catch up & tasty tuesday

well...it's definitely been a while!

it's been pretty crazy around our house and honestly, blogging has been the last thing on my mind.

but i'll catch you guys up a little bit, then throw in a recipe...
does that sound good for today? 

i think so too. :)

let's see...the hubs and i celebrated 7 years of marriage in july! 
we are seriously super happy.
no "seven year itch" for us...
i feel like each year we grow stronger as a couple and as individuals. we have grown up together, and will continue to obviously, but i really think that we have grown together.
we compliment each other well, and we are super stoked to go the next seven years and beyond. :)

seven years ago, so excited about what just happened.

today, so excited about a night out without kids!

the kiddos have grown like you wouldn't believe!

especially this little lady...

here she is trying to keep up with 

her brothers on the playground.

she walks, talks (some), and has such a personality.

she already likes girly things like stuffed animals, and dolls, and anything sparkly. :) 

she has also recently started sporting pig tails, which is literally the cutest thing you've ever seen. 

i challenge you to find me something cuter...

haven't gotten too many pics yet 

because she is constantly moving.

the boys are great. 

they have their good days and bad days,

but for the most part they are best friends.

they have started to play together really well...

using their imaginations and building things.

more "kid-ish" stuff than "baby-ish" stuff.

(yes, i make words up in my spare time...)

here they are playing in the sprinkler at a friends house.

"ruuuuuuunnnn!!!!!"

i realized just how big our family is the other day when we went to eat outside at chipotle and none of the tables were big enough for us. thus we instituted a "kids table".

not gonna lie, we made a few people's night as they walked past and saw our little angels eating all by their onesies.

(i also use words in place of other words in my spare time...)

right next door to chipotle is a yogurt place the boys love going to...

(so do the grown ups!) 

they play fun music and they get to run around 

and pick out their favorite toppings...

lincoln usually gets a double shot of sprinkles,

quinn likes marshmallows and mini "nemanems" (m&ms).

gluten free options FTW!

all in all a very fun place.

here's a pic just outside of the yogurt place :)

big smiles all around!

the hubs started his last fall semester of undergrad today!

woohoo!

even though he probably (who am i kidding..definitely!) has more school to do after this, it still feels nice to feel like we're close to the end of something!

even if it is a false sense of hope, 

i shall cling to hope nonetheless!

we've (somewhat) kept up with our 

crossfit and paleo lifestyle.

i say somewhat, because after i had emergency surgery things were kind of whacky for a while and cooking was not at the top of my to do list. so we got WAY off track. plus i wasn't in any shape to be lifting weights or anything...

but the last couple of days has me feeling more like myself and in a good routine. 

eating well. crossfit. yoga. baking paleo deliciousness...

you know, normal heather.

it's nice to feel like that again.

(not that my normal is actually normal, but you get my drift)

it's gonna take me a while (still) to get back to where i was before the surgery, but i obviously wouldn't have it differently. just takin' it one step and a time.

like psalty taught me.

(anybody else listen to this as a kid?!

check out those RAD outfits!!!)

and speaking of baking paleo deliciousness,

i give you my latest baked wonder.

paleo breakfast bars

but seriously, they're not just for breakfast.

we had them for dessert last night 

and breakfast this morning.

equally as delicous and wonderful. :)

super light and fluffy with just a hint of sweetness.

y'all should make these stat, cause i ain't jokin' when i say 

they aren't bad for you...!

what you need:

- 1/2 cup creamy roasted almond butter

- 2 eggs

- 2 tablespoons honey

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

- 1/4 teaspoon stevia

- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

- 1/4 baking soda

- 1 tablespoon cinnamon

what you do:

- combine your eggs and peanut butter, mixing it until its nice and creamy. (fyi: i used my kitchenaid mixer for this!)

- then add in your honey, mix well again

- next add in your stevia, salt, soda mixture

- add the cinnamon last and really let it mix good for a while

- the original recipe didn't call for this step, but i did it and think it helped in the end...

let the mixture stand for about 3-5 minutes.

(i think that's what helped mine rise a lot while keeping it light and fluffy! mmm...)

- while you let it sit, coat your 8x8 glass pan with coconut oil

- transfer the batter and bake at 325 degrees.

- bake about 12-15 minutes or 

until a toothpick comes out clean

- enjoy!!!

the hubs and i agreed that this would be a super yummy treat with a bit of homemade whipped cream on top...but it wasn't overwhelmingly sweet so it was still a good side to our bacon and eggs this morning :)

alright, well i hope y'all are doing well and check back soon...hopefully i won't fall off the face of the earth again!

(crosses fingers)

xoxo,

heather

inspired.

i am just that. inspired. i am inspired by my friend kayla, over at babyreadybody.wordpress.com to post today. she had an amazing post about some of the struggles she's going through in her life and how she's handling them...i felt like she was honest and real and really appreciated her for that. it's hard to do with yourself let along all the people who read a blog! 
so cheers to you, kayla!

  a little update for myself is not much has changed....and that seems to be the problem lately. i'm in a....funk. i feel like a lot of good things are happening, and nothing too terrible has occured, but for some reason i just can't shake the bleh's. 

the hubs and i have been working hard at crossfit and have opened our own gym in our carport. we've got some people coming on a regular basis, people are seeing results. it's awesome. 

we've unfortunately been only semi-successful eating paleo. we'll go a few days eating well, and then something happens, a hiccup in the plan if you will, and it's like i lose all self-control. 

i binge on terrible food and then feel guilty about it.

but i just keep telling myself, that this is a learning process. nobody becomes perfect overnight.

heck, nobody becomes perfect period.

so why do i feel the overwhelming need to be just that.

perfect.

who knows...i'm still figuring this one out.

on the upside, i've been attending church a lot more lately and am LOVING it. 

we've starting going to an Orthodox church with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law.
 i don't quite know what it is yet, but it really just resonates with me.

i feel more connected to Christ in my soul....or something. 

and the kids love going to church and are so well behaved and this is an amazing feat because it's mostly standing the whole service and there is no "kid's program" or nursery or sunday school.

everyone is present for the service and experiences the divine liturgy together.

it's so amazing. 

coming back to the whole eating thing...i have been seeing good results.

i'm losing weight and getting back to what i feel like is more "me". 

which is fantastic. obviously.

i think this is why i am so hard on myself.

because i could probably be so much further down the road.

if i stopped all the binge eating madness, i would be so much closer to my goal.

but, like i said, i'm still figuring this one out.

cora fayne turned one. 

shenanigans.

i mean ONE, y'all.

it's been one WHOLE year since i had her.

seriously? time freaking flies. 

we had an alice in wonderland party for her and it went off without a hitch.

my good friend rachael took some pics of the party

(she's super with a camera, folks)

so i can't wait to see them.

i'll do my best to share them when i can. :)

here are some phone pics to tie you over...

on her birthday, being cute. :)

her lovey (we call her girly cat, even though she's a bear, but whatev's) was taking a 

"bath" and she was happy to be reunited. and hugs from daddy are always good. 

the boysies, are still the boysies. 

wild, fun, crazy, and LOUD.

but i love them.

quinn is talking a lot these days. like A LOT. 

he tells people all the time who everyone is.

"i am quinny, and this is mommy, and this is lincoln, and this is cora, and this is daddy" 

and then starts it all over again.

so adorable.

linc really loves to dress himself these days.

someday's are better than others...

like the day he wore a button-up plaid shirt with some plaid cargo shorts and boots.

not one of his finer days...
but hey, a kids gotta feel independent somehow right.

who am i to judge?

speaking of...i thrifted these croc boots at goodwill for $3. they had never been worn. so uh-mazing.

i'm obsessed with thrifting lately. it's ridiculous some of the things people get rid of. 

but i'm not complaining, i just laugh at to myself as i leave the store with a bagful o'goodies.

silly, people. 

this one was taken by my friend, rachael. supes talented, y'all.

plus i really dig the, "i'm just humoring you" face linc is giving. priceless. 

Q is obsessed with stickers. like, OBSESSED.

at least it makes for funny pictures.... 

let's see...what else...

OH!

we got a new puppy!!!

well new to us, anyway.

and not a puppy.

but i call her a puppy because she's smaller than roxy.

which isn't hard to do because roxy is huge, but hey, don't sweat the small stuff.

i love her, oh so much.

i saw her picture on the gwinnett county rescue's facebook page (she was under the urgent dogs page!)

and just fell in love with her face! 

she's seriously the sweetest dog EVER. 

like people who don't even like dogs have offered to take her!

craziness, right?! seriously though...bestest dog ever.

(i still love you, too roxy!!!!)

here's a pic of nellie (lincoln named her that after a horse he rode, haha)

when i was picking her up from the rescue.

so happy to be out of that place!

sweet, smiley girl!

and here she is enjoying her new, comfy bed at her new, loving home. :)

fun fact: did you know that dogs can have food allergies, too?

mmmhhmmm...

leave it to me to fall in love with the dog who "just has mange" and can be cured with antibiotics.

nope. she is allergic to gluten!

say what? it's like the Lord knew she needed a mommy who understood a baby with food allergies. ;)

phew!

well, i think that just about covers it for now.

i'm going to try and be updating more regularly

(i know i say that every time, but this time for reals!)

and hopefully post more paleo recipes and some "in progress" pics.

you guys are awesome. 

just thought you should know.

xoxo,

heather

tasty tuesday's (...but on sunday. oops.)

"and his hair was made of spaghetti, spaghetti, spaghetti...."

anybody else listen to Raffi?

we like that song...and I always find myself singing it when I make this recipe.

it's just too catchy a tune.

anyway! i've been seeing a lot of methods out there 

(mostly pinterest) 

on how to make spaghetti squash.

well i've made two attempts and one was definitely easier/better than the other one...so i'm here to help.

i'm going to share the easy one, of course.

whether you are paleo like us,

OR you just want to get more veggies into your diet in a delicious way, OR you need to sneak vegetables into your kids without them noticing. 
this is definitely the recipe for you.

plus it's super simple and only requires 3 ingredients.

are you ready? good. here we go.

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti

what you need:

1 spaghetti squash 

1 jar of spaghetti sauce 

1 lb ground beef

(if you're paleo! get clean spaghetti sauce - one where you can read all the ingredients, know what they are, and they are in the paleo diet! also, try to get grass-fed beef if you can!)

what you do:

preheat your oven to 375 degrees

take the squash and pierce holes all throughout

place it in a baking dish and let it bake for 1 hour

while it's baking (in the last 10 minutes or so to go) brown your beef and heat up your spaghetti sauce.

when it's been an hour take out your squash, 

cut it open,

(i like to cut it into quarters just to make things easier)

take a fork (just a regular ole table fork) 
and start shredding the inside of the squash.

it'll be very easy to do and you can use 
all of the insides all the way up to the skin.

these will be your noodles!

they won't be quite as mushy as regular noodles, 
a little more al dente if you will, 
but they don't taste squash-y at ALL. 
they really blend in with the whole plate very well.

dish out some "noodles",

add some beef on top,

then add some sauce.

enjoy!

here is a pic of the boys really getting down and dirty with their spaghetti :)

and here's a pic of my bowl. the finished product.

looks like a bowl of spaghetti, right?!

any kid would eat this right up!

so what are you waiting for...? 

go make some for dinner...you won't regret it!

"And his name was, Aikendrum!"

had to get that out ;)

updates, yo.

So...it's been a while, I know.

I feel like life has been super busy, and I don't exactly know why.

It's like I get to the end of the week and think, "It's Saturday already?!"

So needless to say, blogging hasn't been happening if I don't even know what day of the week it is.

But better late than never right?!

A lot has been going on around here...

Cora Fayne is 9 months old!

So crazy!! She's definitely turning into a beautiful young lady with lots of personality :)

She can do the sign for 'milk' which she usually does anytime she sees me.
She can eat with her fingers like a big girl.
She really only likes meat.
She doesn't like fruit and most veggies, but not common ones.
She likes spinach and broccoli, but not mashed potatoes! Silly girl.
She's crawling on her knees some, but mostly just an army crawl.
She says 'dada' for both me and Graham. :)






The boys are wonderful as well. This is them excited to eat broccoli! haha

They can be silly too. :)

A lot has been going on for the grown ups too!

Graham and I have recently started Crossfit, which is amazing!

And have recently adopted a Paleo way of eating.

Graham had been taking some MMA (mixed martial arts) classes at a gym in Atlanta called Unit2 and one of his coaches mentioned a 30 day Paleo/Crossfit challenge. 

I had been going on and on about Crossfit for months and had been trying to implement Paleo into my diet for a couple of weeks, so he came to me excited and told me about the challenge.

I started on Saturday January 28 and the challenge runs through Saturday February 25.

It's 30 days of eating only Paleo from the book 

'The Paleo Solution' by Robb Wolf.

Crossfitting at least 3 days a week with two other active days 

(exercise of our choice).

Plus we did a performance test last Saturday, and will do one again at the end and compare the results.

My results from the first performance test:

1 mile run - 9:15

Max push-ups in one minute - 29

Max sit-ups in one minute - 23

Not bad if you ask me!

So far I'm loving everything about it. The food tastes great. 

And Crossfit is new and fun and VERY challenging. 

Both the hubs and I have been enjoying it and the results we are getting!

I'll keep you guys posted as I go along.

And will probably do some posts with more details about 

both Crossfit and Paleo.

The Paleo Solution

And just a warning...most of my recipe posts will probably be paleo recipes from now on! 

But it won't kill you to try it!

I've been amazed at how much the boys have embraced the paleo lifestyle. 

We all have the same favorite breakfast (which helps with cooking/preparing in the morning!):

scrambled eggs

slice of ham (no nitrates)

fruit (usually berries or an apple)

Give it a try and see how you feel! Better yet, see how your kids feel! I think they feel so much better after breakfast and all morning when they eat a healthy breakfast as opposed to waffles or toast with jelly smeared all over it.

And as soon as I get my hands on the before and after pics that we took I'll post those too! 

Alright, well I hope this posts finds you all well and look for more posts soon!

Have an awesome week, y'all! :)

xoxo,

Heather

tasty tuesday

are you ready for nomtastic?

i hope so. 

'cause this bread recipe is just that.

it's gluten free, paleo friendly, and oh so scrumptious.

and honestly, the thing i like about it the most, it doesn't taste healthy. it just tastes like really delicious bread. 

i posted a banana bread recipe about a year ago and since then have found out my son can't eat gluten and have started my weight loss journey since having a baby...soo...needless to say, a healthy bread recipe was in order.

the only problem with most gluten free and "healthy" bread recipes is that they don't actually taste like bread.

and they crumble, are dense, and look like bricks.

while this does resemble a brick a teeny tiny little bit, it's most certainly NOT dense or crumbly.

also, i find a lot of times that gluten free bread recipes will have TONS of ingredients and most that are expensive.

also not the case here.

everyday ingredients or ingredients that are easy to come by.

awesome.

i got this recipe via pinterest (of course) and it originally came from wheatfreeandglutenfreebreadrecipe.blogspot.com

phew! that's a long web address!

so without further ado...

Paleo Banana Bread Recipe

what you need:

3 eggs, separated

5 tbsp honey

4 tbsp olive oil

2 mashed bananas

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

2 cups almond flour or finely ground almonds

what you do:

- preheat your oven to 350 degrees

- cream your egg yolks and honey in a large bowl until light and fluffy.

- add the oil, vanilla, mashed banana, baking powder, cinnamon, and almond flour. blend well.

- in a separate bowl beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form 
(tip: i used my kitchenaid mixer for this! 

much easier on the arms!)

- gently fold the egg whites into the mixture. do this slowly and try not to "break" the egg whites.

- you can either spray your loaf pan or 
i used coconut oil and rubbed down the sides 

(i use it just like crisco, but it's MUCH healthier!)

- place in the oven for 40-45 minutes.

- enjoy! :)

notice my fancy paper plate.
you know you're jealous. 

let me know if you get a chance to try this recipe. 

i'd love to hear what you think!

happy tuesday! 

xoxo,

heather