We’ll be setting up camp all over the state of Florida (Jacksonville, Sarasota and Clearwater), so a lot of driving is in our future, but I think it will all be more than worth it to see so many people we care about in one trip. We’re planning to hit the road for my parents’ place the minute Ryan is able to get off work today and my morning is going to be dedicated to blogging while my afternoon will be consumed with packing up the billions of things that apparently come along with traveling with a baby and a dog.
While a trip to Florida is in the immediate future for the Fagan family, I wanted to share a few scenes from our week so far with you guys in today’s post. Lots of randomness is coming your way in this one!
Mid-Week Catch Up
- Prep-Ahead Stir-Fry
I’ve been SO into prep-ahead stir-fries lately and love throwing a big ol’ stir-fry together for lunch. My combination of choice this week has been chopped cabbage, kale, roasted sweet potatoes, onion, two fried eggs and a few heaping spoonfuls of nutritional yeast. I sauté the veggies and eggs in coconut oil and season everything with salt, pepper and nutritional yeast. It’s so delicious and very filling and a great way to sneak more vegetables into my diet, especially since I found myself falling into the habit of eating oatmeal with peanut butter for lunch a lot lately. I was missing my greens!
- I Finally Got A New Phone Case
Remember the holiday “Joy” phone case I fell in love with back in December? Well, I’ve been sporting the holly-adorned case for several months now and finally replaced it with a new case yesterday. I loved my “Joy” case and kept forgetting I had a holiday phone case on my phone until people would inevitably comment on it, so now I have a less seasonally specific phone case featuring dreamcatchers. I’ve always loved dreamcatchers and couldn’t resist this new case when I saw it on Casetify. (FYI, Casetify has a lot of cute phone cases but their shipping takes for-ev-errrr.)
- Burn Boot Camp Tabata Leg Workout = Brutal
Tuesday’s BBC workout was a brutal one. It was a leg tabata workout that incorporated four different exercises: Medicine ball jump squats, alternating weighted lunges with a hop, step ups with a hop and lateral band walks in a squat. We completed each exercise in the tabata for 30 seconds before “resting” in a squat for 10 seconds for four rounds. And then it was onto the next exercise and we did the same thing (30 seconds on, 10 second rest in a squat, 4x). Once we made it through all four exercises, we went through the whole workout again for a total of two rounds. It was killer!
- Blog Brainstorming Session
Back in January, I met up with two of my local blogging friends, Brittany and Jen, to catch up and discuss all things blogging and they both came over during Chase’s morning nap yesterday for another blog brainstorming session. When you blog from home for a living and don’t have any coworkers other than your kids and pets, it can feel quite isolating at times (even if you’re connected to a lot of other bloggers through texting, email, Facebook groups etc.), so it is SO nice to be able to meet up with blogging friends who live near me to talk about anything and everything related to blogging. Our blogging brainstorming sessions are always so helpful and I love sharing tips and tricks with two women who inspire me.
And for any other bloggers who might be reading, Coschedule is the best tool I’ve found recently that has made a HUGE difference for me in my ability to plan ahead and reduce the time it takes me to share things on social media. It is so valuable to me and I honestly wish I would’ve utilized it WAY sooner. I cannot recommend it enough!
- Early Afternoon Walks
Chase and I weren’t able to make it out to any play dates so far this week but we did spend some time outside with Sadie! In the early afternoon on Monday and Tuesday, we headed out for a 40-minute walk and I loved every second. I used the time to listen to podcasts and simply enjoy the gorgeous Charlotte weather. This week has been beyond gorgeous outside and the sun felt so great on my pasty white shoulders!
- Chatty Chase
As you know if you’ve seen any of my latest Snapchat videos (username –> juliepbfingers), Chase is one heck of a chatty little dude. It amuses me to no end and I love hearing his many noises. This week he has been babbling up a storm! I get the biggest kicks out of his grunts, squeals, coos and screeches. I just wonder what thoughts are going through that little guy’s head! Yesterday Chase failed to nap for more than an hour in the afternoon, so my workday was quite unproductive since I spent his morning nap with Brittany and Jen, but it’s hard to get too frustrated when he squeals at me with the biggest gummy smile on his face over and over again. He’s a hoot and makes me laugh every day. I love that little boy so much.
Question of the Day
- Are you really into eating a certain thing for breakfast or lunch lately? Any favorites?
My breakfasts this week have been a mix of frittatas (I made one over the weekend to reheat quickly in the morning) and overnight oats!
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I’ve heard so much buzz about Coschedule lately that I think it’s time for me to give it a try. My little family of five will be embarking on a year-long RV trip in two months, and though I’m not a big time blogger, I think coschedule will definitely help save me time and keep me organized. I also love the idea of the make ahead stir fry. Perfect for a quick weeknight dinner!
If you give Coschedule a try, I hope it helps you as much as it has helped me! It’s honestly so nice to have the ability to schedule social shares ahead of time, create an editorial calendar, etc. And I hope you have fun on your trip!! That sounds AMAZING!
That is the cutest picture of Chase!
I’m in a breakfast rut here lately. My old standby is a waffle (frozen) with peanut butter <-horrible I know! I do enjoy a good breakfast taco mow and again with lots of veggies, but that can be a lot of work in the morning.
waffles with peanut butter = amazing! i love that combo, too!
I’ve heard so much buzz about Coschedule lately that I think it’s time I give it a shot. My little family of five is embarking on a year-long RV adventure in two months, and though I’m not a big time blogger, I think Coschedule will help save me time and keep me organized. Also love your idea about the make ahead stir fry. Perfect for weeknights!
What is the benefit of nutritional yeast? I’ve never heard of it!
oh my gosh, i am loving it lately!! (i think your comment just inspired me to include it in friday’s post! ha!) anyway, i use it mainly for the flavor — it tastes almost cheesy to me — but it’s a great source of b vitamins and protein!
Glad you asked Katherine : ) I had no idea either!
I have the CoSchedule plug in, but I never use it. I guess I thought it was just for scheduling out posts and not also social media- guess it is time to give it
I have been on an oatmeal with almond butter and blueberries kick… of course with 2 “dippy”eggs on the side.
I cannot stop eating low fat vanilla yogurt with protein granola, walnuts, and sliced fruit for breakfast. I do not get sick of it. I crave it EVERY DAY. Then for an early afternoon snack I’ve been having peanut butter on whole grain brown rice cakes. I get in weird habits of eating the same thing every day for a few weeks, then move onto something else!
Those snap chat videos are adorable! I LOVE coschedule and tailwind, my absolute two favorite plugins!
I love blog gettogethers! And the phone cases!
I’ve been eating Greek yogurt with fruit, nuts, and chia seeds for breakfast every day for about the past year haha. I get on breakfast kicks that last a long time. Just this week I tried to switch it up to peanut butter toast with banana, chia seeds, and hemp hearts because my yogurt isn’t keeping me full long enough (I think my body got to used to it).
Lately I’ve been LOVING big salads with all the fixins in it! Tuna, carrots, peppers, sunflower seeds, edamame, you name it! 🙂 And I definitely need a new phone case from Casetify, mine’s getting worn!
I used to eat the same cereal every single day for years until my baby was born. She has reflux so I had to cut out milk. Now I eat oatmeal every morning and I have to say I’m loving it. It keeps me fuller longer and I don’t feel as bloated afterwards. Not to mention it is delicious!
Random question….I am 39 weeks and we also have a two year old husky….your post got me thinking…where do you put Sadie on road trips? Up until now we have used a hammock in the back seat for our pup but that doesn’t seem like a safe option with a carseat back there!
Hi Julie! Would love if you did a post about breastfeeding and your journey with it so far. The early days, pumping (?), introducing solids, traveling & breast feeding.. Etc. I’ve been following your pregnancy and first 6 months with Chase and all your post have been so helpful. I just had my first… He’s six weeks !!
Yay! Congrats to you!!! I’d love to write a post about breastfeeding… Do you have specific questions? I’m not quite sure where to begin! 🙂
As a new nursing mama, I’ve been turning to oatmeal almost daily, too! I swear it makes a difference!
I would also love to hear your journey with breast feeding went. I am about to be a first time mom as well (I’m 32 weeks!) and I have also found your pregnancy posts super helpful!
Cute phone case! I love Casetify but you’re so right about the shipping, it takes SO long! I’m going to visit my dad in the States in a few weeks and I’m going to order a new one now, with the hopes it gets there during my vacation. Have a fun mini-vacation to Florida, hope Chase does well with all the driving 🙂
That’s awesome that you had the blogger get together. It’s so hard to balance working full-time and blogging, and I think it would be great to be able to bounce ideas off of other people. Great advice about co-schedule, too! I started my blog recently and I know that scheduling things will make my life easier. I’m using Latergramme for now since it’s free.
Have fun in Florida! I’m jealous of the sunny warm weather you guys will get to enjoy. Happy Wednesday!
Thank you!! And I hope you are loving blogging so far!
What a fun road trip you have planned! I’ve been in a total egg phase for breakfast and found a recipe for “faux-oatmeal” made with 1/2 mashed banana, 2 eggs, cinnamon, and vanilla. I top it with a dollop of almond butter and sliced strawberries. It is so yummy!
Hey girl! How and where does Chase sleep when you travel? We are blessed with a baby who sleeps through the night in his crib, but we traveling away and will be gone for 5 nights and I’m worried he won’t sleep as well either in my bed or pack and play! Just looking for ideas 🙂
We bring the Pack n Play and he sleeps in there! (When we traveled to NYC two weeks ago, the hotel actually had a crib, so we used that!) We try our best to keep him in a different room from us if at all possible and I bring his white noise machine <-- I think that makes a HUGE difference!
I have never heard of nutritional yeast! Something I will have to look into since I love anything that tastes cheesy.
Ha! Me too!! Loooove cheese. 🙂
super into Kodiak Cakes for breakfast and veggie egg white scrambles for lunch. I bought a massive box of Kodiak Cakes mix at Costco the other day and it is such a game changer. It literally takes me like 5 minutes to make a stack of pancakes that are the perfect mix of protein and carbs to refuel after my a.m. workouts and I am so in love.
I’m a cereal every day girl. Right now it’s a mix between Honey Nut Cheerios and Cinnamon Pecan Special K (hands down all-time favorite!)
I love our brainstorming meetings so much. So good to see you and have a wonderful trip to Florida! 🙂
Me too!! 🙂 Thanks so much for coming over!!
I read your blog, like I read the paper- religiously! So thanks for sharing! Also- would you be willing to bring back your book interest and what you’re currently reading, if anything. I know you’ve been busy with Chase. Take Care!
i am currently in a stir fry obsession too!! i also love gluten-free waffles and a fried slightly runny egg on top for breakfast!
I enjoy watching your snapchat videos! Chase is so cute and his smile is contagious! Lately I’ve been eating toast with peanut butter a lot. I wish I could spend more time cooking but it’s so hard with a newborn at home.
I eat the same thing for breakfast every day (except the weekends). Hot oats with some mix-ins and two fried eggs and LOVE it. That lower body tabata sounds intense and awesome!
Some type of egg sandwich every morning! I feel like breakfast is incomplete with an egg (or two!) PS love seeing pics of Sadie and hearing about her adventures. We have two female vizslas, one that’s 8 and one that’s 3. They’re the best 🙂
What podcasts are you listening to lately? You got me hooked on Happier, that is my favorite!
Stumbled onto your blog from HRG’s, and I’m probably hooked now. 1. I live in St. Pete, FL, so your vacation sounds awesome. I hope you have a great time. 2. Your food is all on Fiesta dishes, which is my little addiction. 3. I need protein pancake recipes, and boom! you have them. So, new reader.
I just ordered a new case today too and I am pretty excited about it! It was long overdue. And I love the idea of meeting up with other bloggers for ideas. I need to do something like that with other bloggers in my area. 🙂
I’ve gotten back into Tall Nonfat Mocha Frappaccino Lights at Starbucks, but I need to cut that out because it’s draining my wallet! For actual food, I love getting those little variety packs of cereals. I’ll grab a little bag of cereal on the way out the door 🙂
I’d love to know what podcasts you’re listening to!
I’ve been loving chicken apple sausage! Kind of random, but so good with eggs and bacon!
Overnight oats and frittatas are my standbys. Never seem to get tired of them. Have a wonderful trip.
its similar to me. last some days i regular try chopped cabbage, sweet potatoes and egg. egg is always my favorite.
I rotate between scrambled eggs with roasted sweet potatoes and smoothies. My one constant – all the coffee I can get! (Only slightly exaggerating…)
I’ve been obsessed with Ezekial bread toast topped with peanut butter and sliced bananas. SO good! Have fun on your trip — I’ll also be there this weekend for my friend’s bachelorette party in Ft. Lauderdale!
That stir fry looks delicious! I usually have a smoothie and oatmeal in the morning and a salad with protein and a yogurt for lunch. So funny how we get in a routine in eating the same foods during the day, but I always love having something new for dinner to look forward to.
My favorite lunch is what I call a “noodle bowl”, I use the edamame noodles (from Costco), whatever leftover veggies & meat from dinner and a tiny drizzle of EVOO. Protein packed and super yummy! Your stir-fry looked delish, I am going to have to make some soon now.
I LOVE having egg whites and sweet potatoes with peanut butter for breakfast! They taste great 🙂 super filling and quick to make too!
I love these kinds of posts, they’re my favorites! Lately I’ve been defaulting to greek yogurt and a protein bar for breakfast, largely because of portability/ease, but I like ALL THE THINGS, I just don’t like ALL THE COOKING. The end of this week I splurged for a bit of a meal delivery service, because we’re busy looking for houses, and I want something delicious/nutritious without the cooking! I would looooove to find a home that has the same character as yours seems to have!
I’ve noticed you’ve been cooking with mostly coconut oil lately, is there a reason you’ve picked that over olive oil? Should I make the switch too (is coconut oil healthier)? Thanks!
I’m loving salads topped with mandarin oranges and strawberries for lunch lately 🙂 I’m addicted – I usually use romaine, cheddar, sunflower seeds, black olives, chickpeas or edamame and allllll the fruit. I’m always in a breakfast rut though – I can’t find anything I like enough to eat it consistently!
I’m a new mom too and I have been prepping breakfast on the weekends. This week I made an egg bake and it’s been delicious. Lunch is typically leftovers!!!
For-Eve-Errrrr! LOL tell me every time you hear that you say it just like Squints in The Sandlot!!
I follow you on snapchat and I love seeing chat “talk”!!! he is precious!! I have been loving dark chocolate overnight oats for a filling breakfast this week!
Chia pudding, chia pudding, chia pudding….mostly because it takes two seconds to put it into a mason jar before bed and it’s so simple and filling! On weekends I like sweet potato hash with veggies or Kodiak cakes 🙂
I used co-schedule for a while and thought they had great customer support. Then one day I tried to delete a scheduled post in the calendar and it deleted the entire post….it was horrible!
Now I use post planner and really like it! If I blogged everyday or worked way ahead of time, I would have considered keeping co-schedule. It is cool to be able to see everything on the calendar.
I love reading about blogging tips and tricks! I have been trying to get into the blogging world, but like you said it is hard when you are not able to sit down with someone. I want someone to teach me all the things to know, especially with posting on social media! 🙂
Egg oatmeal with a big ole spoonful of almond butter! I’ve always loved oatmeal but was said when I didn’t like it in my first and second trimester. Now that I am at the end of my pregnancy I am loving it again which makes me so happy because everyone says oatmeal is good for breastfeeding! Come on baby!