Lemon Zest Zucchini Muffins & Quick Mileage Update

We took a quick trip to see family at the beach for a couple of days.  Our 4 year old had a ball with her cousins and the wee baby seemed to take to the ocean air and napped like a champ during the day after a walk in the sea breeze....maybe we need to move to the ocean? Ha.  Night time sleeping is still a struggle but all in time I guess.

In preparation for our trip, I put together a batch of muffins for breakfast and snacks.  I had zucchini from our farm share that needed to be used up and I am always game for a recipe that hides vegetables for the kiddies.  These were easy to throw together and quite tasty with a hot cup of coffee...especially while listening to the ocean.

Lemon Zest Zucchini Muffins

Dry Ingredients

1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

 

Wet Ingredients

1- 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini

2 eggs

3/4 cups honey

1/4 cup coconut oil

zest of 1 lemon

 

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and grease a muffin pan.  Shred or process zucchini in a food processor until finely shredded.  Mix all wet ingredients together and zest the lemon into the wet ingredients.  Mix again.  Stir together all of the dry ingredients.  Add dry to wet and mix thoroughly. Scoop into the muffin tin (I use an ice cream scooper).  Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a knife comes out of the muffins clean and tops are slightly golden.  Let cool in the muffin tin before removing and enjoy!

 

 

  And on the running front I bumped up my mileage from the whopping 4.1 miles last week to 7 miles this week! We are heading in the right direction! 

"Running," a Mild Case of Amnesia & Ice Cream!

Time is flying by!  I can't believe we are creeping up on the end of July and my new little girl is already 5 weeks old.  Overall, things are going well.  Baby is growing healthfully.  The big sister is having a great summer and I am getting into the swing of things of being mom to 2.

One of the things I looked forward to for me is my return to running.  While pregnant, I only kept up jogging until about 22 weeks and then kept cardio to the elliptical, walking and spinning.  I know ladies who kept up running right until delivery, which I think is awesome.  It just wasn't comfortable for me between a high heart rate and a lot of pressure from the growing baby.  I also had not been running as regularly as usual when I found out I was pregnant.  As delivery got closer, I was constantly day dreaming about running again.  My vision was that of a mom going out jogging in between feedings. I would be up to 4 or 5 runs per week of 3 miles each by now with strength workouts in between.  I would be glowing with endorphins and relaxed.  This is where my mild case of amnesia comes in....how did I forget so much about a newborn in just four years??

I forgot that the estimate of feedings every 2 hours does not mean that one has 2 hours of free time once a feeding is finished (what was I thinking?).  Newborns feed more often than every 2 hours, especially in the first month.  When I have gone out for a jog, I have jogged for 15-20 minutes, returned home, taken a disgustingly quick shower and the baby is past ready for a feeding right then and there- not 2 hours after the last feeding.  Or there are the times when feedings just blend into each other :) I knew there would be little sleep, but I guess I forgot exactly how that feels after a few weeks.  And I guess my husband still has his regular work schedule to contend with. What do you mean you have to go to work right now?  I just got the baby down, the big sister is happy and fed- I can go for a jog NOW and only NOW.  I laugh.  Ok, I may have cried at least once too, but all of the important things are going well, which is what counts. I may have given out more TV time and nutella sandwiches to the big sister over the last few weeks than any mom would want to admit, but the kiddos are healthy and we got our first smile this week from bundle #2, which makes everything in the world just right...at least for a moment :)

My weekly mileage last week was 4.1! Woo hoo....Not the 12'ish miles I thought it would be and I know 4 miles is many runners' warm up/cool down of one of their weekly workouts, but I get out there when I can and am striving for more mileage each week. Pace? Slow but I am concentrating more on time out there at this point.  As for the strength workouts, I do better squeezing those in as I can just drop to the floor with my weights and calisthenics for 15 minutes at a time without having to worry about timing childcare etc.  And boy do I need a crash course in pushups!  Every little bit helps, right?

Moving onto summer fun, the recent heat waves bring about cravings for one of my biggest weaknesses: ice cream!  I love ice cream but do not love the paragraph of ingredients on the back of most brands of ice cream available.  I have been following sites like 100 Days of Real Food, My Whole Food Life and Food Babe and they all have posts of recipes of their own ice cream.  I finally took the plunge with a recent birthday gift and bought my very own ice cream machine and it was worth it! 

Source
Except mine is in red!
 

This thing is dangerous....a house with no ice cream to be tempted by can have fresh ice cream galore within 15-20 minutes.  Seriously, it's awesome.  Get one if you don't have one.  Oh the recipes to come up with.  So far, I have made a simple vanilla ice cream and my favorite is this recipe over at the Detoxinista.  This was my first use of coconut milk and it made this chocolate ice cream heavenly and rich.  Confession: It did not last as long as it should have in our freezer and I can't blame family.
 
So there you have it.  Any home made ice cream tips for me?  Tips for short workouts that are effective?  Have a great week.

Happy Feet

There are these feet....happily decked out in my new Brooks running sneakers.

 But more importantly, there are these feet!

 Bundle #2 came along last week healthy and happy (except when hungry, wet or tired of course) and it's a girl!  Another beautiful little girl- all 8lbs 9oz of her joined us 1 day after my due date.  It is safe to say that she was not premature based upon her birth weight.  Bundle #1 is super excited to have a little sister.  In fact, she was saying all along that she wanted a sister...so much to the point that I kind of started to worry how she would react if it was a boy.  It all worked out!

Everything is going well and as expected after the arrival of a new little one.  Not much sleep but it's temporary (or so I try to tell myself repeatedly).  Delivery recovery is going pretty much by the book thankfully.  I felt like I had been hit by a truck the day of and first few days afterwards, but things are looking up.  In fact, I stepped out for my first post partum jog yesterday on day #9.  I only covered a mile and paced myself super slow with the dog, but it just felt good to break a sweat and get out there with my new sneakers and thoughts of the miles to come :)

Yesterday I got a little bit ambitious in the kitchen during the wee one's snooze.  I know everyone says to rest when baby does, but I am horrible at sleeping during the day...especially when the sun is out.  I have so much respect for people who work nights!  Anyway, I was inspired by this recipe for a quick snack to keep ready in the fridge.  These also highlight my love for all things chocolate, unsweetened coconut and peanut butter.  They also require zero, yes zero, baking.  How can you not enjoy?  I threw in some chia seeds also, even though the recipe did not call for them, just for an extra something.  Here they are...give them a try- they are super easy to make and well worth it!

 

Do you have any suggestions for resuming fitness post partum?

 

Have a great week!

To the Peanut Butter and Chocolate Lovers of the World.....

I am always on the hunt for recipes that can accommodate my sweet tooth but not leave me full of guilt and processed garbage.  Today, I scrambled through my pantry and came up with my version of some chocolate, peanut butter squares.  They were super easy.  You can substitute different ingredients and they took care of my sweet cravings, which are tough to beat. 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Squares

For the crust:

4 cups Trader Joes Whole Grain "Cheerios"

(I am sure you could substitute whole wheat pretzels, crackers or even nuts of your choice)

3 Tbs butter

 

For the middle:

1 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup honey

2 tbs coconut oil

 

For the chocolate topping:

2 cups chocolate chips of your choice

1/2 cup milk of your choice (I used organic chocolate soy milk)

Unsweetened coconut (optional)

 

Line a 9 x 13 baking dish with parchment paper (If you would prefer thicker squares, you can use a smaller, square baking dish).  Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare the crust by processing the dry cereal in a food processor or high speed blender until crumbs.  Melt butter.  Mix crumbs and butter together in a bowl.  Press into baking dish and bake in oven for 7-10 minutes just to set the crust. 

 

While the crust is setting, melt the peanut butter, honey and coconut oil in a small pot on the stove top.  Once crust is ready, pour and spread the peanut butter mixture over the entire crust.  Next, melt the chocolate chips and milk in a pot on the stove top and pour and spread over the entire crust and peanut butter mixture.  Throw some unsweetened coconut flakes on top of the chocolate mixture (optional) and place the entire pan in the freezer for approximately 1 hour or until set.  Once set, cut into squares and enjoy!  Store in the fridge and restrain yourself from eating the batch in one day.

 

 

Random Updates

A few random updates:  I am just returning from a beautiful weekend in the wonderful city of Boston- I love that place.  The weather was definitely not Memorial Day weekend like, but that's ok.  My husband ran a 1/2 marathon and killed his PR by 12 minutes- awesome.  We also celebrated my birthday with some fantastic pizza in the North End- also awesome! 

I did a lot of walking this weekend, sort of hoping it would jump start me into labor- it does not appear to have worked as of yet! 38 weeks! Contractions start....then stop. One of these days they will stick! I'm ready...or as ready as one can be.  I am looking forward to meeting this little person.

At home, the garden is started but it's been a bumpy start to the season.  Huge swings in temperatures around here have brought plants out only for them to be rushed back in...or forgotten to be rushed back in (oops).  Spinach, green onions (from re-sprouting my onions from the grocery store!), tomatoes, green beans and potatoes have been started.  I do not have a green thumb, but I'm hopeful for this season!

Our CSA starts in just a few weeks....I am looking forward to it!  The meat we have been buying from a local farm has been working out well....I even made homemade potstickers with the ground pork and they came out both delicious and guy approved. One of these days I will get around to posting the recipe I used.

So, that's it for now! Hopefully, I will have a new bundle to update you on in the coming weeks and some success stories from the garden.  Until then, have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend.  Thank you to all those who have served!   

Meat and Muffins

We took a trip out to the farm last week!  The farm where I have signed up for a produce CSA announced a partnership with a local meat farm.  Locally and humanely raised meat can be ordered ahead of time each week and a delivery will be left one evening a week with Spring produce shares.  I didn't sign up for a spring share, but I will be heading that way once a week come summer anyway and finding a local, healthier source of meat was something on my "want to do" list for a while now.  I sent an email to the farm owners to ask for more information and they sent me a response and told me to come up to see the farm anytime.  So, we took a road trip!

The farm is located just outside of Dublin, New Hampshire, which is such a cute town that I had never been through before.  Myself and the little one headed that way on a nice, sunny, spring day- I think we have finally kicked winter to the curb!  When we got there, I foolishly left my camera in the car.  I was kicking myself because there were some very adorable photo opportunities with pigs, piglets, sheep, baby lamb, cows and chickens.  The owners, Craig and Sarah, were on site, took us around to all of the animals, talked openly about their farm practices and walked us through how and where everything is stored and available in their on site farm store.  The coolest part was being told directly by the owners that we were welcome to stop up anytime and see the farm and animals.  My mind flashed back to Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma (great book if you have not read it yet) where Pollan talked about a veil of secrecy over parts of the processing of the steer he was trying to follow to someone's table.  In contrast, this farm felt welcoming and transparent. 

Mayfair Farm

Before we left, we stopped at the on site store and purchased Italian sausages, a whole chicken, a bottom round roast and ground pork.  The Italian sausages were delicious....I cooked those up with some whole wheat pasta, sauce and veggies.  We also had a roast beef dinner.  The meat was definitely tasty, but truthfully I have never cooked a bottom round roast before and I think I may need a lesson or two!  The chicken is on deck for dinner this evening and I just found a recipe for homemade pot stickers for the ground pork.  I am excited about this find and look forward to ordering more fresh food!

Onto this lovely Sunday morning, a craving for donuts hit our house again.  So, the little one and I followed this recipe for a Sunday morning baked good.  I am really starting to like spelt flour.  I modified the recipe slightly by cutting out 1/2 the sugar.  I am sure you could substitute honey or maple syrup if you prefer.  I also made a quick chocolate glaze because there is always room for more chocolate.  I melted 2-3 tsp of coconut oil with a small amount of chocolate chips.  Once smooth, I just drizzled on the tops of the muffins.  Done. Yum.

On the pregnancy fitness front, I have resigned to walking, light weights and stretching/yoga at this point.  Between some busy work schedules right now and the third trimester wakefulness during the night, it's all I am fitting in.  This baby is also much lower than bundle #1.  Many people have told me that they think I am going to go early- I won't be upset if they are right! Although, I better finish up my nesting if that is the case.  I tried some "bursts" of jogging on a recent walk and as much as I want to run, it ain't happening! Baby is just too low. 5'ish weeks left until the due date so I will just keep moving as much as I can until then and then look forward to getting back to some running mileage.  My other half just signed up for his first marathon, which I am really excited about.  I have visions of family vacations and endurance event destinations!

Anyone else have end of pregnancy fitness tips?  Tips for cooking beef?

Have a great week!

An AMAZING Milkshake!

Since getting my Vitamix, I have seen numerous recipes and ideas for ice cream using frozen bananas instead of cream & sugar.  Honestly, I was skeptical.  I figured it would beat a craving but taste like a healthy alternative to a total chocoholic like me.  My little one loves chocolate milkshakes and I picked up a carton of chocolate almond milk recently at the grocery store when she began asking for chocolate milk and it appeared to be the healthiest option at the store.  Milkshakes were just the thing we needed on a recent warm afternoon and this was so easy and delicious!

Chocolate Milkshake

(makes 2 servings)

~2 bananas

~2 cups chocolate almond milk

~2 tbs peanut butter

 

Cut the banana into chunks, place into a covered Tupperware or freezer bag and place into the freezer until frozen.  Pour 2 cups of chocolate almond milk into the blender, remove bananas from the freezer and add to the blender.  Add peanut butter.  Secure the lid and turn the blender onto low.  Use the tamper, if necessary, to push the frozen bananas down towards the blades to be blended.  Turn to high until you get the desired consistency.  This took only seconds with the Vitamix.  Pour and enjoy!

 

 

This shake was seriously amazing.  I think it rivaled a Friendly's Frappe and the frozen bananas added just the right amount of sweetness and thickness to the shake without any junk.  You can polish off the whole thing without a shred of guilt. I have seen posts on other blogs such as My Whole Food Life recently with information as to how to make your own almond milk, which I am sure would kick the health factor up a notch.  I may give that a try sometime.  I am definitely going to stockpile bananas in the freezer to make different flavors of this banana based shake all summer long....just wait until berries are out in season!  I bet this recipe could be frozen into popsicle molds too....ideas!

 

Have a safe and wonderful week!