Here's to feelin' good!

You guys, I said I was gonna do it and I totally did...

JOINED THE GYM!

Not only did I join the gym, but I've been the last 3 days in a row.  I've also got myself a workout partner (hi Kortney!) and some workout plans.  Today we did the sexy leg workout...

We *may* have cut some of those numbers in half, but I'd say for our first time we did pretty good!  Besides, I'm proud of us for our efforts great or small.  Kortney has 4 kids and I have 3...we have every excuse NOT to go, but we've been doing it!

Confession:  I used to be a total gym rat.  True story.  So I actually know how to work out properly, which is now benefiting our post-children bodies!  Tomorrow we get sexy abs...

Pinterest has been a great place to get workout ideas too.  Duh.  Pinterest is great for anything.

So if you've read my blog for any amount of time, you'll know I've been making some major changes in my life over the last few months.  And I have to tell you, I feel great.  Making major life changes and working through issues doesn't happen overnight.  I've pushed through some hard things and I am really started to reap the benefits.  It feels so good to feel good.  I can't wait to see how I feel after continuing to work out and get my body healthy.

While I prefer to eat healthy foods, as a mom it's easy to skimp on nutrition for myself.  I often just "grab a bit of this and that" throughout the day.  Quite often I forget to eat altogether.  Now that I'm working out, it's especially important to make sure I'm fueling my body.  My favorite thing to do that with right now is a green smoothie.  YUM!

There's lots of ways to make a green smoothie...just ask Pinterest!  But here's my recipe.  It is so, so good.

:: Green Smoothie ::

• 1 banana
• a few ice cubes, or some crushed ice
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
• 1 cup fresh spinach
• 1/4 cup almond milk

Toss it in a blender and blend it up!  Add more/less almond milk for the right consistency.  Spinach is SOOOO good for you - it helps aid in digestion, it's full of powerful antioxidants, has high amounts of Vitamin A which is good for your skin, and Vitamin K which is good for your bones and brain function.  Drink to your health!

Another good recipe I rediscovered is chocolate chip quinoa cookies.  Have you ever cooked with quinoa or eaten quinoa pasta?  It definitely has a unique flavor and takes some getting used to.  Quinoa is known as a "superfood", and has WAY more health benefits than other grains out there.  So I baked up a batch of these cookies last night, and the kids and I had them for breakfast.  *grin*

:: Quinoa chocolate chip cookies ::

• 2 1/2 cups quinoa flakes (found in the health food section of the grocery)
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup olive oil (or melted butter)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 mashed bananas
• 1/2 cup mini dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.  Mash bananas in medium bowl.  Add all other ingredients except for chocolate chips.  Blend well, then fold in chocolate chips.  Drop by tablespoons onto well greased cookie sheets.  Bake 15-18 min. until slightly golden on top.  Makes approx. 30 cookies.

These cookies are hit or miss, so be prepared for your kids to not necessarily like them.  My kids LOVE them, as they will eat anything with chocolate and the word "cookie" involved.  My sister wife's kids however gagged at first bite.  Then her 3 year old son told me to make sure I have different cookies next time.

If any of you out there suffer from any sort of depression, I highly recommend a light therapy lamp.  I've been using mine daily and there is a noticeable difference in my mood. 

For those of you obsessed with who peruse Pinterest from time to time, have you seen the avocado egg breakfast pizza recipe floating around?  ZOMG so yummy.

  You can get the details here.  I used Naan bread because it's my favorite.  Between that and the quinoa cookies, I can hardly wait for breakfast tomorrow!

So in a nutshell, I'm feeling incredible.  My mood is stabilized, and I'm feeling JOY again.  Anxiety is hardly an issue right now.  I'm able to DO things again, which makes me feel accomplished, which makes me proud of myself, which motivates me to keep going.  It's great to be in an upward swing rather than a downward spiral!  Yay for health...mental, physical and most importantly spiritual.