Here’s a peek into our day yesterday with a focus on food, fitness and play dates!
Morning
The lovely sound of the alarm clock woke me up bright and early at 5 a.m. I threw on my robe (oh yes, you better believe I have a floor-length fuzzy grandma robe and if I could describe it in one word it would be “sexy”) and headed downstairs to make myself a cup of coffee to jumpstart my brain for some work time at the computer.
Coffee + Collagen + Whole Milk + My Fav Koffie Straw
About 45 minutes into working, I reheated a bowl of high protein hemp oatmeal I had leftover in the fridge from a batch I made earlier in the week. I topped it with pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds and shredded coconut before digging in.
I said goodbye to Ryan as he headed off to work a little before 7 a.m. and soon after he left, Chase was up for the day and ready for food! Once we were both dressed, we headed downstairs and I microwaved a frozen muffin for Chase to enjoy with some yogurt and milk in his Lollacup.
(He was more interested in singing “Row Row Row Your Boat” than eating yesterday hence his face in the above picture.)
While Chase ate, I chopped some veggies to have on hand for dinner to help everything come together fast at the end of the day. After breakfast, we read a couple of books before making our way to Burn Boot Camp.
While Chase played with his childcare buddies, I went through a core + cardio workout that looked like this: 
The workout also incorporated running in between each round which meant I left the gym looking like a sweaty mess. What is it about running that makes my face instantly start dripping!? I swear I can run for all of two minutes and my face goes into sweat overdrive.
Thankfully my girlfriends don’t seem to care when I show up to play dates after the gym (bless you, portable cleansing cloths!) and after I picked Chase up from gym childcare, we drove to a local park for a play date with five of my friends and their toddlers. We played on the playground for a bit before most of the kids were ready for snacks.
Chase went to town on some Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies and a few of my friends and I joked that we’re pretty sure we eat more of our toddlers’ Cheddar Bunnies than they do on a regular basis (and they still eat a LOT). Those things are so darn addicting!
Afternoon
We made it back home a little after noon which gave me enough time to get some lunch into Chase’s belly before he went down for a nap at 12:30 p.m. I quickly hopped in the shower (and even washed my hair… it’s a miracle) before reheating Tuesday night’s dinner for lunch to eat at the computer while I worked.
On Tuesday night, I simply sautéed bison, pre-steamed butternut squash and chopped Swiss chard in some coconut oil and seasoned everything with salt, pepper, thyme and rosemary. (The inspiration for this dish came from The Performance Paleo Cookbook which I nabbed at Barnes & Noble two weeks ago. I am loving the simplicity of the recipes in this book!) Ryan and I both loved the bison and butternut squash skillet and it tasted great reheated for lunch, too! I ate my leftovers with a pear and it was quite satisfying without sitting heavy in my belly.
About 30 minutes later, my sweet tooth kicked in, so I grabbed a sugar cookie to eat along with a hot mug of tea as I continued working.
Thankfully, I had my favorite furry lady close by to keep me company in my office as tackled my to-dos!
Speaking of Sadie, I owe you guys an update… I am SO happy to report that we finally got the results back from her liver biopsy and everything looks just fine! She’ll need to take a couple of different medications for a while (maybe forever depending on upcoming blood tests) but there was no sign of anything too serious or scary when the results from her biopsy returned. Thank goodness!
Once Chase was back up, I switched out of work mode and back into mom mode. The rest of our afternoon included another short play date when we headed off to Gymboree Open Gym.
Our Gymboree membership includes unlimited Open Gym visits where kids can play without attending a structured class and it’s a great way for Chase to burn off some of his never-ending energy!
Once Open Gym was over, we said our goodbyes and Chase and I headed off to Clean Juice for smoothies because I had a $5 off coupon I wanted to use.
Anytime I can sneak green veggies into smoothies I’m all about it and Chase loved the strawberry, banana, spinach and almond butter combination we shared.
Evening
We pulled into our driveway right as Ryan was arriving home from work. We wasted no time heading back outside to a nearby park to play fetch with Sadie and run around a bit before the forecasted thunderstorm rolled in.
Rain clouds and thunder cut our playtime short so we headed inside for dinner.
While Ryan and Chase played with trains, I threw together a quick dinner of steak with sautéed onions, mushrooms, zucchini and roasted sweet potatoes.
Everything came together fast thanks to pre-chopping and pre-roasting the veggies and within 10 minutes, we were digging in!
After dinner, it was time for Chase’s bath and bedtime routine. Ryan took over most of bath time so I could get a jumpstart on today’s post, but I joined them for some splashing and pajama cuddles before we put Chase down for the night.
Before heading upstairs to bed ourselves, we hung out on the couch for a bit and I ate a Yasso chocolate chip cookie dough Greek yogurt bar.
Love those things! They never skimp on the cookie dough pieces which I really appreciate.
Our evening ended with reading in bed (I’m currently enjoying In Farleigh Field) before turning the lights out a little before 10 p.m. Not too shabby!
I hope you all have a great Thursday and hopefully I’ll see ya back here bright and early tomorrow morning!
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Sounds like such a fun Wednesday!! And so happy to hear Sadie is ok!!
My days will start to look a lot like yours soon because I put in my notice at my job – woot! I see lots of baby/gym/blog time in my future and I’m very excited about that.
Hope you have a great Thursday!!
-Sarah http://www.thefrugalmillionaireblog.com
Wow! Yay! Congrats to you on such a huge decision. I hope you enjoy it!!
How PRECIOUS is that picture of Ryan and Chase. Oh warm fuzzies! Poor guy didn’t even have time to change out of his work clothes because the little’un needed to be chased and tickled and cuddled as the number one priority! Too much!x
Those yasso bars are so addicting!! Chase seems so active!
Hey Julie! I was just curious how you went about transitioning Chase to one nap? Mine is 16.5 months old and I just don’t know when/if I should be pushing for one nap. She can do it and goes to bed earlier (like 7/7:30 instead of 8/8:30) but I would love to hear if you did it a specific way or just went for it.
Aw glad to hear Sadie’s biopsy looked good. And YES what is it about running and sweat? I was just thinking this when I finished my treadmill workout this morning. I feel like I don’t get as sweaty during the workout, but as soon as I stop running it starts dripping like crazy!
well that sounds like a fabulous day with fun play dates, outside time, and delicious food! can’t go wrong!
I’m so glad Sadie is okay! That bison dish looks so good. I’m not paleo, but can certainly get behind any cookbook with quick healthy meals. I’ll have to check if they have it at the library.
Have you noticed any beneficial results from adding collagen to your coffee? I have some in my pantry, but I am very hit or miss on whether or not I remember to use it. Maybe I am looking for some motivation to add it in?!?
Thank you!
So glad Sadie is doing well! Chase is one lucky guy to have all of that fun time to run around all day. Also jealous of his smoothie! If he’d rather sing row row row your boat than eat that muffin I’d gladly take it off his hands 😀
I’m seeing a lot more people drinking this collagen coffee mixture.. I guess I’m gunna have to try it? Love that pic of sadie, you can see how fast her tail is going!
I love these “day in the life” posts! Have you ever considered posting a bit about how Ryan eats? I’ve gotten myself into a really good rhythm with food, and I’m trying to get my husband to do the same but he’s resistant. If I prepare and pack all his food he eats healthy, but if I don’t, he makes bad choices. While I certainly don’t mind doing all that prep and packing, I work full time and we have a 15 month old baby at home, so I am trying to get away from spending so much prep time in the kitchen.
I love that post idea!!!
Glad to hear Saddies biopsy went well too! I always get a sweet tooth right after lunch too and not so much at night anymore, so lately I’ve totally been having afternoon dessert! ha ha
Hooray for good puppy news!! I was waiting to hear from you about Sadie. This afternoon, my pup and I are headed for follow up blood wor from her chemo treatments for lymphoma last year. Fingers crossed for similar news as Sadie!
Glad to hear Sadie is doing well! Just wondering if you struggle with getting Chase to eat meat. I have issues with that with my son. I would love to hear any tricks you might have up your sleeve!
Ugh yessssssssss. Meat and vegetables are a constant battle with Chase at the moment! I feel your pain! We’ve had some luck with some chicken nuggets we found in the freezer section of Whole Foods and occasionally (and shockingly) Chase will eat salmon. One way we can usually get him to eat meat is in chili and in a marinara meat sauce. It’s still hit or miss though!
What a productive Wednesday, well done! First things first: I, too, have an embarrassingly old-lady-like floor-length robe that I wear every morning. So, old ladies, unite!
Also, I’ll be checking out those yogurt bars, stat. 🙂
Heck yes! Robes are the best!
This sounds like such a fun day! I love when you do recap posts like this. You really make me so excited to have kids every time I read what you write about Chase.
I know you’ve written about collagen before, but do you really notice a difference from drinking it regularly? I’ve been on the fence about trying it for a while and can’t decide if it is worth a shot or not.
Ugh Bison… pretty much always been my favorite animal (weird I know), but it pains me when I see them as food.
On another note, I am curious to know without nursing how do you get Chase to bed at night?
chase is just getting cuter and cuter!
Hello! I was just wondering what type of cleaning cloths you use post work out. I usually use a face wipe but wish I had a go to body wipe. Any suggestions?
Honestly I flip flop around a lot! I’ve used and enjoyed Yes To brand wipes as well as Burt’s Bees!
Yes to being sweaty after running!! I can do other cardio workouts & get a little red & sweaty. But when I run, either on the treadmill or outside, my face gets red & I’m drenched!! I can’t run anymore before work before this reason because even after I shower & get ready for the day, because I’m still so red & look awful! I just don’t get it!
i so admire that you wake up at 5am to work. i’ve been trying to wake up a little earlier to work on my blog before i head to my full-time job and it’s not easy!
your meals look soooo good – that bison/veggie mix? unreal. and i need to try those yasso bars! i always see them in the grocery store but never grab them. also YES thank goodness for those portable wipes, they save my life!!!!!!
Okay, I have GOT to get my hands on those cookie dough bars! And now I am inspired to eat steak for dinner tomorrow night as a “You made it through the week” treat!
http://www.poweredbysass.com
Echoing other comments on the collagen. I also keep seeing others online using it. Is it worth it? Do you taste it in your coffee?
I love those yasso bars…I wish they didn’t cost an arm and a leg! Or maybe I’m grateful they do so I don’t buy them!
That sugar cookie looks delicious. Do you have a favorite recipe?
It’s always kind of cool to get a peek into what other people’s days look like. Thanks for sharing this one!
This one was actually one of Annie’s sugar cookies — the refrigerated dough kind! 🙂 Total shortcut!
Those Yasso bars looks delish! Definitely going to try those to help curb some late night serious candy cravings!
Hey Julie! Can you really not taste the collagen in your coffee or it just doesn’t bother you? I bought the exact same kind except my packaging looks a little different (same brand and everything tho) and I can totally taste mine in coffee! I end up putting it in smoothies but I don’t drink a smoothie every day 🙁 I haven’t noticed any benefits probably because I’m not taking it consistently. Anyway, thought I’d ask. Maybe I got a bad batch?
Where is Sadie’s dog bed from? Looks perfectly cozy and cute for my snuggle bug.
HomeGoods!
I love ❤️ these posts. I admire how many play dates and fun things you do with your little guy. I have two kids and work outside the home so I don’t have as many opportunities to get together with other moms. I wish I made more of an effort early on bc I think it’s helpful to have relationships with others who are in similar stages of life and who also have kids. I would love to know more about how you made or maintain mom friends and play dates.
Sounds like an amazing day! =)
After reading your post I grabbed a box of Yasso bars on my Target run tonight. Delish!! 🙂
Glad Sadie is okay!
So glad to hear that Sadie is okay. And sweet little Chase with his blonde hair and that smoothie — love that pic!
I remember you mentioning the koffie straws before and I meant to order. I struggle with my teeth being yellow from black coffee and I need to check them out!
Glad to hear about Sadie 🙂
Yay! So glad to hear Sadie’s doing all right. Good news! Happy (almost the end of) Thursday to you. You’re probably fast asleep right now, but I’m always happy to read your blog anytime! TGIF tomorrow! (Remember when that meant an ABC family friendly sitcom line up?)
Hi Julie! Your posts make me miss the days when my kids were this age:) The park playdays, the cheerio snack cups, playing with trains, bath and story time. Ah, pure heaven. The saying is so true that with kids, the days are long, but the years fly by….mine are now 15 & 14!
P.S. I emailed you a few weeks back hoping to get a good address to send you an all-natural sample I think you will love! Could you let me know? Thanks so much!
I have a little girl that is a little younger than chase. What do y’all do for dinner for Chase. As much as I’d love Lollie to eat what we do it doesn’t happen. Just wondered what your stand bys are for when he won’t eat the same supper.
oh man i feel your pain!! whether or not chase eats what we’re eating is totally hit or miss but my standbys for him are usually peanut butter sandwiches, apple or pear slices, yogurt, smoothies (usually with nut butter/coconut oil/avocado, frozen berries, frozen banana and spinach) and lately he’s been into carrots, too!