While I am working hard to get my family into healthy eating habits I am also reminded that exercise is a very important part of a healthy lifestyle.
I have always been a "one or the other" type of person. I will do great eating, and really be making a change in regards to the types of foods that I am allowing my self to have, but will not be exercising on a regular basis. Or I will go the opposite route and workout everyday sometimes even twice a day, but then I will allow myself to eat or drink whatever I want.
A really good friend of mine is also my workout buddy and with the start of school and the schedules that come along with that we have made a workout plan that fits our crazy lives! Last week was great, I was a little sore and tired, but it felt good getting back into working out on a regular basis.
Here is a sample of our workout schedule:
Mon: Kickboxing class (or should I say butt kicking class!)
Yoga
Tue: 3 mile walk (this is a great way to stretch out those sore muscles from the day before as well as taking Brody for a walk to release some of that puppy energy!)
Wed: Spin class (great cardio!)
Thur: 3 mile walk
Fri: HITT class (this is a high intensity workout that combines weights and cardio)
Sat: Rest
Sun: Family walk
Our plan is to mix it up every few weeks, and add other classes and forms of exercise that way our bodies are working their hardest.
The boy's school has a walking club, so starting September 3rd we will go to the school a half hour before school starts and they do a mile walk. This will be a great way to add exercise for the boys and Myah plus I will be getting an extra mile in everyday!
What are some ways you balance healthy eating and exercise?
***You can feel sore tomorrow or you can feel sorry tomorrow. YOU CHOOSE.***
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Back to the Basics
So, with all the craziness going on around here I have to admit our eating has not been exactly on the right path. I have been slacking in pre-planning meals and I have found it extremely hard to make "real food" eating happen when we are on the go and need something fast! It is going to require ALOT of pre-planning and work in order to be sure that there are not "slip ups" when we are on the road, going to activities, out and about, and all the other reasons that cause us to slip up and fall away from eating the real foods that are best for our bodies.
My goal is to put together some pre-made quick grabs, like burritos, calzones, ect. Foods that are easy to grab when we are in a hurry and do not have time to sit down and have a freshly made meal.
One of the ways I am trying to incorporate "real food "into out diets is by having a garden. We have had great luck this year and so far have been able to harvest cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and green peppers. This is the first year I have had luck with my green pepper plants and I am so excited to be getting such great results! The main difference this year has been that I have watered nearly everyday, and I started a compost pile about a year ago and added some of that to the soil when I planted.
The kids have loved being able to help in the garden and seeing the results of all of their hard work! They love the cherry tomatoes and I hardly ever see any ripe ones because they eat them as they collect the produce for me.
This year I have decided to take advantage of the cheaper produce during the summer and I have been working on freezing and canning. Last week I found a great deal on peaches at a local farmers stand and bough a box of them. I was able to can 15 quarts. We decided to try a can out last night and they were so good! I remember when my mom canned peaches during the summer and then during the winter when we would get to open on up it was like dessert!
Once my big tomatoes come in I am planning on canning salsa, spaghetti sauce, and pizza sauce. It will be a new adventure for me, but I am excited to see or should I say taste the results!
My goal is to put together some pre-made quick grabs, like burritos, calzones, ect. Foods that are easy to grab when we are in a hurry and do not have time to sit down and have a freshly made meal.
One of the ways I am trying to incorporate "real food "into out diets is by having a garden. We have had great luck this year and so far have been able to harvest cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and green peppers. This is the first year I have had luck with my green pepper plants and I am so excited to be getting such great results! The main difference this year has been that I have watered nearly everyday, and I started a compost pile about a year ago and added some of that to the soil when I planted.
The kids have loved being able to help in the garden and seeing the results of all of their hard work! They love the cherry tomatoes and I hardly ever see any ripe ones because they eat them as they collect the produce for me.
This year I have decided to take advantage of the cheaper produce during the summer and I have been working on freezing and canning. Last week I found a great deal on peaches at a local farmers stand and bough a box of them. I was able to can 15 quarts. We decided to try a can out last night and they were so good! I remember when my mom canned peaches during the summer and then during the winter when we would get to open on up it was like dessert!
Once my big tomatoes come in I am planning on canning salsa, spaghetti sauce, and pizza sauce. It will be a new adventure for me, but I am excited to see or should I say taste the results!
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Our Clan
So I figured since I introduced Brody (our newest family member) I should also introduce the others. ;)
Sammy is our six year old Chihuahua. He is totally "my" dog and does not enjoy company from many other people. When taking walks he does best if I hold the leash or if someone walks right next to me, if they get to far ahead of me he will refuse to walk any farther until I catch up. He is a little stinker but I love him!
Dash is our two year old cat. He lives up o his name! He loves being outside and often "dashes" out the door when someone is going in or out. He is a good cat and puts up with a lot from the kids and now Brody.
Turbo is Noah's little turtle. We are not for sure on what kind of turtle he is, but we know he is a water one. He was given to Noah on his birthday by my mom who found him in a creek down in Missouri.
The "Ladies" are our five chickens. We hatched two eggs this spring, one was Hope one of our bantam hens and the other was Tim who ended up being a roaster and went to live on the farm of the guy we received the fertilized eggs from. (We are not allowed to have a roaster in city limits) So in addition to our one bantam hen Hope (named this because she struggled to hatch took almost 36 hours, but never gave up!) we have four buff hens-Chuckles, Belinda, Flappy, and Herriot.
Sammy is our six year old Chihuahua. He is totally "my" dog and does not enjoy company from many other people. When taking walks he does best if I hold the leash or if someone walks right next to me, if they get to far ahead of me he will refuse to walk any farther until I catch up. He is a little stinker but I love him!
Dash is our two year old cat. He lives up o his name! He loves being outside and often "dashes" out the door when someone is going in or out. He is a good cat and puts up with a lot from the kids and now Brody.
Turbo is Noah's little turtle. We are not for sure on what kind of turtle he is, but we know he is a water one. He was given to Noah on his birthday by my mom who found him in a creek down in Missouri.
The "Ladies" are our five chickens. We hatched two eggs this spring, one was Hope one of our bantam hens and the other was Tim who ended up being a roaster and went to live on the farm of the guy we received the fertilized eggs from. (We are not allowed to have a roaster in city limits) So in addition to our one bantam hen Hope (named this because she struggled to hatch took almost 36 hours, but never gave up!) we have four buff hens-Chuckles, Belinda, Flappy, and Herriot.
Well that's the whole group!
Newest member of our family
Life has been a bit crazy here at the Archibald household! We have been in the process of doing some remodeling, and home improvement. Along with the everyday busy
About two weeks ago we decided to welcome a new member to our family. We have been doing a lot of research on larger breed dogs. We have had an English Mastiff in the past and even though she was super sweet she was very skittish, timid, and way to big to have in town!
We have been contemplating adding a bigger dog to our family for about six months. The kids have been wanting a dog to play fetch with and run around the yard with. I have always been wanting one mainly for the peace of mind when I am home alone with the kiddos, just knowing there is a big dog "guarding" us makes me feel better. :)
We did a lot of research and really liked both Rhodesian Ridgebacks and Anatolian Shepard's. Both seemed to be great dogs both breeds had aspects we were looking for in a dog. The down falls for the ridgeback was the price, we could not find one without health issues for under $900! That was a little more then we were willing to spend at this time. The down fall for us with the Anatolian was the shedding, it is a longer haired dog and research on the breed said that they needed brushed out twice a week in order to keep shedding to a minimal. Beings that it would mainly be an inside dog this presented a bit of a problem for me, since I do not enjoy cleaning up animal hair from around the house. (already have enough with Dash, our cat!)
So with this all being said we decided to once again broaden our search, we did searches on the "smartest" and "best family" dogs and the lab landed in the top ten of both of those searches. We looked on craigslist and found a guy who had two nine week old labs for sale. We decided to go check them out. Needless to say we were sold as soon as we saw our little guy. He was so cute and sweet and we all instantly feel in love with him!
We named our new little guy Brody and he has been an amazing puppy! He plays fetch with the kids, runs around the yard after them, and loves to snuggle. He learned to sit on command the first day home and learned to shake the second day. He has done awesome on our walks and is a very well behaved little guy. We could not be more happy with our decision. He is a wonderful addition to our family and we are so thankful we have the privilege of being his "humans"! ;)
He is also doing a great job with the chickens and we are working on training his to "heard" them to their pen at night.
summer activities!
About two weeks ago we decided to welcome a new member to our family. We have been doing a lot of research on larger breed dogs. We have had an English Mastiff in the past and even though she was super sweet she was very skittish, timid, and way to big to have in town!
We have been contemplating adding a bigger dog to our family for about six months. The kids have been wanting a dog to play fetch with and run around the yard with. I have always been wanting one mainly for the peace of mind when I am home alone with the kiddos, just knowing there is a big dog "guarding" us makes me feel better. :)
We did a lot of research and really liked both Rhodesian Ridgebacks and Anatolian Shepard's. Both seemed to be great dogs both breeds had aspects we were looking for in a dog. The down falls for the ridgeback was the price, we could not find one without health issues for under $900! That was a little more then we were willing to spend at this time. The down fall for us with the Anatolian was the shedding, it is a longer haired dog and research on the breed said that they needed brushed out twice a week in order to keep shedding to a minimal. Beings that it would mainly be an inside dog this presented a bit of a problem for me, since I do not enjoy cleaning up animal hair from around the house. (already have enough with Dash, our cat!)
So with this all being said we decided to once again broaden our search, we did searches on the "smartest" and "best family" dogs and the lab landed in the top ten of both of those searches. We looked on craigslist and found a guy who had two nine week old labs for sale. We decided to go check them out. Needless to say we were sold as soon as we saw our little guy. He was so cute and sweet and we all instantly feel in love with him!
We named our new little guy Brody and he has been an amazing puppy! He plays fetch with the kids, runs around the yard after them, and loves to snuggle. He learned to sit on command the first day home and learned to shake the second day. He has done awesome on our walks and is a very well behaved little guy. We could not be more happy with our decision. He is a wonderful addition to our family and we are so thankful we have the privilege of being his "humans"! ;)
He is also doing a great job with the chickens and we are working on training his to "heard" them to their pen at night.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Juice Plus +
So a few months ago I heard about juice plus+ from my aunt who has a friend that sells the product. The more I heard about it the more interested I was in learning more.
We started taking Juice plus + about two months ago. One of the best things is that they do a children's health study that allows you to be able to get your child's monthly juice plus+ free when you buy juice plus for an adult.
Here is a page from their website talking about what Juice Plus+ is and how it can benefit your health.
We started taking Juice plus + about two months ago. One of the best things is that they do a children's health study that allows you to be able to get your child's monthly juice plus+ free when you buy juice plus for an adult.
Here is a page from their website talking about what Juice Plus+ is and how it can benefit your health.
What is Juice Plus+?
The Next Best Thing to Fruits and Vegetables
Juice Plus+ is whole food based nutrition, including juice powder concentrates from 25 different fruits, vegetables and grains.
Everyone wants to eat right and maintain a healthier lifestyle - whether you're a busy mom hustling to feed on-the-go children, a business traveler trying to stay fit, or an active boomer keeping up with grandkids.
All of us try to eat better for good health, but a healthy diet is often a challenge. We simply don't eat enough fruits and vegetables. And that hurts our health and wellness.
Juice Plus+ helps bridge the gap between what you should eat and what you do eat every day.
Not a multivitamin, medicine, treatment or cure for any disease, Juice Plus+ is all-natural and made from quality ingredients carefully monitored from farm to capsule so you can enjoy improved nutrition and wellness.
http://www.juiceplus.com/content/JuicePlus/en/what-is-juice-plus/farm-fresh-nutrition.html
Everyone wants to eat right and maintain a healthier lifestyle - whether you're a busy mom hustling to feed on-the-go children, a business traveler trying to stay fit, or an active boomer keeping up with grandkids.
All of us try to eat better for good health, but a healthy diet is often a challenge. We simply don't eat enough fruits and vegetables. And that hurts our health and wellness.
Juice Plus+ helps bridge the gap between what you should eat and what you do eat every day.
Not a multivitamin, medicine, treatment or cure for any disease, Juice Plus+ is all-natural and made from quality ingredients carefully monitored from farm to capsule so you can enjoy improved nutrition and wellness.
http://www.juiceplus.com/content/JuicePlus/en/what-is-juice-plus/farm-fresh-nutrition.html
Monday, July 15, 2013
Week 2 meal plan
Monday:
Breakfast- granola cereal with blueberries
Lunch- Peanut butter & raw honey sandwich, cantaloupe, celery w/peanut butter.
(N&K grilled chicken, left over lemon garlic potatoes, asparagus)
Dinner- Spaghetti with whole wheat pasta, steamed broccoli, & watermelon
Tuesday:
Breakfast-banana pancakes with pure maple syrup
(N&K shakeology)
Lunch- whole wheat raisin and cream cheese sandwich, apples, and celery w/peanut butter
(N&K left over spaghetti and mixed green salad)
Dinner- Steaks, fingerling potatoes w/pesto, mixed green salad & strawberries and grapes
Wednesday:
Breakfast- whole wheat raisin toast with cream cheese & cantaloupe
Lunch- Fruit and yogurt parfait w/granola, peppers and hummus
Dinner- crock pot roasted chicken, carrots, sweet potatoes & watermelon
Thursday:
Breakfast-defrosted banana pancakes & pure maple syrup
(N&K shakeology)
Lunch- peanut butter and honey sandwich, carrot sticks, & watermelon
(N&K turkey sandwich on whole wheat toast, mixed green salad, watermelon)
Dinner- grilled fish, homemade sweet potatoe fries with avocado dip, & apples
Friday:
Breakfast- Fruit and yogurt parfait, whole wheat toast w/raw honey
Lunch- Pizza toast, celery, carrots, & cantaloupe
(N&K left over roasted chicken & veggies with hummus & watermelon)
Dinner- eat out
Saturday:
Breakfast- Scrambled eggs, strawberries & whole wheat toast
Lunch-turkey sandwiches, veggies with hummus, & oranges
Dinner-Homemade whole wheat pizza, apples, & mixed green salad
Homemade ice-cream for dessert.
Breakfast- granola cereal with blueberries
Lunch- Peanut butter & raw honey sandwich, cantaloupe, celery w/peanut butter.
(N&K grilled chicken, left over lemon garlic potatoes, asparagus)
Dinner- Spaghetti with whole wheat pasta, steamed broccoli, & watermelon
Tuesday:
Breakfast-banana pancakes with pure maple syrup
(N&K shakeology)
Lunch- whole wheat raisin and cream cheese sandwich, apples, and celery w/peanut butter
(N&K left over spaghetti and mixed green salad)
Dinner- Steaks, fingerling potatoes w/pesto, mixed green salad & strawberries and grapes
Wednesday:
Breakfast- whole wheat raisin toast with cream cheese & cantaloupe
Lunch- Fruit and yogurt parfait w/granola, peppers and hummus
Dinner- crock pot roasted chicken, carrots, sweet potatoes & watermelon
Thursday:
Breakfast-defrosted banana pancakes & pure maple syrup
(N&K shakeology)
Lunch- peanut butter and honey sandwich, carrot sticks, & watermelon
(N&K turkey sandwich on whole wheat toast, mixed green salad, watermelon)
Dinner- grilled fish, homemade sweet potatoe fries with avocado dip, & apples
Friday:
Breakfast- Fruit and yogurt parfait, whole wheat toast w/raw honey
Lunch- Pizza toast, celery, carrots, & cantaloupe
(N&K left over roasted chicken & veggies with hummus & watermelon)
Dinner- eat out
Saturday:
Breakfast- Scrambled eggs, strawberries & whole wheat toast
Lunch-turkey sandwiches, veggies with hummus, & oranges
Dinner-Homemade whole wheat pizza, apples, & mixed green salad
Homemade ice-cream for dessert.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Week one recap
So week one had its ups and downs! We definitely found new family favorites along with NEVER make again dishes!
Some of the favorites:
-Crock Pot BBQ chicken
-lemon garlic fingerling potatoes
-peanut butter and raw honey sandwiches
-whole wheat raisin bread with cream cheese
-Black bean taco salad
-fruit and honey parfait
Not so favorite:
-zucchini muffins (going to try again with new recipe)
-homemade granola (Neil and I both liked it, but the kids did not like some of the seeds in it, going to try again without the pumpkin seeds and maybe add raisins to give it a sweet taste.)
All in all it was a good week. Some of the hardest days were when I had to work, so I had to pack lunches and snacks for the kids. It was hard sending them to grandma's and having to tell her that she could not take them to McDonald's or give them candy for a treat. Another difficult day was on Saturday when we had a family reunion and it was centered all around food. The kids actually did a great job making healthy choices and picking lots of fresh fruits and veggies. Luckily there was a bowl of fresh fruit and a big relish tray, however, as they were walking out of the house one of the aunts noticed that their plates mainly consisted of fruits and veggies she proceeded to dump half a bag of chips on to each of their plates. Payton looked at me horrified thinking he was going to get in trouble for "cheating". Once out of sight we were able to get rid of the dreaded chips. :) Just don't tell my grandma I threw away food!! I would never hear the end of that one! Even though we made good choices for the main dish it did not work out so well when it came to turning down the dessert! Oh well, the rest of the week was sugar free so a little on Saturday was better then every day all week.
One of the most noticeable differences this week was the change in regularity. To much info I know! The kids went from one "number two" a day to two or three. You could definitely tell that they were eating foods rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals that were doing good things for their little bodies.
As for the other part of our journey we were very successful, we went on a family walk on Tuesday and Thursday. The kids loved it and asked every night if we could go again. This is defiantly going to continue to be apart of our weekly routine!
I am so happy we made it through our first week and excited to continue on our journey!
Some of the favorites:
-Crock Pot BBQ chicken
-lemon garlic fingerling potatoes
-peanut butter and raw honey sandwiches
-whole wheat raisin bread with cream cheese
-Black bean taco salad
-fruit and honey parfait
Not so favorite:
-zucchini muffins (going to try again with new recipe)
-homemade granola (Neil and I both liked it, but the kids did not like some of the seeds in it, going to try again without the pumpkin seeds and maybe add raisins to give it a sweet taste.)
All in all it was a good week. Some of the hardest days were when I had to work, so I had to pack lunches and snacks for the kids. It was hard sending them to grandma's and having to tell her that she could not take them to McDonald's or give them candy for a treat. Another difficult day was on Saturday when we had a family reunion and it was centered all around food. The kids actually did a great job making healthy choices and picking lots of fresh fruits and veggies. Luckily there was a bowl of fresh fruit and a big relish tray, however, as they were walking out of the house one of the aunts noticed that their plates mainly consisted of fruits and veggies she proceeded to dump half a bag of chips on to each of their plates. Payton looked at me horrified thinking he was going to get in trouble for "cheating". Once out of sight we were able to get rid of the dreaded chips. :) Just don't tell my grandma I threw away food!! I would never hear the end of that one! Even though we made good choices for the main dish it did not work out so well when it came to turning down the dessert! Oh well, the rest of the week was sugar free so a little on Saturday was better then every day all week.
One of the most noticeable differences this week was the change in regularity. To much info I know! The kids went from one "number two" a day to two or three. You could definitely tell that they were eating foods rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals that were doing good things for their little bodies.
As for the other part of our journey we were very successful, we went on a family walk on Tuesday and Thursday. The kids loved it and asked every night if we could go again. This is defiantly going to continue to be apart of our weekly routine!
I am so happy we made it through our first week and excited to continue on our journey!
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