So 'Licious - Mamavation Monday

"So 'licious, so yummy" ~ the Moose "Mommy, my dinner is very alicious tonight" ~ the Monkey.

I had a tough week. Tuesday the boys starting throwing up while we were an hour from home grocery shopping. They continued all night Tuesday night. Wednesday the Moose was better, but the Monkey was so bad I got scared enough to take him to the emergency room. 7 hours (3 on an IV drip) later, he finally looked, talked, and felt like himself again. He still did not want to eat though, so on Thursday, when he told me he was hungry I was trying to shove whatever food I could into my little boy. 

I made him hot chocolate, macaroni and cheese, plied him with granola bars. No go. Grilled chicken, a big fat salad, and some Paleo style eggs worked. My carb-rific kids did some paleo eating of their own this weekend as I adjusted to eating differently. They drank all of my coconut milk (darn them!) They kept eating all my eggs, they gobbled the veggies out of my salad, and stole broccoli cooked in coconut oil off my plate. All the while they told me it was so alicious or so yummy.

My week overall was not good in terms of general stress level, workouts, or anything else. I got kicked out of one of my presentation groups at school (last minute, on Wednesday when I spent the day at the hospital) and told I would have to find something else to do for that grade. It's okay now, I got it taken care of, but it was one more stress that I did not need. I tried to get oil for my furnace, only to be told that HEAP benefits have been cut and it has not been opened yet this year. I am lucky to have an electric blanket and a space heater in the boys' room, because my house will be chilly this winter. I caught attitude from a grocery store cashier when I tried to get all natural peanut butter using WIC (my family is struggling hardcore while I am in school, so I use every available means to keep us afloat and look forward to June when I will have graduated, and pray to the gods that I have a job) when they tried to tell me I could only get the store brand - which isn't true, and I contested it. 

My head is all over the place, and I feel like I am falling behind in my life, trying to do everything I need to do. My mamavation Monday post today is late, rambling, doesn't make a whole lot of sense, so I appreciate the efforts of everyone who took the time to read it. Next week I will be more coherent, I promise.

My Personal Health Brand

How would you brand your health and wellness lifestyle?  How do you want others to know you in this area?

My healthy brand. It is an interesting question, and it ties into my post last week about searching for a way to incorporate my passion into my life full time. I want my personal healthy lifestyle brand to be about perseverance, whole life health, and reaching for your goals. A brand that supports you in all areas, that knows that there is a life to live and that perfection is not the goal, progress is. 

I am making progress. I ran again this morning, not even 12 hours after my super fast night time run last night. And I am signed up (sort of) for my first race! I am doing a 5K next Saturday. I am excited and nervous. I am going to work on that distance all week - but I will also make sure to be easy on my legs Thursday and Friday.

My brand would also be about being a role model for those around us, and I am beginning to realize that I am a role model. I was designing my personal logo this afternoon the Monkey look at it and that's a mom, and she's running. Because mommy runs. Because mommy is a runner.

Mamavation and New Balance are giving away a pair of shoes on Mamavation TV tomorrow night. I still remember when I started playing volleyball in high school and New Balance had women's sneakers in my size - a hard thing to find a lot of the time - so they have a special place in my heart. Go here to enter the enter the giveaway, and to find a new place to get the support you need on your fitness, health, and wellness journey.

 “This post is sponsored by New Balance and I’m writing this to be entered into a giveaway hosted by Mamavation – a community dedicated to obesity prevention & weight loss for women“” 

Mmm, Chicken Fingers

My boys are not all that different from your average toddlers/preschoolers. They want to run and play and jump around. They are super stubborn and that stubbornness will often show its face at meal times.

Not tonight! Earlier this week I discovered an excellent trick to making chicken nuggets from scratch instead of relying on store bought packaged nuggets chock full of things I do not want my kids eating. Yogurt, specifically Chobani yogurt (of course). I made the nuggets as chicken fingers tonight and had another successful batch, and thought it was time to share :)


Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 - 1 C Chobani 0% plain yogurt
• 3 chicken breast, sliced into strips or nuggets
• 1-2C whole wheat bread crumbs
• 1C rolled oats
• Garlic, pepper, onion flakes or other spices to taste
• 1T oil to fry the chicken in (I used coconut oil)

Direction

• Preheat oven to 425
• In one bowl combine bread crumbs, oats, and spices, set aside
• In a separate bowl whip together yogurt and eggs
• dip chicken pieces in egg/yogurt mixture - be sure to coat the chicken completely
• place coated chicken pieces in the bread crumb/oat coating - shake and mix to cover completely
• once all the chicken pieces or "breaded" fry lightly in oil, 1 min max on each side
• put all the chicken in an oven safe dish and bake for 10 minutes at 425 
• serve and enjoy!

The yogurt really keeps the breading on the chicken and the chicken itself moist. Monkey ate most of his (inhaled really) and Moose ate 1 finger before falling asleep in his chair :) I ate four (or um, maybe 5) myself and they were yummy! I am so glad to have a crowd pleasing chicken nugget/finger recipe that is so easy to make.

Oh - and the ranch dressing Monkey has to dip his finger was made with half mayo / half Chobani yogurt :)

Are there any family or kid-friendly favorites you have remade into a healthy meal?

2 weeks down, 18 to go!

18 more weeks of my Turbo Fire schedule. I am proud to be 2 weeks in, but when I think about the 18 weeks I have left it is with excitement, not angst at how much more is left. I am dedicated and making a commitment to my health and my life and my family.

Tonight was the first one where I had some dread getting to my workout. It's late, I would much rather be in bed or just sitting being lazy watching TV. at about 9:15 I started the DVD and almost as soon as the warm up started the moose started crying upstairs. Changed his diaper, brought downstairs, got him some Motrin, snuggled on the couch and kissed his moosey head. Shortly thereafter the monkey started crying too (sick boys, what are you going to do?) one of the kittens snuck into the room  and was trying to cuddle with him. He would be fine with that except they always want to sleep on his head. I put the moose back in bed, grabbed the kitten and tossed him back out of the room and came back downstairs. I had even less desire to do my workout at that point. But giving myself the excuse not to workout at that point is one of the many things that led me here. So I restarted the DVD (from the beginning) and restarted my workout, promising myself I could stop after about 20 minutes.

45 minutes later the workout finished, and I did the whole thing. Now I am debating a little popcorn and a piece of cheese or some celery and peanut butter while I wait to set my yogurt and go to bed.