Peach Pickin-Our favorites

Our new favorite homemade ice cream....TOASTED MARSHMALLOW!!

1-Toast marshmallows on a pan in the oven or you can do it red neck style and use a lighter to torch each one of them suckers. I'll let you decide which method I chose.

2-Put them in a pot and cover with milk. I used two bags of marshmallows and 2 cups of milk but in the end I should have used even more milk!

3-When all of the marshmallows have melted pour it into a glass bowl to go into the freezer.

 3-When its frozen ..and it freezes more like soft serve to where you can get a good scoop quite easily....you can do all kinds of things to finish it off. We poured some hershey's syrup on top and ate it in between two graham crackers like a SMORE :).

Or cover it in graham crackers and chocolate syrup!

Mommy's new favorite paint party helper. 

She was obviously thrilled to follow the step I am teaching  in the background. She really was a big help and had great behavior!

I so loved leading women through a painting. Some of them had never stepped foot inside of a church and didn't feel threatened to come in and paint..I think they had a lot fun and each one created a unique and beautiful paintings!

 Momma's new favorite running accessory-MY HELLO KITTY NECK BAND.

When I look at this picture I think to myself "Bless her heart"...this was around 5:45 in the morning, after a 5 mile run. I took this and sent it to my best friend Virg in Alabama so that she could see the neck band and make fun of it with me. I used to think that only "older and wiser" runners wore these neck bands to cool themselves off but I wore it once and was hooked. It really does work, even if all it does is lower my body temperature at the beginning of the run (which for me is always the hardest, I hit my stride in mile 2 which is normally by best pace).

My new favorite running day. DUH, Saturday. My running group starts later, at 6:30, on Saturdays and we run around
 parks. This was August 1st, last Saturday we upped it to 7 miles and ran in Arlington along a river. Today we ran 9.5 miles and included Chisholm park in our run. Our goal is to increase 3 weeks in a row and then cut back until we hit around 15 miles. We are all working on pace and endurance...the heat makes it harder...BRING ON THE FALL WEATHER!!

 My new favorite morning smoothie!! Spinach + Frozen Banana + Strawberry Mango Spark + Ice and water......YUMMY!

Goober's new favorite way to spend his birthday money!!!--FITNESS ACCESSORIES!!

He got tons of money and gift cards for his birthday and so far he has spent it all on 3 things.
1-These really cool Reebok shoes, they are both cougar and Auburn colors and they have a strap in the back that should allow for some growth!
2-A pedometer, he loves it when he hits 10,000 steps in a day like his momma :).
3-A watch with a compass and GPS.

I'm not a fan of him growing up and not spending money on toys....Don't get me wrong, I don't miss picking up lots of little toys but I'm expecting to wake up and find that he has a mustache or arm pit hair any day now!!

Peach Pickin-Blue Apron Meals-Chicken Meatballs

 Have you heard of Blue Apron?  I stumbled on to it after reading another mommy fitness blog and coincidentally they had just started delivering to our city. It is basically prepackaged meals using tons of veggies, giving you complete instructions and using FRESH FRESH ingredients!

Everything is shipped right to your door, you can even choose delivery dates and windows of delivery time.  It comes in a  refrigerated box so it should stay fresh until you get home and get it unpacked. We started with Chicken Meatballs. Here is everything laid out.

Here are the 6 easy steps for Chicken Meatballs. Each box comes with enough food for 3 meals. There are packages that serve 2 and 4. We chose the 2 servings one as the servings are large and normally I add on another starch or bread to the rest of the families to make it stretch. I love that I also got to choose more seafood over pork, and you can change delivery dates if you need to!

 As I have started making more and more of these meals I am realizing that these colorful, step by step pictures are so great when allowing your kids to cook beside you. Goober can help me prep for almost every meal and its helpful to show them the final product as my kids are notorious for pointing at raw meat and screaming " EWWWWW" or looking at a ton of veggies and gagging at the thought of eating any of them!

You probably noticed the sack in the first picture labeled "Chicken Meatball" knick knacks. Those knick knacks are sauces, rice, herbs and optional items to kick up the heat if you so desire!

I have absolutely no clue as to how to pronounce this or what it is but DANG IT WAS DELISH!! It was sweet and spicy, my favorite!!! It had pepper flakes in it and reminded me of this spicy sweet and sour sauce from a local chinese place. We left this off of our meatballs as I prepped them and added it as needed to mine, Adams and Goobers individual plate. We had some leftover and so tonight when I made salmon I slathered it on...YUM!

Dumping everything in with the ground chicken for meatballs. Sautéed garlic and shallots added tons of flavor!!

YUMMY!!!! and super quick!

Pan cooking the zucchini, I definitely had some smoke, but then again I hardly ever get out of the kitchen without a little smoke!

Here is what the final meal is supposed to look like. It was around 700 calories per serving but that is WAYYYYY to much for me! I have already written Blue Apron asking them to offer lower calorie meals or to let me help them provide lower calorie side options. 

Here is our final meal. I served the kiddos and Adams over a little bit of rice and I ate mine with wilted spinach. Another option would be to put it in a whole wheat pita wrap or use quinoa as the side option. There was so much flavor in this meal and the aromatics in the kitchen got the attention of my kiddos way before supper was ready!

Peach Pickin-Gulf Shores/ Orange Beach

We stayed at the beach for 7 days after my brothers wedding. Our good friends rented us their beautiful condo about 1.5 miles from the T in Gulf Shores which was perfect, not to far from all of the fun activities but not to close to the public beach where all the noise and parties happen (wow I sound old). I am always looking for fun family activities that won't break our budget so I searched Groupon for Baldwin County and Mobile for about a month before we went. I also looked through several blogs and coupon books. Here is what we ended up loving and what we could have done without.

Best Dolphin Cruise-HANDS DOWN, Outcast Charter  in Orange Beach. Its actually through Surfs up but they operate out of the same marina as Outcast. It's in the same parking lot as Cobalts, right as you go over the Perdido Pass bridge. We spent 2 hours out on the boat and paid $12 a piece....thats $7 less than the next best deal I could find at $19 a piece. The staff was super friendly, kept our kids safe while teaching them about dolphins and played kid friendly music on the boat. We have the best video of 5-8 pink bellied dolphins, babies included, jumping alongside the boat. This went on for 10 minutes, two times. The rest of the time we watched dolphins swim lazily around us and we enjoyed seeing some of Perdidio Bay. I love that we weren't out in the gulf and could see land on both sides at all times. It was comforting to see how secure the boat rails were and that our kids could stand up the majority of the time, with life vests on. All three kids conked out on the boat ride in and that is how you know the excitement level was HIGH. We would do this again in a heartbeat!!

Heading out to see the dolphins!

Best Dinner/Entertainment Combo for Families-Hands down The Hangout at the Public Beach. I would recommend getting there early and going on a weekday night when there is a live band. On the weekends it gets packed. We went on Tuesday night and our kids CHOWED down on their cheeseburgers and fries claiming them to be the best food on the beach. I had the fish tacos and chips with salsa. I could only eat one taco and the salsa is by far the best I have had in a long time, with a little bit of spice. I actually took some home in a cup and used it the rest of the week. Adam had the nachos and also brought home around 1/2 of them. The staff was friendly, they had competitions and entertainment every 15 minutes inside the restaurant. Adam won the frozen t-shirt contest :) and our kids had fun dancing. When the band started we went outside and played in the giant sand pit, the bubble machine, ping pong tables, other fun games and danced some more. They had a snow cone truck out side and a mining activity for kids. We left stuffed and exhausted! The kids even requested to go back with my parents on Friday night.

 Best Food for your buck View of the beach while eating-EASY PEASY, go where the locals go Sea N Suds. My art teacher from high school lives in Fort Morgan and raved that all of the locals still go to Sea and Suds which tells you something. We got there at 4:45 and waited 30 minutes to get a beach view table...which was fine since they have a bar out on the patio. We looked out over the beach while we drank banana and mango slushies. The bartenders were great and split one slushie into 3 for the kiddos. The beer pitchers are only $8 and the food was the cheapest we had seen. The friend oyster plate was DELISH, yes I had fried food and gobbled it all down...only to pay for it with super swollen feet the next day. The coleslaw was awesome. Goober loved his popcorn chicken and all of the kids meal are served on a frisbee to take home. My mom had a 1/2 lb of steamed shrimp and it was $4 cheaper than anywhere else we ate. We deemed it our favorite and loved that you could walk up from the public beach in your suit and still get great food!

Best Cajun Food-Gulf Island Grill, right across from Sea and Suds. We didn't eat there but met my cousin and uncle there right after our dolphin cruise. I tasted Mason's Roulade and it DID NOT DISAPPOINT!! It was filled with chicken, shrimp, fish, peppers, onion in a dark sauce and served with garlic bread. Mason is a former chef and he licked that bowl clean!!!

Best views of Perdido Pass/Happy Hour-Cobalts in Orange Beach. We didn't eat here, just looked around while waiting for our dolphin cruise. They have a hung tank of sting rays and large fish that the kids can view inside and out. The view of the Perdido Pass and Marina is awesome. The Happy Hour looks amazing with 60 cent oysters everyday from 3-5. They also had a breakfast buffet that was reasonable...I saw shrimp and grits on the menu that sounds delish. They had a long list of Po-Boys that made me wish we were staying....along with a cupcake/pastry area up front that was to die for. You can eat outside in the covered area and we had a coupon for a free appetizer. Its definitely on on our list for next time!!

Checking out the indoor tanks with Aunt Robin. This tank goes through the walls to the outdoor area as well.

Best Beach Activities-just for giggles. Our kids loved being covered with sand and made into mermaids, and then covering mom and dad :). They liked flying a kite, throwing frisbees, throwing those water balls that skip across the water. They liked riding the boogie boards in the pool and on the beach. Sand toys were a hit but more than that building tall mounds of sand and then digging tunnels through them was even bigger! They loved making drip castles with wet sand and they loved taking nets, dipping them in the waves and seeing what they caught. We packed peanuts, pretzels and squeezits and those were the treats while out on the beach. We took homemade guacamole, matzah and rice cakes to the pool and it lasted all of 1 hour ;). I loved taking banana/mango smoothies out on the beach with us in the mornings and the kids loved having water flavored with berries/oranges/grapes....Baby Boy calls it "favorite water" ..not flavored water.

What we didn't so much enjoy---this varies from family to family but we thought Nolans Seafood was good but overpriced...even though we did get to watch American Pharoah win the triple crown there. We thought that the restaurant Bahama Bobs was cute, but always packed and their drinks were way over priced. We WOULD NEVER go to Pirates Cove or the Track for mini golf as it is always packed....instead go to Shrimpys, right beside Mikees and Reds and Ribs for BOGO mini golf. TCBY is always less crowded than scoops and about 1/2 the calories and sugar!!!We weren't a fan of the prices to go parasailing but it would be a once in a lifetime experience!!! The Wal-Mart in Gulf Shores was ALWAYS packed and kinda dirty, I would go right up the road to the Winn Dixie and get the BOGO..especially the stuffed clams (THOSE WERE A HUGE HIT). The Cobb theater in Gulf Shores was clean and a nice place to go on a rainy day.

Momma even found some no sugar added peanut butter yogurt that was DELISH!!

That's it..our peach pickins for the beach. Where is your favorite place or activity??

Peach Pickin--A few of my favorite things...

After CCA's musical each year I am left with songs stuck in my head until the next year....its kinda like VBS...you learn all of those songs, buy the CD and sing them for a year until the next VBS.

This years musical was Sound of Music and since I am so heavily involved my kids and I hear the songs A LOT. My little Ribbit has been proving to us just how stinking smart she is lately....for instance I had my iRadio on the Disney channel the other day while we were doing Family Workout and Julie Andrews was singing "Spoonful of Sugar" from Mary Poppins. Ribbit stopped in her tracks and said " that is the same lady who sings Favorite Things"...WOW!! Great connection Big Girl!!! Another instance was when she was watching the news with me the other morning and correctly pointed at the carved stone presidents while saying "there is Mount Rushmore mommy" as she pointed to the TV. 

One of my favorite things lately has been Baby Boys attempts to make us understand what he is saying. A lot of times if he is mispronouncing something Ribbit will help him out by breaking the word down and having him repeat her...for example "EL A VA TOR"...even though they both will still call it an alligator if they are talking quickly. Well Baby Boy now applies this to everyone who doesn't automatically understand him, except he thinks everything starts with a KA sound.

Baby Boy "Mommy, can I have a valj;uiasu"
Mommy "What do you want?"
Baby Boy in a very slow voice as he stares me down.."mommy say this, ka   ka    ka     valj;uiasu"


My Goober has become my favorite kitchen helper! He loves to help me cook dinner, cut veggies, break eggs, stir, microwave items, etc. He even has started to unload and load the dishwasher all by himself!!!!! His new favorite thing to do is solve Rubik's cubes and read about them on the ipad with mom or dad sitting close by. I think its a fad for all kids right now because in the last few weeks of school before summer break all the teachers were threatening demerits if they saw one more rubiks's cube out during instruction! I never knew there were so many kinds!!!

So now to a few of my favorite things,....foods and beauty products.

Banana Muffins....made with egg whites, Powdered Chocolate Peanut Butter, Baking Soda/Powder/ Cinnamon, Dark chocolate, bananas, Coconut Flour and some Light Agave Nectar.

These came in around 92 calories a piece, the whole batter made 10 muffins. Next time I am going to add some Cheerios for crunch!

My favorite skin lotion. I started using it after having a facial at my favorite spa where she rubbed orange scented lotion packed with Vitamin C all over my face at the end. I smelled it the rest of that day and through the night. I loved how fresh it smelled and after looking up the benefits of Vitamin C for our skin I was hooked. I found this Avalon Organic Vitamin C Renewal lotion at Target and have been slathering it on every day ever since.

I love all things coconut, ALL THINGS!!! This new bai flavor is pretty fantastic with only 10 calories per bottle. My only negative is that it has sucralose in it so I only drink 1-2 a month to avoid headaches.

I didn't think it was possible but I found a powdered peanut butter that taste better than PB2....and its CHOCOLATE FLAVOR. I found this at Sprouts and have enjoyed it on apples, bananas, in smoothies, mixed into yogurt, on toast, on matzah or as a substitute for peanut butter in recipes (just like banana muffins from above). Its actually very rich and satisfies this chocoholic!!

Plantains....YUM! I started buying these from our local 99cent store and found them to be extremely filling! I cook them with  a little bit of light agave nectar on top or with my no sugar syrup for breakfast or dessert!! They are super high in fiber and go great in oatmeal as well! My kids aren't convinced just yet :). 

 

 

What are some of your favorites eats/beauty products?

Peach Pickin-What my family lovvvesss to eat!!

We are a big ole mess of somewhat picky eaters around here. It's not yet to the point of annoyance and with some foods it just a preference. Which means that for lunch Goober gets the plain honey granola bar while Ribbit gets the chocolate chip and Baby Boy gets the peanut butter. With crackers we are split 3 ways as well between cheese, peanut butter and cheese with peanut butter filling.....the kids always know when Dad packs their lunch because they are forced to eat their siblings favorite :).

Needless to say I constantly find myself saying "This is not a restaurant" whenever one of them gets whiny at dinner...the one meal where one dish is cooked and like it or not you are eating it :).

I know that many people make fun of those who snap photos of their food. However, how many of us relate a food or recipe or just plain cooking back to a loved one, a special time in their lives or just the thought of home. How many times have I tried to cook tomatoes and rice just like my Grandma Coleman only to find that it isn't quite right but I still cherish her memory anyways. How many times have I tried to recreate my husbands favorite birthday dessert, blueberry fluff, only to stray a little away from his moms recipe only to find that for him it was the thought in the beginning that counts. How many times have I stood in my kitchen with 3 sets of little sticky hands helping me make cupcakes, cookies, pies and breads....and then watched them lick their fingers and declare that we are good cooks. How many times have my little chefs help me prepare a meal for a sick family, family with a newborn, a grieving family, a new neighbor or as a thank you...the answer, countless. These memories tied to food are sacred to me....a part of who I am and the traditions and lessons I am teaching my kids in the kitchen. So joke away memory maker haters.... :).

This is one of my go to meals...especially if we are having guests over!! Prego Light Alfredo sauce, spaghetti squash and baked/grilled chicken. Sometimes I add in homemade pesto and top with Parmesan cheese. 




1. Half the squash, rub with oil, salt and pepper. Cook at 350 for 40-45 minutes in the oven, flesh side up.
2. Shred with a fork (its like butter) and watch it turn into spaghetti.
3. Stir in sauce, chicken and toppings.


My kids have never once said that this doesn't taste as good as normal chicken alfredo...and you better believe it comes in at around 200 calories a serving...bring on the BIG BOWLS!



I'm not sure I can express our love of Matzah in words. Its a problem that we are all okay with!

This is my favorite way to eat it. Slathered with PB2 with a little bit of Walden Farms Zero Calorie chocolate sauce mixed in (not to much, just enough to make it hazelnutty) and then a sliced banana. I could (and have) eaten this for breakfast, 2nd breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner and dessert. ITS SO GOOD. Salty, sweet, crunchy, chewy....And this particular way only cost me a whopping 235 calories...SCORE

And this is my kiddos personal favorite...thats right, they all agree for once! Its Matzah with creamy peanut butter and strawberries. I attempted to make them strawberry hearts since this was Valentines Day but the fact that my matzah was calling my name put me in a rush, thus the sloppy "hearts".

 

This.....This is heavenly! Sweet baby broccoli, onions, mushrooms, grilled marinated chicken and then wilted spinach on top. You could put salsa in this or some soy sauce. ITS DELISH!!!!!!

And finally, another breakfast favorite for all. Egg Tacos.

The kiddos like theirs with eggs and mozzarella cheese wrapped in one of these awesome wraps that my good friend, workout buddy, fellow teacher and mentor Debbie found for us. 50 calories a pop and look at all that fiber. FILL YOU UP!!

My tacos look a little different. Same great wraps, egg whites, laughing cow cheese, salsa, onions and mushrooms. I was out of spinach or else I would have wilted some on top as well.















What is your family's go to meal? What are your kiddos favorites?

Peach Pickin-PB2

We are big Peanut Butter fans in this house. The only person that I know of that consumes more than my five is my brother. He will take the Costco size jug of Peanut Butter and eat it like ice cream, spoonful after glorious spoonful....he is also ripped, so there's that too.

Anyways, after I got a CLUE about JUST HOW MANY calories are actually in peanut butter I went on a search for something better. And by went on a search, I mean I asked my fitness friend Leianne. She does her research for every area in her life, like before any major decision, for any fitness classes, for any new purchase so I knew she would know. She recommended PB2 and thus my life was changed forever.

PB2 is a powdered peanut butter that when mixed with water taste just as heavenly as the real deal. ANDDDDDD, it has less than a 1/4 of the calories of normal peanut butter. SHUT UP. Let's just take the Walmart brand of Peanut Butter (that oddly lists its serving size in grams, eh, HELLOO!!) which has 190 calories in a little over 2 tbsps. PB2 has 45, thats it, 45 stinkin calories in 2 tbsp. And, since I like to drip it over crunchy, creamy things I can water it down to the consistency I want or I can make it nice and chunky for dipping. Its perfection yall.

Here are some of my favorite ways to use PB2.

1-My post workout smoothie that has changed many lives :), or 3.
    -1 cup Almond Milk, -2 tbsp PB2, -1 banana (frozen or non frozen)

2-Spread on a rice cake with some (er, alot) of mini chocolate chips for dessert.

3-Spread on a tortilla, drizzle honey or agave nectar, slice up a banana, throw on some almonds or walnuts and roll it up for a sandwich!

4-MY FAVORITE SNACK EVER!!!
      -1 cup cheerios, 1 granny smith apple cut into bite size pieces, 1 Kroger brand carbmaster yogurt banana cream pie flavor and then, wait for it....DRIZZLE soupy PB2 all over that hot mess!!!!!!!

This is the perfect combo of creamy, crunchy, gooey, nutty, sweet protein goodness!!! DROOL!!

I have found PB2 at Kroger with all of the gluten free, health bars, coconut water, etc. I have also seen it at Sprouts and Whole foods with the regular peanut butter. Kroger by far has the best price or you can buy it in packs of 3 on Amazon here...PB2 3 Pack.

Bell Plantation also makes a chocolate PB2 but I can't jump on that bandwagon. I used to be a huge connoisseur of nutella and we all know that once you have that hazelnut magic you won't ever be impressed with anything besides the real deal.

So, what are some other favorite peanut butter recipes that I must know of???

Le Fashion Coach-Peach Pickin

Le Fashion Coach

Have you seen the large winnebago around town called "Le Fashion Coach"? You kinda can't miss it due to the awesome design work on its exterior and its two very welcoming owners. Le Fashion Coach is a boutique on wheels, selling everything from headbands to purses, from trendy tops to unique handmade jewelry organizers. On their website lefashioncoach.com/about you can find out where they will be stopping next as well as how these two friends became business partners.

As you can see Ribbit LOVES the "bus shop" and can't wait to go back. She convinced Dana, one of the co-owners to take selfies with her as well as several posed pictures in front of the boutique. You can see the inside of the shop somewhat in the background. They have gutted it and turned it into a sleek shop, complete with a fitting room!

I ended up buying this beautiful long gray open sweater with fringe. I wore it the next day to church with black pants, boots and turquoise jewelry and received several compliments. They have something for every budget and for every occasion. YOU MUST STOP AND SHOP!!!! They even have an option for you to host a party at your home, thats right, they come to you....(Now, if we can just convince Kroger to develop an at home shopping option, right????) Sounds like a fun GIRLS NIGHT OUT TO ME!!!!

I'm pretty sure this little one is their biggest fan. She has asked me several times "mommy, when are we going to go shop again on the bus?". 

Peach Pickin

Another weekly topic will be Peach Pickin, where I will share a product/ food joint/ recipe/ entertainment spot that either we as a family enjoy or individually. I hope the cheesy title doesn't turn you away right now ;), but you have to admit Peach Pickin is hard to forget!!

I literally thought about the first pick for days, like during my burpees in the morning I lost count due to the stress of this pick. Should I promote only things that I like? What about products that my kids love? What about products for men? I finally had a moment of clarity while snacking on my breakfast one morning of rice cakes, laughing cow cheese, egg whites and spinach.

Seriously, MOTHERS WHOLE GRAIN RICE CAKES are FANTASTIC!!!  After about 2 months into calorie counting I discovered that I prefer crunchy over any other texture and find it the most satisfying. All 6 of us in the house LOVE these things and use them as the main transportation in many different meals! We aren't gluten free but if you are then these are perfect for you, they are also super low in sodium and 35 calories a piece, meaning that I NEVER EAT JUST ONE!!!

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 cake (9g)
Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat 0 Calories 35
% Daily Values*
Total Fat 0g		0%
	Saturated Fat -
Cholesterol 0mg		0%
Sodium 15mg		1%
Total Carbohydrate 7g		2%
	Dietary Fiber 0g	0%
	Sugars 0g
Protein 1g
Vitamin A - Vitamin C -
Calcium - Iron -
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

The three ways in which we use them the most are as follows:

1-Peach Momma Breakfast: 

2 Mothers Rice Cakes (70 cals), 1 Spicy Pepper Jack Laughing Cow block cheese divided between them (35 cals), 2/3 cups egg whites (80 cals) and a handful of baby spinach (normally cooked into the eggs) (7 cals). Sometimes I eat this like a sandwich, other times as two separate open faced cakes of goodness!!!!!

2-Caramel Children Lunch-2 Mothers Rice Cakes (no cals here because A) they don't care and B) they NEVER STOP MOVING and therefore need as many cals as possible), Peanut Butter and Jelly. Impressive huh? Stick them together and you've gotta crunchy sandwich for lunch!!

3-Peach Momma Dessert:

2 Mothers Rice Cakes (70 cal), 2 tbsp of PB2 (45 cals), sliced banana (90ish cals) and 1 tbsp of Walden Farms marshmallow cream (0, yup zero cals). 

Peach Daddy LOVES the caramel flavor cakes and eats them as a snack or dessert by themselves. 

I love how thick these cakes are compared to others that honestly make you feel like you are on the skimpiest diet ever. I also love the fact that I can normally find them at our local dollar store (the 99 cent store, honestly one of my favorite places to shop). 

What is your favorite rice cake recipe?