cora worked on this box of Tazo :)

Books

I've been reading again. Selfishly taking time (during the Bear's naps) I could be using to fold laundry or put dishes away or I don't know, maybe crochet. But I've been reading instead, ... and I guess I can claim the excuse of my husband saying I needed to take some time to just chill and stop DOING so much. ...

Hope reading counts as not much! :)

I'm on the third book in the Divergent series; I got Divergent free from Redbox a week ago, and basically it did not really compare to the book. it seemed very... stale. But that's okay, here's to another free movie soon to check out Insurgent.  :)   The books are a relatively fast read, along the lines of the Hunger Games, but in Chicago-ish. Give 'em a try if you need some down time. ...but maybe not before bed if Things Keep You Up.

Baby-friendly Ham Casserole

Little Ham Casserole - yields one generous serving

Ingredients:
1/3 c. pasta, such as tubettini or pastina  (you will only need half of the noodles, but if you cook them all you will have enough for another meal.
1 jar ham baby food puree
leftover cooked green peas
coconut oil or butter
dash onion powder
dash pepper

Prepare noodles as directed on package. Drain, return to pan and turn to medium-low.
Add a little oil / butter to the noodles and stir in canned ham.
Add dash of onion powder and pepper to mixture.
Add peas, and heat through.

Serve after cooled safely.


This was a hit for both my little Bear and my doxie...

Tiny Tot School: string!

I was on the hunt for more things to explore with little Bear, and 1+1+1=1 had an idea for littles: string!
So I put some yarn in a box and let Cora go to town.

...I think it's safe to say she enjoyed herself!

American "I Spy" Box

Nothing is more American than ....

What is your favorite baby toy?

Baby problems

What do you do if the book you want to read just happens to be unavailable because you're sitting on it??

Tummy time

Vegan Black Bean Brownie Recipe

I've been trying hard to cut back on sugar, and adding more of the things we get with WIC and our local food pantry into our diets. I tried to make this recipe by substituting applesauce in place of the sugar, but it tasted like straight-up cocoa powder... So instead, I reduced the sugar by 3/4 cup, and it tasted much better. My husband ate his in approximately 30 seconds, so extra fiber, protein, and antioxidants for the win! :) 

I look forward to "tweaking" more recipes and sharing them here on the ole blog. Stay tuned for who know what I'll post next! :) 

Vegan Black Bean Brownies
adapted from No Meat Athlete's Recipe

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 ½ cup sugar

1 1/4 cup cocoa

1 15 oz can black beans

1 tsp vanilla

2 ¼ c. applesauce
½ c. + 1 T. cold water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together the flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, and cocoa, making sure to break apart any clumps from the baking powder.

Rinse beans well and return to can. Fill the rest of the can with cold water. Puree beans and water in blender or food processor. (I used our Ninja Kitchen System).

Add bean puree, vanilla, applesauce, and the cold water to dry ingredients. Stir until combined.

Pour into a greased 9×13 pan.  Bake for 30-40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.  [Mine were closer to 40 minutes]. When the brownies are finished they should be firm in the center and the edges will be slightly puffy and starting to pull away from the sides.  It’s important not to overbake in the oven because they will keep baking once you take them out.

Let brownies cool completely before cutting.

(Or cut off a piece and make sure that they taste good, like we did!) 

click here to PRINT this recipe :) 

Cottage cheese at home, no carrageenan!

Found out tonight just how easy it is to make cottage cheese at home. . . Which is a great usage of all the milk Cora gets us :)

Take a gallon of your favorite percentage of milk and heat it to 180 degrees fahrenheit, stirring most of the time to prevent scalding. Once at that temperature, add 3/4 cup of vinegar -white or apple cider, again, your choice.
Stir in the vinegar and remove from heat. Let rest (i.e. Walk Away from it, go fold clothes or let the dog out or make a sandwich) for ten (10) minutes.

Pour into strainer lined with cheesecloth.
(You can put the strainer over a pan or bowl to catch the whey for drinking, watering plants, or other things I'm still leaning about)

Rinse with cold water, after removing the bowl slash pan that was under the strainer.
Let drain, add salt or seasonings if you desire, and eat.

You can add a little milk or cream to the curds, too.

This cottage cheese doesn't come out in neat little squares, but it tastes just as good - or better -because the only ingredients are milk and vinegar! :)

It's a great way to put your extra milk (if you get free milk with WIC or a food pantry) to good use.