Let’s get to it!
Morning
My morning began at 5 a.m. when I made a batch of superseed oatmeal. My random concoction was inspired by a hybrid of recipes from the How Not to Die Cookbook that I created in an effort to incorporate a bunch of Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen foods (aka the foods he says we should strive to eat daily for optimal health) into one bowl. I’ve been making this particular combination regularly and loving it. It’s packed with flaxseeds, chia seeds, oats, cacao nibs, berries and cinnamon and tastes great!
I know this picture makes the oatmeal look like cat puke, but if you guys want me to share the full breakdown of the recipe, let me know and I’ll do my best to make it look appealing for ya and eliminate words like “cat puke” when describing it in the future.
As I ate my oats, I dove into my daily devotional and then parked my butt at the computer to work until Chase was up for the day a little before 7 a.m.
Once Chase was awake, we eased into the morning by curling up in his room with a few library books before digging into whole wheat pumpkin muffins and a banana. With breakfast in his belly, Chase was ready to rock and kicked off morning playtime with some pants-free toy car driving!
We played at home for a bit until it was time to head off to boot camp. I knew going into the workout that I would likely be modifying many exercises but I still wanted to go and move my body because I always feel better when I do!
The Burn Boot Camp workout of the day included two 14-minute stacks that looked like this:
To complete a stack, you begin by completing the first exercise and then complete the first exercise and the second exercise before beginning at the top and completing exercises 1, 2 and 3… and so on until you complete all of the exercises in the stack in a row.
I ended up completing two 14-minute stacks that looked like this:
STACK ONE
- 20 Bodyweight Squat with Alternating Leg Lift
- 20 Heismans
- 20 Medicine Ball Squat to Overhead Press
STACK TWO
- 20 Medicine Ball Slams
- 20 BOSU Burpees (no jump + walking my feet in and out)
- 20 High Knees
You may notice my stacks did not include a fourth exercise and that’s because I ran out of time in the allotted 14 minutes. Also, I walked instead of running in between the exercises where it says to sprint or run a lap.
Once my workout was done, I scooped Chase up from childcare and we headed off to Birkdale Village to pick up gift cards for Chase’s preschool teachers. Today is his last day of school for the year and I’m feeling waaay more emotional about it than I thought I would! Chase absolutely loves his school and even though he’s only been going to school two mornings a week this year, I’m sad he’ll no longer regularly see his two beloved teachers and hate for him to miss something he looks forward to so much every week. We are doing a couple random camps at his school sprinkled throughout the summer that I know some of his friends will be in but we will thoroughly miss Miss Debbie and Miss Carrie!
While we were at Birkdale Village, we noticed that the splash pad is officially back in action for the summer and there was a zero percent chance we were going to be able to resist that exciting and oh-so-wet temptation!
Chase and I popped into Starbucks for a quick snack and a green juice (Chase shockingly drank a couple sips of mine!) and then Chase splashed around in the water for a bit before we had to head off to swim lessons.
We had so much fun swimming which I fully attribute to Chase’s great mood. He was just so darn playful and excited to splash around and I, yet again, found myself thinking about how much of our one-on-one time will be coming to a close so soon. Gah! The hormones!!! On one hand I am so ridiculously ready to have our baby – really and truly – and on the other hand, I find myself noticing little moments with Chase that I cherish that I know will inevitably change in the blink of an eye. It’s all a VERY good thing but I’m riding an emotional rollercoaster on the regular right now.
Afternoon
After swimming, we headed home and Chase played with his toys while I did a little food prep. Chase eventually asked to join in the cooking fun so we roasted some broccoli and sliced a few veggies to have on hand for the week ahead.
And then, after all that veggie prep, my child ate blueberry waffles for lunch. (He did have some tiny bites of broccoli and a bunch of fresh blueberries, too, so it wasn’t a total fail… right?)
While Chase ate his lunch, I used the roasted broccoli we made together in a stir fry for myself that included onions, mushrooms, edamame and shrimp prepared in a sauce I modeled after this garlic ginger stir fry sauce from Pinch of Yum.
After lunch, Chase went down for his nap and I grabbed a quick shower before making myself lunch 2.0 which looked like a big chocolate smoothie made with banana, frozen cauliflower, light coconut milk (from a can), chocolate protein powder, cocoa powder and almond butter.
A winning combination!
I drank my smoothie while working on the computer until Chase was up from his nap and ready for attention. We had one main project on the agenda for the afternoon and that included making a sweet treat to bring to Chase’s end-of-year preschool party tomorrow. Chase and I made a batch of brownies together but after I let them cool and tried to slice them into smaller toddler-friendly squares, they looked horrible. They still tasted great – Ryan, Chase and I definitely ate our fair share last night – but they didn’t hold up very well once they were sliced so I guess I’ll be running out to the grocery store to quickly buy some cookies or brownies or something from the bakery before the party today.
While the not-so-perfect brownies baked, we hung out in the backyard, played fetch with Sadie and splashed at the water table until Ryan arrived home from work and our appetites told us it was dinner time.
Evening
Dinner last night was a no-brainer thanks to our latest Blue Apron delivery. (Full disclosure: Blue Apron is a long-time blog partner of mine but we ordered and paid for this delivery on our own.) On the menu was another vegetarian success: Gnocchi with zucchini, roasted red peppers and a creamy yellow tomato sauce.
Gnocchi needs to happen more often in our house because I was ALL about that dinner. YUM.
After dinner, we did the whole night time wind-down routine and then I face planted in bed with my book. I am about halfway through The Tuscan Child by Rhys Bowen which I’m reading because I absolutely loved In Farleigh Field by the same author. It really began to pick up about a third of the way through the story and is a decent, easy read if you’re looking for something interesting but not overly intense. It doesn’t keep me up all hours of the night reading because it’s crazy suspenseful but I definitely look forward to curling up with this one at the end of a long day.
Now Wednesday morning is here and it will be a bit of a whirlwind! On the agenda for today: A dentist appointment (yep, I chipped my other front tooth… again), a preschool party at Chase’s school and trying to find time to squeeze in some work so I don’t miss a deadline I have looming over my head. Have a great day, my friends!
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That smoothie combo sounds awesome! I love Blue Apron, it’s been a while since we ordered one though.
Hey there! We recently had our second baby a couple months back and I cried all.the.time about how the dynamic with my son (who is Chase’s age) would change since he’s such a sensitive guy. As the final weeks ticked by, I found myself wondering if each night I put him to bed would be the last night I’d tucked him on as an only child. BUT, he has adjusted so so well (me too) and has been the best big brother to our little girl. She is totally obsessed with him too – he seems to get the most smiles out of her. I can already see how strong their bond will be – makes me cry all over again.
Ps. I’ve never commented before, but know just how strong those “my baby isn’t going to be my only baby anymore” emotions are and I feel ya! 🙂
You are inspiring! By the time I was that close to my due date walking/waddling around the block verrryy slowllly was all I could handle!
Thank you, Lauren! And I am definitely moving slowwwwly lately!! I made it to the gym once last week and am just doing what I can when it feels good right now. Thankfully I had more energy than usual at the gym yesterday!
Mmm I’d love to know that oatmeal combo! It’s appearance just means my fiance won’t be wanting to sneak any bites 🙂 I ordered that book and am so excited to dig into it!
YES to the emotional rollercoaster!! I am really cherishing every moment with my daughter before baby #2 and everything changes (even if it is good change- change is always hard). It’s so crazy how time flies. I began packing my bag and Friday I have a check in appt. with the hospital to do all the paperwork. Gah!!
Also, that gnocchi looks amazing and I think something similar needs to be on my menu next week 🙂
Sounds like you had a busy day!
Oh man I’ve definitely cried over baked goods that did not turn out as expected! Such a ridiculous thing to get emotional over, but welcome to being a woman haha. At least they still taste delicious and you guys get to enjoy them all yourselves : )
The trick to clean brownies is to put them in the fridge for a while before you cut them!! I finally figured this out and will be attempting my Christmas tree brownies again this year, haha.
How do you get Chase to sleep until 7? What time does he go to bed? I desperately wish my 3 year old slept that late! Does he sleep later on the days that he doesn’t nap?
It varies a lot around here! Sometimes he’s up closer to 6 but 7ish is more common. Lately he’s in bed around 8 p.m. but – again – it varies anywhere from 7:30-8:30ish! And yes he definitely sleeps later when he doesn’t nap! I swear we’re still trying to figure it all out. He’s not napping at all today so we’re off to the grocery store now instead. Haha!
Cutting brownies that turn out presentable is tough! My best trick is letting them cool (even a little fridge time if needed) and then cutting with a plastic knife. Works perfect every time!
I’ve heard that avoiding whitening toothpastes helps strengthen your teeth! Not sure if there is any truth to this, but I also struggle a lot with chipped teeth and it seems to have helped.
That first photo is absolutely adorable. A framer for sure. 🙂
Thank you!! <3 One of my new favs!
That gnocchi looks unreal!!
You guys have such fun days! Chase is lucky to get so much fun play time in ? what kind of protein do you use? Thanks!
Julie,
I love your blog and love following the exercises you post. I love the idea of this stack boot camp but I’m unsure about a couple are. What is a “poner roll” and a “JKT”?
Poner Roll is actually a “Power Roll” when you begin lying down and then roll your body upwards to standing. It’s repeated quickly so it’s a fast movement! Whenever I do them (when I’m not pregnant, that is), I do them on a ledge with my legs off the ledge so it’s a little easier on my knees.
“JTK” is the abbreviated version of Jump Knee Tucks (aka tuck jumps)!
Not sure if you have access to Trader Joe’s, but they just rolled out a cauliflower gnocchi that is BOMB!
Yes to the TJ’s cauliflower gnocchi! They are delish! Made them with pesto and also as the “pasta” in a shrimp and scallop scampi. They are a must try!
What protein powder is pregnancy safe? Thanx!
Hi Julie! What is the name of that toy Chase is riding on? I want to look at getting one for my two year old. Thanks in advance!
It’s the PlasmaCar! He is 100 percent obsessed with it!! –> http://bit.ly/2KSRZJg They have them at his preschool and they’re a huuuuge hit. Chase honestly rides his every single day and then STILL wants to ride it during gym time at preschool!
I am 18 weeks along and my workouts are pretty lame some days. But I tell myself the same thing… movement is better than nothing! I workout over lunch at our company gym so I don’t have ton of time, but it is better than sitting at my desk!
Also – Just started the Alice Network! So far so good!
That picture of Chase kissing Sadie is the sweetest ever! Is Sadie indifferent to Chase? Ours was like that with our twins until they were a bit older. It’s never gets old seeing him follow them and just sit around them as they play. I think it helped having them feed him as well. Have a great day, Julie!
yes! chase is WAY more interested in her than she is in him but she’s started following him around a lot more. it’s almost like she wants to be part of his fun but not an active participant just yet. haha!
What a fun day! That workout looked absolutely killer. LOL, and I love how you described your breakfast as cat puke. My protein puddings can look like my dog’s droppings sometimes. Can relate!
awww… look at that sweet Vizsla! We are on our 3rd V, and love them to pieces. Do u tuck yours in under a blanket at night? they love that.
oh yes!! sadie sleeps with us every night — always under the sheets!! 🙂
love it!
here’s our Zoe at the ballpark: https://mightydiets.com/images/zoe_kids.jpg
Please share! I want to try cat puke 😉 I basically love every single concoction you come up with!
Awww that picture of Chase and Sadie is so adorable!! I was just on vacation for a week and have been itching to read your blog the whole time! So glad to be back to reading now that I am home 😉 That vegetarian dinner sounds so yummy! Xoxo
Like that shrimp.
Love reading your recaps, Julie! Also… I could not stop laughing about the “cat puke.” Out of all the descriptions I’ve read/heard for a food… that is my favorite! ?
Haha!! Glad it didn’t make you feel sick!! 🙂