Good morning, my friends! How is your week going so far? All is well over here!
We’ve had a nice balance of work and play this week and I’m feeling grateful for play dates both for Chase’s entertainment and for my personal sanity. As you may remember, one of my goals for this year was to put myself out there more and find playgroups and mom friends in my area. Thankfully things like library story times (<— my favorite!) and Stroller Strides make it a bit easier to connect with people in a similar stage of life right now. I’ve met a handful of first-time moms who all live close by and they’ve quickly become a great support network. We’ve been meeting up a couple of times a week and it’s definitely a highlight for me!
We also had Chase’s 6-month pediatric visit on Tuesday and everything looked good on that front as well.
Chase is still a little peanut but he seems to be a healthy little peanut and that’s all I could ever hope for as a mama. He gave flirty smiles to the nurses during his visit and made sure to show our pediatrician just how active and wiggly he is by kicking, squealing and reaching out to try to touch his beard.
In between all of the craziness of everyday life and balancing blogging with babyhood, we’ve been eating our fair share of delicious food, too!
Today I’m teaming up with OLLY vitamins to give you guys a peek into some of our recent eats! When it comes to my diet, there are some things I find myself prepping over and over again (helloooo frittatas, overnight oats and chia seed pudding) but I do like to try to change things up a bit to keep things interesting. Here’s a look at three random meals and snacks I enjoyed last week!
Breakfast
- Sausage and Kale Frittata (Made with Roasted Sweet Potatoes) + Banana
- Protein Pancake (Topped with a Smear of Peanut Butter) + Banana
- Graham Cracker Encrusted Whole Wheat French Toast (Topped with a Drizzle of Maple Syrup)
When it comes to breakfast, I will often gravitate toward meals I can prep ahead since I like to grab something quick before my morning workouts, but when Chase sleeps a little later (and by later I mean like 7 a.m. – haha!), I love to take a little more time to make myself something new like French toast, an egg sandwich or a protein pancake (though these can also be prepped ahead!) or even scrambled eggs with veggies and a sprinkle of shredded cheese.
My morning meals these days always include coffee that I make with a heavy pour of Fairlife whole milk (it’s THE BEST and so creamy) and a splash of unsweetened vanilla almond or coconut milk and a side of OLLY postnatal vitamins on alternate days. (I typically take postnatal vitamins one day and then a super food multivitamin the next day.)
You may remember seeing these vitamins in a past Things I’m Loving Friday post back in November because they quickly became my favorite after I was suckered into a “buy two OLLY vitamins, get a $5 Target gift card” deal at Target one day. It was love at first bite both for the flavor and and the fact that they don’t include any artificial colors like other gummy vitamins.
(FYI – OLLY vitamins are available at all Target stores in the United States and online at OLLY.com where you can order the vitamins and even subscribe to regularly receive your vitamins at 20% off with the code SUPER20.)
Random Snacks (Morning/Afternoon/Evening)
- Greek Yogurt or Cottage Cheese Bowls
My morning, afternoon and evening snacks are often a rotation of protein smoothies, an egg white and oatmeal protein pancake, chia seed pudding and Greek yogurt/cottage cheese bowls packed with fresh or dried fruit, nuts, cacao nibs and/or homemade granola.
My protein smoothies usually include a base of either Greek yogurt or protein powder (I’ve been loving After Burn), cocoa powder, peanut butter and a frozen banana. My egg white and oatmeal protein pancake has quickly become a snacktime favorite for me and I’ll typically beef it up a bit by smearing nut butter on top or adding some chia seeds to the mix before cooking it in a skillet (as seen above)!
When we’re out and about (or when I’m in a rush/starving) and convenience is key, I will reach for nuts, portable nut butter packets, turkey or beef jerky, healthy bars and fresh fruit.
Lunch
- Big Salad Bowls
Barbacoa Salad Bowl = Brown Rice Base + Lettuce + Slow Cooker Barbacoa + Shredded Cheese + Guacamole
Salmon Salad = Spring Mix + Salmon + Peppers + Tomatoes + Homemade Ranch Dressing
- Ground Turkey and Sweet Potato Hash
- Homemade Chili with Avocado
I feel like lunch is my biggest crapshoot meal of the day since so much of it depends on Chase’s schedule (whether he’s napping well and I can take more time to put together something more involved) and whether or not we’re out and about. When we’re at home, dinner leftovers are key!
I’ve started making larger portions at dinner so I will have leftovers easily accessible in the fridge to turn into a large salad, sandwich/wrap or even a quesadilla. (Slow cookers meats and large pots of chili are wonderful for reheating the next day!)
Lunchtime is also when I’ve been reaching for OLLY Super Foods vitamins!
Right after lunch, if I haven’t had postnatal gummies in the morning, I’ll grab two Super Foods multivitamins to enjoy with a hot mug of tea, some sparkling water, kombucha or a probiotic drink.
After OLLY caught wind of my love for their postnatal vitamins, they sent me their Women’s Super Foods multivitamins to try. I’m a sucker for gummy vitamins (they’re basically the only way I will take vitamins on a consistent basis) and the flavor of the Super Foods vitamins won me over instantly. They’re sweet but slightly tart and along with providing essential vitamins and minerals, the vitamins also provide a boost of phytonutrients from 10 of the most nutritious super foods on the planet. The Super Foods multivitamin delivers the antioxidant equivalent of a whole serving of fruits and veggies which makes me feel a little better about things on days when fruits and vegetables are a little scarce in my diet.
Dinner
- Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Mushroom and Turkey Bolognese
- Zoodles with Shrimp and Marinara Sauce
- Against All Grain’s Ginger Chicken and Broccoli
When it comes to dinner, I try my best to focus on incorporating lean proteins and vegetables into our evening meal. When I need something simple, whole wheat pasta or chili works well and crock pot meals are making a serious comeback in our house these days! I’m also enjoying meal planning on Sundays more and more and more and this helps me keep a little more variety in our weeknight dinners.
Questions of the Day
- Do you tend to make the same things for breakfast, lunch and dinner every week or are you all about variety?
- If you’re a creature of habit when it comes to your food, what are some of your go-to meals?
- Is there a new recipe you’ve tried recently that has quickly become a favorite?
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Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by OLLY vitamins. I really appreciate your support surrounding the sponsored posts that help support our family. Thank you so much!
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Everything looks so yummy! I have to save this page for my next inevitable food rut! 😀 Thanks for the healthy inspiration!
Delicious food. I tend to eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch on weekdays (oatmeal and bacon for breakfast and then a salad for lunch) amd then dinner varies a bit. One night I usually just have a protein smoothie before zumba and then other nights I will have some shredded chicken with some veggies. Maybe a hamburger. Depends what I am feeling but I have noticed I orefer bigger lunches and light dinners recently. Sometimes I go a little overboard on meal prep and dont know how I will finish all the food but getting better.
I give my son the Olly multivitamins, he loves them! I too got them at target with the gift card deal lol
The gift card promos get me EVERY time! I am such a sucker.
I’m such a creature of habit when it comes to my meals, I can’t help it! I know what I like! Especially breakfast…it’s always either oatmeal or a smoothie or protein pancakes! 🙂
i need to get back in the habit of making frittatas or casseroles for breakfast so i can just take it out of the fridge and heat it up! so easy!
Yum i always love posts like this because I’m always looking for new ideas! My morning go-to’s are oatmeal with fruit or an omelette with spinach and cheese. Lunch is soup and/or salad variations or leftover dinners. Dinners are what I switch up almost every week but right now I’m loving spaghetti squash variations and stuffed peppers.
I love Chase’s neon green diaper! Haha He’s stylish!
Ha! Thanks! For some reason I think naked babies and babies in their diapers are just the cutest. 🙂
Chase is SO adorable and getting big so fast 🙂 Will you be starting him on baby food soon? If you wanted to cook and puree his food yourself, I highly recommend Anabel Karamels baby food cookbooks. It is a lot easier to do than you might think 🙂 I make probably just one batch a week and freeze portions that I can easily take out the night before to thaw. My baby especially loves broccoli and sweet potato together. Anyway, homemade tastes so much better than the bland/watered down store bought baby food. Just thought you might be the type who would be interested in this 🙂 I bought a couple of those books used on Amazon, like new!
I’m totally a creature of habit with my meals and feeling especially in a rut right now – eating mostly eggs, sweet potatoes, smoothies and bananas. ha! Seriously my favorite breakfast right now has been a banana with more nut butter than I should admit. I haven’t had much of an appetite lately (darn, breakups) so I’m not too worried about it and just trying to eat what sounds good. haha
I’ve been thinking about trying those Olly Postnatal vitamins once my baby is born (any day now!) so it’s nice to hear a good review of them! Your food all looks delicious!
They are seriously SO good. I honestly look forward to eating them! They apparently make prenatal gummies, too, but I didn’t know that when I was pregnant!
I don’t normally eat breakfast, though I really should! I used to and somehow fell off the bandwagon.
I eat pretty consistently for my lunches. I usually do a meal prep on the weekends and have the same things for lunch each day. Either I’ll pull a curry from the freezer, maybe make mason salad jars for the week, or I’ll take leftovers. I always had 1oz of almonds with greek yogurt and frozen berries as well, for an added protein boost mid-day.
For dinner, we pretty consistently eat out of our freezer, with meal prepped meals. Once a week, we eat out. I also track my intake in MyFitnessPal and allow myself some splurges on the weekend.
I love Olly vitamins! I’m always tempted to eat more because they taste so great. I didn’t see much of a difference with them (I tried their Biotin) but they sure taste good. Your food looks great!
Haha me too! And Ryan is exactly the same way. He loves their men’s multi and we both say they’re hard not to “eat like candy!”
Breakfast is always the same thing – roasted potatoes topped with sauteed kale & mushrooms, a runny egg and 1/4 of an avocado. With LOTS of coffee on the side!
I like to do a mix of tried and true favorites with some new adventurous recipes!
Made this last night, it’s definitely a favorite in our house. http://hollywouldifshecould.net/2011/05/caramelized-italian-pork-chops-with/
What great food and vitamins! I sometimes get in ruts, but I try to mix it up sometimes. I usually do the same thing for breakfast, lunch on the fly and plan my dinners. One of my go-to dinners is salmon, Brussels sprouts and a salad.
Salmon is a go-to in our house! With sweet potatoes and some kind of a veggie on the side. So good and (almost more importantly…) easy!
I also love the olly vitamins! I took the probiotic for awhile but ran out and haven’t been back to target!
I love this post. I’m always looking for new ideas of what to eat. Your snack bowls with yogurt/ cottage cheese look delicious. I have been interested in Olly Vitamins. I will check them out when I run out of my current vitamin.
In general I’m all about variety at breakfast, lunch and dinner. However, the weeks when I feel the best are when I do tons of meal prep so that I can make all kinds of combinations from already prepped ingredients!
I have a few breakfasts that I alternate – oatmeal, smoothie bowls, yogurt bowls, eggs, etc. Lunch is usually leftovers or a big salad. I have a few go-to suppers that we have pretty much every week or two and then rest of the time I like trying out new recipes.
We’re lovers of slowcooker meals!! Yesterday I made slow cooker chicken parm soup. It was so delicious and I have a feeling it’ll be making a regular supper appearance. The recipe is here if you’re interested in trying it out – http://foxeslovelemons.com/slow-cooker-chicken-parmesan-soup/.
Hi Julie! Yes! Total creature of habit over here! We haven’t seen your daily meals in a long time heheh, so I love to see this post. And I also love chewable vitamins … 🙂
Gosh, it really HAS been a while since I’ve shared recent eats, huh!? I need to do this more! Remembering to take pics is the key now that I seem to be out of the habit!
I love this! You always have the best yummy and nutritious meal/snack ideas. And little Chase is too cute ?. Thanks again!
I enjoyed seeing some of your eats-they all look very delicious.
I tried a new sauteed Kale recipe the other day – I decided to give kale another chance (sounds like a t-shirt, huh?) after a couple not so awesome experiences with it. I’ve made this recipe twice (except using 1 TBS coconut oil instead of 1/4 cup of olive oil) http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/12874-sauteed-kale and both the hubby and I LOVE it. No more bitter kale! Super easy and super yum 🙂
A few of our “repeat recipes” are
-Cheater Korean Beef http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2013/04/cheater-korean-beef.html served as
lettuce wraps
-Crockpot White beans & Ham
-Grilled burgers or salisbury steak
-Chicken Enchiladas
-Steel-Cut crockpot oatmeal for breakfast
Julie, you need to share the recipe for the Graham Cracker Crust French Toast! It looks TO DIE FOR!
I’m a cereal for breakfast girl through and through! It’s certainly not the best option, but I try to rotate between slightly better for you options like Honey Bunches of Oats and Special K.
If I need a change of pace for dinner I like making spinach burgers. They’re a mixture of frozen spinach, onions, egg, bread crumbs, and spices. I usually eat them with spaghetti squash and marinara sauce!
I’ve been back in my oatmeal groove every morning 🙂 So excited to try and incorporate some of your lunch ideas into my lame salads-everyday-for-lunch rut… Thank you so much for all of this inspiration!!!
Yummy eats! I am a creature of habit when it comes to breakfast, lunch, and snacks but mix things up with delicious dinners. My go-to snack is always a thick and creamy chocolate protein shake. I look forward to it every afternoon!
Chase is seriously the cutest little boy. So glad he’s healthy and happy too! I don’t branch out that much with meals I make at home, mostly because I’m not that great of a cook haha but I do switch it up a lot when I go out to eat! Love those vitamins too. They taste like candy.
I love this post! I’ve missed seeing what you eat day to day. It always gave me meal and snack ideas whenever I’m stuck in a food rut.
I have a handful of go-to meals but I always like adding new things to the list. Anything with shrimp, salmon or chicken! I sometimes take a calcium vitamin and it’s a gummy vitamin and I’m similar to you, I will take gummy vitamins all day long haha.
I am definitely a creature of habit. I eat the same breakfast every day and the same post-workout green smoothie since forever. I’ve also been into the same dinner lately during weekdays. It’s just so much easier when you don’t have think about new meals and I’m lucky I still love eating the same things over and over.
So awesome you have some new mommy friends! If you are looking for other ways to get to know moms/families I recommend joining a small group at a church. Sometimes they will let you know which ones have young families in the group. I know this has been a huge blessing to my friends who have little ones.
Julie, I love your food posts. I learn so many great recipes from you! When I am looking for a recipe idea a lot of the time I’ll go to your blog. Everything is always so easy to prepare, healthy and delicious! Keep it up!
Yummin – those meals looks great! Flavorful and super healthy. The perfect combo!
And I’m totally a sucker for gummy vitamins, too. They’re like a special little treat that’s helps your immune system. Just like dark chocolate and red wine, right?
Could you post your recipe for Homemade Ranch Dressing? I’m intrigued!
That barbacoa salad looks amazing! Thanks for the review of the Olly vitamins as well. I have been eyeing them at Target lately.
So many good recipe ideas here!! I’m totally a creature of habit too and basically rotate between the same few meals every day haha
Can you share your homemade ranch recipe?
Your food always looks so good! I go through phases where I will make this game things over and over again and then I move onto making something else over and over again ha!
I used to have go to breakfasts like a quinoa egg scramble or an egg white sandwich but lately it’s been cereal–how boring! Lunches differ–typically its leftovers from the night before. Dinners are usually chicken or fish with veggies and a sweet potato. I also take a multi vitamin from Supplement Superstores every morning. I’ll have to look into the OLLY ones–I do love me some gummies!
I’m a create of habit, but I think it’s more out of convenience than anything else! Shakeology for breakfast, salsa chicken/ green beans/ sweet potoatos for lunch, and protein and a veggie for dinner 🙂
I’m such a creature of habit and pretty much eat the same thing everyday because I love what I eat, unless I get tired of eating the same thing, then I’ll change it up. I love eating greek yogurt bowls for a snack too, they are so satisfying and filling. I also need to try that graham cracker french toast and top that off with some marshmallows, AKA store’s french toast!
Mostly due to busyness, I’m a creature of habit. I eat lots of eggs with veggie-packed hashes, stir-fries, and simply seasoned sautéed proteins and baked sweet potatoes. I do love to be creative when I have time or cravings, though! Looks like you have lots of yummy faves! (And Chase is adorable!)
Delicious! Have to try that frittata and graham cracker french toast!
I love my olly vitamins! I take the postnatal and probiotic.
My fave recipe right now is a kale salad with honey crisp apples, dried cherries, and apple cider vinagarette! It’s so refreshing!
I love to have breakfast meals prepped. I have to be at work at 7, so it makes the mornings much more smooth. I also cooked extra for most dinners. We eat leftovers and/ or salads for lunch 90% of the time.
love all your food! And your little boy is perfect! He is just adorable. Thanks for such a sweet blog. XO
I wrote this post a few weeks back with my tried and true favorite weeknight meals recipe. I’ve been going back to it every week for meal planning. I’m a new mama, so I’m all about saving time! http://www.livehalffullblog.com/2016/01/19/twenty-tried-and-true-weeknight-meals/
Your food looks great. A great variety of all the things we need to eat weekly. Thanks for sharing
All these eats had me drooling! I love getting inspiration from posts like these, and that barbacoa beef is now on my to do list to make 🙂
Really healthy but delicious homemade recipes…will work on trying them soon…am getting hungry!!