90 Day Challenge - Week 1 Recap

I made it through Week #1! Wahoo. Let me tell you, this was way more difficult than I anticipated. Even slight lifestyle changes are hard y'all. But I did the best that I could, and realize coming out of the week that there are definitely some big improvements I can make for next week. This post is entirely too long... I need to figure out a better way to keep track on a weekly basis. I suppose you don't need ALL this information each week... Let me know in the comments what you think!?

I realized I never posted my starting #s and also realized that I completely forgot to do my starting photos on Monday! Whoops. So I did them today.

So, now that you can see what the progress was... Let's recap the week, shall we: 

Day 1- Monday 9/2 

It's Labor Day! But I still managed to get started. We didn't do much so I was able to stay on track and get my timing of meals sorted out, along with getting some things made. 

Overall, I had a good day. Here is a pic of my Food Log including the things I ate, and in terms of my macros, I had an okay day. 

I am still having a little trouble fitting it all together, despite tracking macros for months now.* It's actually pretty annoying. I was over on fat, way under on my carbs, and at my absolute minimum acceptable fiber number. I shoot for 35g/day but won't eat less than 25g if I can help it. It isn't digested by your body, so it fills you up and then kind of disappears. It also negates carbs. Fiber FTW. Remind me to do a post on the benefits of fiber. I think it's very underrated and very helpful in the grand scheme of weightloss life. 

One yummy meal we're eating this week is my White Bean Chicken Chili, that is legit. 

I had a ton of random green peppers laying around so threw them all in- I doubled up on onions because it was pretty much double the peppers too. Served it with non fat plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream and used a TON of cilantro. I also am not sure why the recipe calls for 1 cup of broth... I typically use 1 carton which is 4 cups. This time I used twice that and I used vegetable stock because I love it in my heart. It was too much for a chili, but I haaaate when you run out of liquid. 

I ended Monday feeling pretty bloated... which was either because I ate way too much of the chili orrrrrr because I drank a sh*t ton of water and liquid in general. 104oz water, a 12oz seltzer and a cup of green tea with matcha, since I have given up coffee for this challenge. I was tired, but that goes without saying, I have a 2 year old. Need to figure out how to differentiate "mama tired" from "challenge tired" .. or something. 

Day 2- Tuesday 9/3

6am wakeup call... turned off. Yep, missed my cardio workout yet again. That being said, I did have one of my Metabolic routines scheduled which was killer. Like I thought I might die. And when you feel like you might die when you're alone in your basement, that's kind of a freak-a-deaky feeling, but at least you know you're self motivated. 

I'm working on increasing the intensity of my workouts anyway, because I'm concerned with the number of calories I'm burning when I lift (hence why I'm adding cardio in... or should be... ugh.)  but this workout racked me up a total of 262 calories, which is actually pretty high for me. If I had moved faster through it, I could probably have gotten close to 300 but I'm always a little slow the first pass through my monthly workout plan. Note to self for next Tuesday. 

Because I went to bed early on Monday night in anticipation of getting up to workout, I think I maybe slept too much? I got 10 hours I think, so maybe that is too much for my body. Time will tell. 

I'm pretty much eating the same stuff all this week, but it's all yummy so I'm all in. Here is my Food Log including the things I ate on Tuesday.

Macro-wise, I didn't have much better of a day on Tuesday. Still way low on carbs/fiber. Under on protein vs. over, and I was over on my fat again. I always eat healthy fats, at least, but it might be a trend I need to do something about. 

I did however have a cute little breakfast with my daughter when I broke my fast at 10:30am. She had already eaten once, but I made her the same plate as mama had, and we dug in. Scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, and toast with a side of berries. Obviously they were prepared slightly differently, she got cheese and white bread toasted with cream cheese {something her father has started her on that I don't fully understand} and I had a little nutritional yeast on my eggs along with chia seeds and hemp hearts, and EBTB avocado Ezekial bread toast. Click here for my homemade EBTB seasoning! Love that I'm reincarnating a bunch of old blog posts! 

She liked almost everything, but didn't really eat the bacon. Probably because it's turkey bacon. I feel you, girl. {note: even when buying turkey bacon, I still purchase nitrate free etc etc.  I believe the one I got this time is Oscar Mayer, but it might be Nature's Promise. I looked at both and decided specifically on one that was higher in protein and lower in fat than the other. Sorry, I can't remember which. 

Tuesday had lots of liquid too, rounding out at 104oz water again, 2 seltzers, and tea. 

Day 3- Wednesday 9/4

Ooh did I wake up C-R-A-V-I-N-G something sweet at 6:30am with that alarm clock ringing. I had to ignore it, and got up to do my workout. Now people. My kid normally sleeps until 8/8:30am every morning. But wouldn't you know, 7:15 hits and I hear her on the monitor. So that first of two got cut very short, and I knew I'd have to double up later in the day. 

Either way, the craving for something sweet did not go away. No, it did not. Lord Baby Jesus, all I wanted in my life was to eat the pancake smothered in butter and maple syrup that my daughter was scarfing down. Can't even lie. So, instead of that, and instead of my usual savory breakfast, I decided to go with a power house sweet breakfast. 

I have these Kodiak Power Waffles in the freezer that are higher in protein, so started with that. Topped with some almond butter, vanilla Oikos protein greek yogurt, chia seeds and hemp hearts, and berries. A little higher carb-wise than I usually would have for breakfast, but holy-not-guacamole was it yummy. 

I also did better yesterday with my equation. Actually my higher carb breakfast helped. I was still under, but not nearly as much. And I almost hit fiber. Fat was still over, daggonnit.

I know my breakfasts tend to be higher in fat. I only have 1/4 avocado because of this, when in actuality I really want the entire dang thing. But adding in the turkey bacon also doesn't help any. Also a factor is the tuna salad I made this week. 

This Mediterranean spin on tuna is soooo good, but the olives add fat, and the lemon dressing you toss it with, while not mayo, still adds fat because there's EVOO in there. You guys, it's seriously delicious. I threw in kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, red onion, and tossed with the vinaigrette. 

I also chopped up cucumbers and tomatoes on the side, but felt like they might make everything too soggy to add in the larger portion of it. I didn't have capers {what?! IRL I always have capers in my fridge} but next time would add those too. I ate it up one day in lettuce wraps, and the rest of the days I've had it in my mini bell peppers. All the YES!

So back to this workout situation. When Peachy finally went down for her nap, I set to work and had to double up. I'm doing a BOD program for my cardio, which this was day 1 of. 20 minutes of death and it was only the first workout, so I can only imagine what I am in for. Then it was back/glutes which was another amazing routine. Definitely felt great doing it but know that it's going to cause some serious burn. 

Still was craving sweetness, so I tried this seltzer. Not a fan. I also got a few other flavors, so will try those next. Weird, they only make certain flavors in bottles?? Because that didn't cut it, it was time to bust open my new tea. 

Open the little packet where the teabag sits, and the smell is simply divine. Everything you want in a pumpkin spice beverage. That being said, when I steeped it, I wasn't as impressed. I drank it with a stevia and a splash of almond milk. It still tasted good, but was more of a chai spice to me than real pumpkin. I need to get a little more creative with how I make it. Maybe double brew and then when I have some extra macros make it with coconut milk or something. Or get soy milk since I always love a good soy chai from 'Bucks. I don't know, I'm getting away from myself. I was a little behind on my water, but the seltzer and two teas helped with my liquid intake. 

Day 4- Thursday 9/5

I woke up so sore on Thursday, having actually completed both my workouts on Wednesday. I ended up not working out at all this day, which is terrible but true.

I did create this Protein Chia Seed Pudding. I need to tweak the recipe a bit before sharing, but I ate it swirled with some vanilla greek yogurt and it was pretty tasty.

I started to get a little off track on Thursday, didn't have nearly the amount of food I should have, and I think it started me off course a little. Didn't help me have the energy to work out either. This is why hitting macros is so important!

Day 5- Friday 9/6

Friday was a normal day, nothing out of the ordinary. Slept a solid 8 hours, woke up feeling great! Because I had my pudding a little later on yesterday, I stretched out my meals and didn't break my fast until 11:15am (I couldn't wait a second longer!)

Has anyone tried these think Thin Protein bars?? They're actually so delicious! I bought them for in a pinch (and because we're going on vacation again next week so I wanted to see if they were any good). 20g of protein each! So far, I've tried the lemon and chunky peanut butter. Both are good, I think I like the lemon better.

For my workout today, I did my second Metabolic set and then tried to run on the treadmill afterwards. That was not a smart idea, I definitely need to separate the two workouts, or maybe do cardio first? I only made it like 7 minutes. Sigh.

Day 6- Saturday 9/7

I got up and did my Legs/Core workout, but *AGAIN* really should have done my extra cardio. I need to be better about this, this was part of my commitments coming into this challenge. Especially because this was our Anniversary Dinner night, which was a "preplanned cheat" on my calendar.

I honestly did try to choose make good choices, but it's really hard at a restaurant like this when you just want to try the chef's creations! They've already changed over the menu so I can't even pull up everything that I had. But, thankfully I texted my sister the details:

It was a three course meal, so I ordered Monkfish to start, which was in a coconut sauce with cauliflower. They actually brought out their Octopus dish, in a lime cream sauce with cauliflower and I ate half of it before they came by to tell me it was the wrong dish. Second course I had the  Scallops, which were in a Vietnamese style beurre blanc with a roasted corn crumble that was out of this world (and I don't even like corn). Third course, I had the Lamb that was wrapped in pesto, and served over celery root puree and charred bok choy. We shared the crispy Brussels Sprouts. And for dessert, I chose a brownie with salted peanut crumbs and raspberry sorbet.

I had three glasses of red wine, and then we went for an after dinner drink and I had a vodka cocktail which was not part of my plan. It was soo tasty though, the cucumber smash!

Day 7- Sunday 9/8

The last day of the week! as you can see, I was not feeling it.

Do you ever have one of those days where you just throw sh*t on a plate and hope for the best? That is 100% how my M2 was yesterday. It ended up being pretty good, though. Fried eggs over cauliflower rice and spinach. Seasoned with a little season salt. Top with kalamata olives and chopped cherry tomatoes, and cilantro. Hey, it worked.

Sunday was a little strange of a day, because I ended up waking up with pink eye in both of my eyes. I have never had it before, which is so weird, but it is pure and utter torture. I don't know how kids survive it. So that did not help my desire to cook or do much of anything, and I ended way under on most of my macros (except fat, duh, but I didn't eat enough meals to be as over as I was since I apparently decided it was a good idea to just eat kielbasa for a meal). Sigh. And I didn't work out, but I did perform my stretching routine with the foam roller, which felt sooo good.


SO there you have it. My entire week in one post. I promise I won't do this again, it's painful to even write, I can't imagine how hard it is to read. And clearly I started slowing down with my photo taking as the week went on also and got less fancy with it. What can I say.

Please check out the * all the way at the bottom for my macros by day if you are at all interested. xoxo

*Here are all my macros for the week. As you can see, there is definitely a trend here.

90 Day Challenge - Part B

Okay, so I promised I would be back with more than just a brief outline. I want to be completely transparent with whoever wants to follow along, so I am including all of my plans, rules, etc. here. 

Here is the plan I intend to follow for the next 90 days: 

• Goals: 

• To lose 15-20 pounds of body fat. 
• To increase strength and mobility, muscle definition. 
• To improve overall health and well being. 

• Diet: I will practice Intermittent Fasting and am taking a Paleo-ish approach to my diet, as this has worked the best for me overall in the past. I will still be tracking macros so that I can report back to my trainer that I'm eating enough and not starving myself, and I want to make sure I am balancing everything out in my diet also. 
• For IF: eating my last meal at 6:30/7:00p - Breaking my fast at around 10:00a 
• Diet will includes no gluten with the exception of sprouted Ezekial bread
• Limited dairy {cottage cheese, greek yogurt for protein sources}, some cheese in moderation
• I will likely lower my carb intake a little, and focus also on increasing fiber intake 
• Replace coffee with green tea
• Avoid processed food, avoid "diet/low fat" items, avoid sugar/artificial sweeteners
• Limit alcohol only to pre-planned cheat meals and it will be red wine only, no more than 3 glasses
• Pre-plan cheat meals, add in +1 cardio per cheat meal {I can't stress enough that I am going into this with literally a calendar printed out and writing in the days that I have things I can't avoid or know that I will want to indulge. I don't want to feel trapped in this challenge, so will allow for these days, such as our anniversary dinner and Thanksgiving. I will work HARD to still make as good of food choices as possible} 

• Water intake: 75 oz daily at a minimum.
• Exercise commitment: 

• Strength: 6x/week 
• Cardio: 4x/week 
• Commit to +1 cardio per pre-planned cheat meal 

• Tracking: 
• I will track my food, workouts and overall feelings daily. I will keep a food log. I am undecided if I will blog daily or weekly. 
• I will monitor my weight, BF% and BMI weekly, and do measurements and progress photos every 30 days. 
• Changes/commitments that I need to make to be successful in achieving my goals (daily/weekly):
• I sleep, a lot- so I want to focus on 8 hours a night, or at least figuring out what my body NEEDS. Because right now, if you ask her, she'll say like 10. 
• I need to wake up early to work out in the AM if I am going to be working out twice a day. With this, I want to wake up and start journaling again, stretch out, and set my intention for the day before I do my morning workout. 
• I will fill up three water bottles each night. I have two 32oz Nalgene water bottles, and another ~20oz bottle. This will help me to track my water intake for the day, as I will need to finish all three before the day is over! 
• I want to come up with some new recipe content! I haven't blogged in about three years or so, and used to love it so much. Coming up with new recipes to share was something that made me so happy. I am hoping through this journey I can break out some of the old ones, and create some new things in the kitchen also! {I'm also working on my photography, which is a story for another day since I have approximately zero food photos because they were always terrible!}
• Rewards: I decided against rewarding myself as this can get out of control very quickly. I will come up with something when the challenge is over to reward myself for sticking to it!
• Other: Make time for other things- blogging about things other than just this! Working on a few ventures I have going on in the background. While this challenge will be adding additional workout commitments to my plate, I am hoping it also adds energy to accomplish more than just my health and fitness goals! 

So there you have it. I have a few days left to iron out a few other details, but this is it. This is what I am going to do, and I am so excited to see where the next 90 days takes me. 

90 Day Challenge - Part A

Have you ever felt so compelled and inspired by someone's journey that you can't stop thinking about how you can follow in their footsteps? I feel that way often. I follow quite a few influencers, and every time they are doing something I am always thinking to myself "that could be me." -- and this is so all encompassing. I feel this way when someone posts about health, wellness or fitness, blowing diet culture out of the water and just eating clean, all the pretty fashion and lifestyle bloggers' photos of their 'Gram worthy shots {even the ones they say are real, still half of them are staged, this I know don't worry}, or even all of the online products they are selling. I can't say I haven't thought about selling *any.and.all.of.them* -- because that could totally be me! 

All joking aside, there is one person in particular that I have taken an interest in following. She is also a big time CEO and I just adore her personality, drive, and passion: Cassey Ho of Blogilates. She recently posted that she is challenging herself to a 90 day journey, publicly, which is so huge. Read her first post here, but ultimately she decided that finding herself at the heaviest she has ever been, she is taking back her life. 

In reading her first blog post, that she posted after Day 1/90, I truly felt so inspired. Someone who literally does fitness for her living fell off track because LIFE got in the way. Like, wow. These people really are human. And that gives me so much hope for the rest of us. Well, at least for me. 

So while I am not at my heaviest,* it is pushing me feel compelled to do my own 90 day challenge. There is never a "good time" to start, and especially as we are getting into the Fall, the days are getting shorter, the temperatures will begin to drop, and the holidays are quickly approaching it is increasingly harder to focus on eating well and exercise... but I am drawing a line and just jumping over it with both feet forward.

I will get through this coming long weekend {we are leaving tomorrow for a quick weekend trip}, then I want to make sure I have a game plan. I want something that is achievable but also going to put me out of my comfort zone. I want to make sure I am creating accountability for myself. I want to have a meal plan set up for myself. I want to make some rules. I want to set goals. All in all, I really want this to be real and and to help me feel super accomplished when I am done.

So far, here is what I have come up with. It's not much.. I definitely need to do some soul searching and planning, but I want to get it out there ASAP so that I can't back out.

Here is my timeline:

September 2 (start)

October 1 (Day 30)

October 31 (Day 60)

November 30 (Day 90)

Here are the numbers I will track:

Here is the very brief outline of my Rules:

1. Goals: to reduce overall inches and weight. To increase strength and mobility, muscle definition. To improve overall health and well being. 
2. Diet: TBD
3. Water intake: 75 oz daily
4. Exercise commitment: TBD {number of workouts per week, length of time, time of day}
5. Tracking: I will track my food, workouts and overall feelings daily. I will monitor my weight and BF% weekly, and do my measurements every 30 days. I will post progress photos every 30 days. 
6. Daily changes/commitments that I need to make to be successful in achieving my goals: TBD
7. Rewards: TBD
8. Other: TBD

Tools I'm currently using to track:

Cassey wrote about this in her initial blog post, and I love it. I think it's very important to note the things you will use to help make you successful and to monitor your results. 

• Watch: Garmin vivoactive3 Music to track workouts, heartrate, calorie burn etc. 
• MyFitnessPal Premium to track food {links to Garmin, links to my personal trainer's training app}
• Fitindex smart scale and app to track weight, body comp measurements including BF% and BMI 
• If I add any tools to my arsenal as I am planning my 90 days, I will add them to my follow up Part B post. 

So, there we have it. I want to say TYSM to Cassey for being so open, honest, and HUMAN about her journey. It can't be easy living in the public's eye, and I know she has gotten a lot of backlash for being so public with this challenge. For what it's worth, I think it's an amazing thing she is doing. I hope it inspires more individuals than just myself, because we need a little more of this in our lives. So anyway, thanks Cassey. I hope you don't mind that I'm total fan-girl copying you right now :) 

*I have actually hit the lowest scale weight that I have seen as an adult. I'm teetering within 2 lbs of it, though, and realize that I am starting to feel lax and don't want to take my foot off the pedal. I feel like this is the exact time I need something like this! 

Hello - Ciao - Hiya - Hi.

After a {not-so} brief hiatus, I am back and ready for action. As always, there have been many a thing going on in my life.

Y'all, I haven't given you a new recipe in like three years. And haven't really talked to you at all in that amount of time. I just went back and read some of my posts and realized also that every time I announce my return, I disappear just as quickly. Every time I announce my return, I also announce that I have started some new {health/fitness/something} and I will tell you that behind the scenes, that disappears just as quickly also. How big of a bummer is that!?

Now that I'm home full time with our daughter, I want to try to make this into something when I have the time to. So I want to be better for you. I want to give you content that you want. Do you like the recipes? do you want more lifestyle things? Tell me! Tell me! Tell me! Comment here - comment on the 'gram (@skinnyinstilettos) - email me.

I know a little bit about a lot of things, so I want this to be a space that provides knowledge. And tips/tricks. And where we can share for a love all of my favorite F words: food, family, fitness, fashion, and fun! And I want anyone who is out there reading to actually enjoy it. Selfishly, if I am investing time in it, I want it to be for a reason - for YOU!

In the meantime, I'll get back to cranking out some recipes. Making things my own. And trying to remember to take pictures along the way ;)

And don't forget to check out my recipe of the day:

Quick & Spicy Garlic Dill Pickles

12 months and a baby

Why hello my old friends. I feel that every time I start a new post, it has that same beginning. I have failed the blogisphere and any faithful followers I still have. At least this post comes inside 12 months. I think the last one was a Thanksgiving post, towards the end of November. I promise that 2018 will be better. Not sure how, given the few other things I have going on now... Oh yea did I not yet mention the little peanut princess that arrived four weeks ago? We have some catching up to do... let's recap the last 12 months, shall we? I won't bore you with too many details.

December 2016

Decked the halls. Made some life plans. Booked the Hartford Marathon Foundation Run Irish O'Races that consisted of four 5ks in 2 weekends in March {yes we're crazy, but yes there was beer waiting at the finish line}

Christmas came and went. Little did I know it would be the last Christmas celebration at the castle. More on that later.

January 2017

Whole30 time! Great way to kick start a new year. 

Whoopsies, Annual Meeting in Chi town happens in January. We won some awards. But when you're in sales, the party don't stop for nothin' - add that to deep dish pizza and I had to start the Whole30 over when I got back to CT. No biggie, tt just rubbed it in my face that he successfully completed it in 30 actual days. 

I don't think January brought anything else that we knew of, other than cold weather and probably some snow.

February 2017

We're pregnant! Yes, you read that right. The first few days of February brought some very happy news that was VERY hard not to share with the world. But, you don't do that until the time is right. 

Also, when they say that during your first trimester "morning sickness" doesn't necessarily stick to the morning, they were NOT joking. I should have known I was pregnant on the sheer fact that I slept for like two days straight. I thought I was coming down with the flu. 

No Incentive Trip for us this year, couldn't risk exposing the little bean to Zika in Cancun. So I took myself to the spa instead ;o) 

March 2017

March. Oh, March. So you know how I mentioned we had signed up for these four consecutive 5k's? And then you know how I said I was sick as a dog? Put those two things together and that was the start of my March. March 11th was O'Shenanigans and it was literally <10 degrees out. I almost threw up about that many times along the course. 

March 12th was O'Putnam. We drove 1+ hours to get there and run and from what I remember it was slightly warmer that day... but from what I also remember I still almost threw up 10x. But I finished. 

The next weekend there were two more races. However our annual St Patrick's Day Celebration happened that Friday... and so we did not run that weekend. I think I had everyone fooled... but acting like you're already drunk when half the people get there is hard. I was clearly not hungover the next day, but likely felt the same regardless. Morning sickness is seriously no joke.

Somehow also survived NCT at corporate without anyone figuring it out. #winning 

On this trip, the baby flipped. In {her} newfound breech position, {she} was causing me very intense round ligament pain. 

April 2017

In April we made our announcements. TT had the best and super creative way to tell the grandparents- we set up an easel with a blown up copy of an U/S in the baby's room in the new house and took them on a tour of the house. Lots of surprise/happy tears {appropriate for April Showers!} and genuine disbelief... everyone had given up waiting for this. ;o) 

We told the world, of course, by incorporating Cecelia into it. This was the actual announcement, but there were some outtakes that were pretty funny, too. 

May 2017

May was another exciting month. We moved into our new home {finally} after many months of planning and preparation. It was even more exciting to finish this project knowing our little peanut was on the way. 

In May we also found out that said little peanut we were expecting was a pink princess peanut!! 

We also went on vacation to sunny SC to get away for a bit. 

June 2017

I think June was a little quieter. Not much happened other than focusing on getting moved in and unpacked. Went to a sox game, which is an entirely different experience sans beer and Fenway Franks. 

I also snapped one of my favorite preggo pics at 24 weeks. I'm not sure why this one made me so happy. I think I realized that this little basketball {she was the size of an ear of corn at 24 weeks according to my app} was really going to be a person soon! 

July 2017

July was pretty quiet also. We traveled to Omaha to see Auntie Erin. It was a very quick trip, far to travel for a long weekend, but worth it. The zoo out there is a-mazing!! Even when it's a bazillion degrees and you're 100 months pregnant! :o)

August 2017

August was a bit more exciting! This month brought the eclipse and my baby shower! 

 

September 2017

The countdown begins. Final touches on the nursery including DIY closet project. Check. Ducks in a row at work for mat leave. Check. Induction date scheduled... Check! Bring on October!

October 2017

It's baby month! Induction scheduled for 10/10. I'll give a brief explanation of our "birth story" in all it's glory for whoever is interested.

• Had a nice breakfast at our local breakfast spot since I was told to eat before coming in and I likely wouldn't be eating again. Arrive at hospital for 9:30am induction on Tuesday 10/10 ~ no progress towards labor, so started with a pill to start dialation. Hung out for a while to let that do it's thing... which it didn't really. 
• At 4pm they told me that I was still only 2cm so if we wanted to opt to go home and wait for labor to progress naturally, because my fluid levels had gone down, we could. Um... thanks for the offer but no thanks. Got to eat something, and then they got me ready to start Pitocin to really induce labor. They hooked me up to that around 6pm on Tuesday. 
• Fast forward through a few nurses' shifts. Apparently it's a super long process!! Started to have contractions, but nothing too crazy. They wanted to break my water since it hadn't broken on its own, but informed me that contractions would then start getting super intense so if I wanted my epidural beforehand, we could make that happen. We got to this point around midnight and I got my epidural at 2:00am Wednesday morning. 
• Going into the morning, we were still waiting to get to that magic 10cm number. The final nurse switch left Eileen as the woman in charge and she was absolutely great. I was having a little trouble with my epidural. I was definitely not 100% numb in one spot on my right side and that was definitely not ideal. The anesthesiologist had come in to give me another dose at one point, and Eileen had said if I need a shot, to press the button any time- but just to let her know if/when I do. 
• Around noon, I had been stuck at 9cm for a while. I was feeling the contractions in that spot, and because I figured I was pretty close to starting to push I was about to page Eileen to ask if I could take one more hit... when all of a sudden the resident came in and said it was time to start pushing!! 
• The baby was "sunny side up" which can be more challenging to deliver due to the way their head needs to move to get out. I pushed and pushed, and while the baby's head was visible, she wasn't coming out. After 2 long and exhausting hours, the doctor came in. She said that her best guess was that the baby was too big due to my gestational diabetes and was stuck and I could either keep pushing {but they usually don't let you push for more than 3 hours} or we could move forward with a c-section at this point. I said yes, let's do it. And everything is kind of a blur from here...
• My epidural had been on its way to wearing off already, and within minutes of the decision to go to surgery, I was in agony. I can't imagine what natural child birth is like, if I had some combination of drugs in my system and still felt this way. Eek. 
• They got me prepped for surgery, and in about 90 minutes, Baby A was here!! Born at 3:14pm weight in at 5lb 11oz, 19.5" long. I don't remember much except that I'm pretty sure I slept thru the surgery {I had been up for almost 36 hours!} but when I saw that baby girl and they put her in my arms, the long two days that had just been disappeared.

The rest, as they say, is history. 

And here we are! Four weeks later, we are loving life. 

Next up: a likely quiet Thanksgiving, and then on to December and the first of many Christmases in our home with our families. No recipe to share today, but I promise I will keep up. 

I'm thankful for YOU!

November. The month to realize all of the things you are thankful for, and then celebrate them with friends and family. I, like many people, like to think of 30 things I am thankful for, for the 30 days of this glorious month in which I was also born. This year, I forgot.. so I'll go halfsies. I am thankful...

1. For TT obviously. Words cant describe how lucky I am that he picked me, and I am reminded and in awe of him every day.
2. That we are blessed with the ability and means to be building a home together that will house our family, always be open to friends, and celebrate many holidays to come. I don't ever want to take what we have for granted.
3. For my family. I am so lucky to have parents who have always been supportive of me and have let me live my life. I think its because they know they did a good job in making me the woman I am.
4. For my sister. She is my best friend and confidante. She is someone that I trust with my life and I am so thankful for her. I think I am even more appreciative of her now that I don't see her a lot and I am so proud of who she is and the decisions she has made. They have not been easy ones. She is absolutely amazing.
5. For Princess Cecelia Jasmine. She is the light of our lives and one of my most favorite people.
6. For my friends. I am so lucky to be able to call a few select people my best friends. They know who they are, and I know that no matter what time of day I can call and they are there.
7. That I have been granted the ability to see that in life you are better off having a few best friends, than a lot of half-way friends. I have had plenty of half-way friends and am thankful for the different perspective I have i I my 30s than I had in my 20s. Its much less toxic.
8. For my in laws. I don't know very many people who have the perfect in laws. But I have so many things in my life to thank them for and be thankful for because of them. They brought up a man that is respectful, hard working, and genuine. There isn't much more I could ask for.
9. For the health of all of the people I have mentioned above. We are getting older and we take our health and the health of those around us for granted sometimes. I need to be better about that.
10. For my job. I have a job I love, which not many can claim. TT and I both have jobs that provide us with many luxuries that others don't have and I am so thankful that I stumbled into such a great company that gave me this career 11 years ago.
11. And proud to be an American. {PLEASE no comments from the peanut gallery on this one. We're all friends here}
12. For food. Both that we have food on our table and that I am halfway decent at cooking it. And that my husband bakes so I don't have to.
13. For my coaches and my gym. No matter how long I'm away, I know I can come back. Might get razzed a little when I miss too long, but its all in good fun. I have never had an interest in exercise but I never found the right motivation. I love the feeling of being healthy and strong. And they help me every day. And lets face it, now I can eat more of the aforementioned food.
14. That this Season is upon us. Thanksgiving is the start of the most wonderful time of the year. We can reflect on the wonders of this life; reflect on the good, bad and ugly of the year we are letting go, and plan for the year to come and what we will make of it. I just know that 2017 will be a very exciting year for us.
15. Last but not least, very much for dirty martinis. {come on, I couldn't be 100% serious}

Now, I clearly know how truly blessed I am and have so very much to be thankful for. That being said, however, November is also the month to realize that the insanity of this glorious season is about to kick in. I'm already head first in it.

I am so excited to be hosting my first thanksgiving this year and having my in laws over for this celebratory meal. I have been working hard to plan a menu that is traditional for them {and for TT because he doesn't always appreciate my creativity in the kitchen} but want to make it my own. I have a few things up my sleeve, but one dish that will remain in the T family tradition is my FIL's mother's stuffing. I tweaked it ever so slightly because traditionally it went in the bird, but I will be making it an extra special way -- in the CROCK POT!!! {say whaaaaa}

Oh yes. Click on the link at the bottom for that amazing recipe. And yes crock pot stuffing is a thing! And it works! And you can use any stuffing recipe you like! Wee! I think I am most thankful for THAT!

What are YOU thankful for this year?

▽ ROTD ▽
Grandma Martone's Stuffing

Anxiety, The Princess Bride, and Positive Affrmations

With all that has been going on in my life, my anxiety levels have actually been at a major maximum lately. I think its mostly work and the house, but I need some reprieve that doesnt involve me having to rely on the two Rx I have. I like having them in case of emergency, but I really want to find an alternative way to manage this, since it is pretty much a way of life for me, with no real rhyme or reason as to why, and with no end in sight.

Recently I stumbled upon a blog run by a fitness and wellness coach for women. The post that popped up {a page I follow on FB Girls Gone Strong, had liked it which streamed to my newsfeed} intrigued me. When it comes to blogging, its all about the title. You need to capture your audience in that moment in order to steer them towards your little slice of the web {I really need to get better at this game} and so when I noticed a title that was a quote from my favorite movie of all time, I clicked on it automatically without even reading what the post was about. Girl am I glad I did.

This link led me to a woman named Neghar Fonooni. She is a coach, mentor, personal trainer, and focuses her efforts on women.  What really got me after I clicked on the link to this particular blog post, was that without even knowing it, I was stumbling upon something I needed. The post was about journaling, which again I didn't even kno when I saw the word "Vizzini" and autopilot made me click there. She speaks about the benefits that putting your thoughts and feelings and emotions on paper can provide you; she speaks about self awareness, and that sometimes its not easy. Not exactly the type of blog I would normally follow or read and definitely not what I expected after clicking on the link, but really it made sense. It spoke to me in a way that doesnt happen often. Vizzini said go back to the beginning... so go back to the beginning we go.

Ultimately, as I read more and took what I needed from her words, I realized that I was reading a routine about calming yourself down, creating more productivity, and lessening feelings of being overwhelmed or anxious. Um- my life.

Long story short, I have a plan that will be a new morning routine that will hopefully do the above.

1. Wake up and drink my ACV tonic {I will need to wake approximately 20 minutes earlier going forward to allow for my new morning routine}
2. Journal/check-in {I am using the format that Neghar suggests, but will tweak accordingly if needed. This includes physical and emotional check in, actions related to those, intentions, and gratitude}
3. AM Yoga routine {and/or breathing exercises, and/or meditation}
4. Shower and pretty
5. Begin each day with a purpose: I am going to have a weekly mantra/positive affirmation that I remind myself of every morning. 

This journal will include raw feelings. It will be hard to get onto paper and to share it even if only with myself. I will share my progress with you all, and from time to time pieces of the journey. My first affirmation will be: Interrupt anxiety with gratitude. Which I will remind myself of each day this week.

What do you do to keep your inner self at peace? Do you struggle with anxiety? Lets try this together!

Check out my Menu for the week!! 

fall, construction + a new routine

My friends, I return. Again. Hopefully this time for good. I've missed you and I've missed this little slice of the www. 

It has been too long for me to try to recap my life over the last {year?} and really, I know you're just wanting a new recipe. ▼

Let's start fresh. It's 2016. It's fall. It's #allpumpkinerrythang. I am here, healthier, and happy about it.

Fall in New England: I don't know where it is that you call home, but in my little tiny state, fall is really the best. I had a girlfriend relocate to the south and as much as I have always dreamed about moving out of this area, I would miss the changing of the seasons, especially summer into fall. Leaf peeping, beer/food festivals, tailgating at college football games. Flannel shirts, boots and leggings, and PSLs. Chili! It's really the best.

Construction: So speaking of not moving south... we aren't. Because....... it's official! Lot #75 is officially our little piece of this earth. Stay tuned for progress updates on that, as I likely won't be boring the FB world with them. But at least I know if you read this you may care a little more than the casual news feed skim.☺ We break ground hopefully within a week and in six short months we will have a home to call our very own. Squeeeee I am so excited.

A NEW-ish Routine: since February, I have started a new fitness journey. I joined a gym! I know- I still barely believe it either. But I love it. The coaches are amazing, they know their stuff. They push just enough and know how to motivate people to be their best selves. With their help, I successfully lost 19 lbs in 5 months, I feel stronger, I look leaner. The feeling is really indescribable. I have been weighing myself but the real progress is in the pictures I am using to track. Eventually I will share them with the world, but I'm not ready for that yet. I started at my heaviest and those pictures are pretty personal to me.

The last two months have been pretty hectic for me, and I haven't gotten there nearly as much as I would like, and I can feel it. I'm antsy. I can't sleep. I feel "soft" and I don't like it. They run 5 week sessions: 4 weeks on, all the same classes with progressing intensity, and then 1 week "off" for recovery, where they run workshops and stretching classes. This is recovery week, which I unfortunately had little to recover from. I am so excited to get back there on Monday and get back to what I have set out to do! I don't really have a goal weight, but I know that if I go regularly and stay on track with my eating habits, I will be successful.

This little bloggy blog will help with my accountability. I'm so happy for your continued support. Any questions/comments/suggestions/complaints, comment below! Muah!

▼ ROTD ▼

Spaghetti Squash with Pumpkin Marinara

It all starts here

Hi Chicklets, hope your 2016 is off to a great start!

I'm sitting here, recipe book open, fit bit charging, meal-prepping for what feels like a mini apocalypse. I, along with everyone else in the United States who isn't already on the "Get fit" bandwagon, will be taking the leap, and promptly holding on for dear life beginning tomorrow. While I'm super excited to get back at it, I'm also experiencing that feeling of dread that everyone feels on the Sunday before they hit the re-start button. 

I've had quite the up and down last few years - throwing myself 100% into a Paleo diet leading up to my 30th, and then going on a downward spiral and yo-yo-ing ever since then. The difference as I am getting older, is I feel older. I feel fat. And I don't say that because I want you to say "oh no, sweetie, you're not fat" -- I say it because my body is telling me that it's time to do something about it. I'm tired of waking up and everything hurts. I'm tired of my stomach being topsy/turvy. I'm tired of getting winded when I'm having a conversation with someone, let alone walking up stairs - fageddabatit. 

This isn't a resolution, it's a promise to myself. I know I can be successful when I put my mind to it. I'm successful at a lot of things, and it's time to start putting my health and wellness at the forefront, so that I can enjoy the life tt and I are working so hard to provide for each other and ourselves. 

And with that, my week:

Upon rising:

25 Jumping Jacks to get my blood flowing, and a morning Yoga sequence
Cranberry ACV energy drink = 4 oz Cranberry Juice + 2 Tbl ACV + Juice of 1/2 lemon + sqidge of honey + water {combine in a mason jar, shake shake shake as you dance around your kitchen, drink up}

Coffee, duh = Unsweetened Almond Milk + Stevia

Breakfast:

Protein Blast Smoothie = Greenberry Shakeology + Spinach +.Banana + Water {blend up with ice, internal race to finish smoothie before I get to work without getting brain freeze}

Lunch:

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Dinner:

Garlic & Lentil Soup

White Bean and Poblano Chicken Chili 

Turkey Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Spaghetti Squash with Pumpkin Marinara Sauce 

{stay tuned for these two NEW recipes!! Coming this week on the blog!}


Exercise:
I am committing myself to do three of the TIU workouts this week, along with taking at least one walk around the block with Cecelia.

Before bed:
5 Minute Yoga Sequence for bedtime
Vitamins = Magnesium + Malic Acid + Probiotic + Fish Oil + Vitamin D + Biotin + MultiV

#FitforFall #CharityChallenge #CharityMiles

Hello my long lost friends of the interwebs. As always, I will announce my return. I'm baaaack! 

Ha.

I'm really bad at this. 

That being said, though, I have jumped on board with a new fitness/health challenge, and so I want to track my progress HERE, for all of you {although, my guess, is that I have lost my avid following} and am going to work on my health and happiness, all for a CAUSE. 

K+K at Tone it Up {@ToneitUp #ToneitUp #TIUteam} are partnering with Charity Miles for their newest challenge! Fit for Fall will consist of daily workouts, but will also include a 100 mile challenge - raising money for charity. 

If you know me, you know that currently there's some stuff going on in both my personal life as well as my family life. This really challenge really couldn't have come at a better time for so many reasons. Ultimately, I will be using this 8-week challenge as a transformation for myself, and I am viewing the link to charity as a sign that it's time. The app works with sponsors to raise money for charities, and each mile you log raises money for charity. What?! Yes. I can't make this up. In addition to that, K+K are choosing weekly winners based on your check ins, and will be donating additional dollars to your chosen charity. I will be running my #CharityChallenge 100 miles for ALZ.

{Note: if you want to do a challenge like this one either through TIU or even just for yourself, on your own, these miles are NOT just running! Lots of things count towards your miles, ask me in the comments if you're interested in learning more!}

Follow along with me on Instagram @coleentrombley and check in here, as I will be posting updates on my progress. This is an 8-week program, but TIU is really a community that I'm so excited to be a part of for the long haul. These two women are super inspirational, and really know what they're doing. I love that they have heart, too.