Immune Supporting Pumpkin Spice Latte + Weekday Recap

Today’s post is another day-in-the-life style post featuring a recap of our day yesterday with an emphasis on food, fitness and family. All of my favorite things! Thank you so much to Nature’s Way for sponsoring this post. I’ve also included the recipe for this immune supporting pumpkin spice latte.

Hi friends! How are you doing today? All is well over here! Our Monday flew by and I’m not complaining since we have some fun things on our agenda this week. It’s almost Halloween!!

I’m popping in this morning with another weekday recap for you guys. I feel like these kinds of posts are the blog posts that allow us to “chat” and connect over the simple, everyday life stuff so let’s get to it!

Morning

Mornings have admittedly been a little rough around here lately. I’d love to tell you I’m up with my alarm at 5 a.m. every day, but right now that’s happening maybe three days a week and I find myself opting to sleep in until 6 a.m. the other days. Whether I’m up at 5 a.m. is based solely around Ryder’s sleep (we’re smack-dab in the middle of the four month sleep regression) and my ability to fall asleep after a few middle-of-the-night nursing sessions. I know baby sleep ebbs and flows and I’m trying to give myself permission to roll with the punches and snag some extra sleep when I need it right now. One month ago we were in a much better place with baby sleep and hopefully we’ll return to that place within a few weeks!

Yesterday was a sleep-in day and I snoozed until 6 a.m. when I got up and quickly got myself dressed before making my way into the kitchen for coffee.

I made myself an Immune-Supporting Pumpkin Spice Latte that totally hit the spot and tasted like fall in a cup! With the onset of colder weather, we’re on high-alert over here to ward off any signs of sickness. I’m doing my best to keep my immune system healthy and I’ve been whipping up this blender-friendly Immune-Supporting Pumpkin Spice Latte whenever I feel a little off.

Immune-Supporting Pumpkin Spice Latte

To make this tasty fall treat, combine the following ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until deliciously frothy:

• 1 cup hot coffee
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree (pumpkin is high in beta-carotene which your body converts to vitamin A — this can help strengthen your immune system and fight infections)
• 1/2 cup room-temperature coconut milk (full-fat is the jam!)
• 1 teaspoon Nature’s Way Immune Powder (this powder dissolves easily in liquid and supports immune function* with a blend of six mushrooms — and you can’t taste it at all!)
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (the cinnamon in pumpkin pie spice contains natural antibiotic and antiviral properties)
• 2 tablespoons collagen (rich source of important amino acids which are necessary for healthy digestion, immune function, bone and joint health and skin/hair/nail health)
• 1-2 teaspoons maple syrup (boasts high levels of manganese which helps keep the heart healthy, provides energy and antioxidants and boosts the immune system)

Recipe inspired by Brittany’s PSL!

(And yes, I totally snapped the styled pics two week ago after I initially tested this recipe. I definitely wasn’t whipping out my photo props before the sun came up.) 

Here’s what my coffee actually looked like in the moment:

Isn’t she a beaut?

And for those who prefer iced coffee, this recipe is great chilled in the fridge and served over ice, too! I like to make a double batch of it so I can save some to have over ice when I’m in the mood for something cold or when the temperatures eclipse 80 degrees which happened more often than I would’ve liked this October! Simply shake it up and pour over ice and you’re good to go.

Ryder let me take maybe two sips of my coffee before he was up, so I nursed him and brought him downstairs with me to kick and play while I drank the rest of my coffee and caught up on my latest devotional.

Chase was soon up for the day as well and greeted me with a slew of questions about Ryder’s milk and how my body makes it for him. This kid’s brain is always working, I’m tellin’ ya! I don’t think I’ve ever pondered the ins and outs of breastmilk production first thing in the morning, but whatever works for you, kid!

Once Chase was dressed, we cuddled up on the floor and read some library books (The Snail and the Whale is a current fav) before making our way downstairs for breakfast. I quickly ate two hard-boiled eggs and a small bowl of pumpkin granola with milk while Chase dug into yet another whole wheat pumpkin muffin and some yogurt.

After breakfast we didn’t have much time to spare before we had to load up and head off to preschool drop off, but Ryder was ready for a cat nap, so he snoozed for 20 minutes while Chase played with his trucks and I made his lunch. Then it was go time!

Preschool drop off passed by in a flash and then Ryder and I made our way to boot camp.

Yesterday’s workout was a good one. It felt great to move my body and work up a sweat with my friends but I left feeling rather ravenous! When we arrived home, I threw a large batch of chicken thighs I marinated the night before into the oven and then nursed Ryder and settled him down for a nap while the chicken roasted.

The marinade was similar to my easy baked chicken marinade but updated a bit. I need to share my new rendition with you guys because it’s ridiculously delicious… and simple, of course!

I felt a little ridiculous digging into chicken thighs at 10:45 a.m. but they sounded too good to pass up! I paired them with leftover Brussels sprouts and butternut squash and dug in as I worked on the computer.

I then took some time to catch up on my severely neglected email inbox and simultaneously entertain Ryder before we had to pick Chase up from preschool.

Whenever I see Ryder pick his head up for extended periods of time while he kicks his feet and grunts away, I cannot help but feel like crawling is only a hot second away.

It’s crazy how fast these tiny babies grow! I swear he was just a newborn two days ago!

Afternoon

Once we were all back home, Chase was content to play with his toys and show Ryder the T-Rex my mother-in-law gave him for this birthday so I took advantage of the boys’ solo play time and got a jump start on dinner prep. On the menu for dinner last night was pizza soup, a recipe from The Whole Smiths Good Food Cookbook. (I know I’ve mentioned it before but I swear that cookbook is amazing!)

While the tomatoes, onions and garlic roasted in the oven, I coerced the boys upstairs for our daily afternoon “picnic and stories” in Chase’s room before settling him down for a nap. Chase and Ryder’s naps overlapped by a little more than an hour (can I get a WOOHOO!?), so I wrapped up the pizza soup, worked on the computer for a bit and then made myself a smoothie for lunch. Or, um, second lunch? My meals all kind of blend together these days and smoothies happen all the time because they’re an easy way for me to make a healthy meal or snack in a flash.

This combination included almond milk, almond butter, spinach, frozen banana and chocolate protein powder and I topped it with pumpkin seeds, cacao nibs and bee pollen.

Chase was up from his nap after about 90 minutes, so by the time I was done with my smoothie, it was time for me to be back on mom duty! Ryder woke up briefly to nurse but seemed to want to go back to sleep in his Rock ‘n’ Play, so while he snoozed, Chase and I got a little crafty and painted pumpkins!

Evening

Eventually Ryan arrived home from work and we dug into pizza soup topped with a sprinkle of goat cheese.

Another recipe winner! Even Ryan agreed and he’s not the biggest soup fan. (He says it never fills him up.)

We spent the rest of the night hanging out as a family before it was time for baths, bedtime stories and the usual evening wind-down routine topped off with a hot mug of tea and some dark chocolate. I also finished reading The Queen of Hearts by Kimmery Martin and it was a great one! I’m not sure if I’ve ever read a medical drama book before (I always joke that I forget everything about the books I read the minute I start reading a new book) but I really enjoyed this one. I think Grey’s Anatomy fans in particular would love it!

And now I’m off to get Chase ready for preschool and put together a little somethin’ somethin’ for Ryan because today is our 8 year anniversary. Woop!

Hope you all have a great Tuesday!

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*This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.