You guys! I am such a proud mom today.
I had an eye appointment this morning. I had tried to find somewhere for Elijah to go so I wouldn’t have to try to keep him quiet and well-behaved during the appointment, but after three failed attempts, he had to come with me. Continue reading “What I am Snacking On: Coconut Granola Bars “
I have a massive sweet tooth. If you’re looking for savoury snacks, you won’t find much of that here. That’s why when my sister posted this recipe to her Arbonne business Facebook page I had to try it.
While I didn’t use Arbonne’s protein powder because my husband and I have an Isagenix business, I think the results are the same.
As Lyndsay stated in her post, the recipe uses 4 tbsp melted coconut oil (lucky me, summertime and no air conditioning means my coconut oil was already melted), 3 scoops protein powder (***Edit: I used Isagenix Chocolate IsaPro Whey Protein but they turned out a bit chewy for whatever reason. The recipe definitely works better with any flavour of the the IsaLean protein powders), and 14 almonds.
Mix the coconut oil together with the protein powder, drop a small amount in the bottom of an ice cube tray then place an almond in each cube and top with another small spoonful of the oil and protein powder mixture. Pop in the freezer and when they are frozen, store in a container in the fridge.
By eating smarter snacks I have managed to lose 10 lbs and 5.25 inches in a little more than 6 weeks. It’s slower progress than I would like but I also know based on my first pregnancy and breastfeeding journey, I am one of those people who does not lose the weight very quickly until after I am done breastfeeding. So any weight and inches lost at this point is progress in my books.
In my attempt to eat better and help encourage my body to drop the baby weight, I’ve had to get a little creative with my snacks. I love, love, love to bake but I also love, love, love to eat baked goods. So my baking has taken a back seat to other snack prep.
I plan to write a few posts about what I am snacking on in the hopes that I might help or inspire someone else to try a few healthier snacks. Today I am talking frozen sweet blueberries.
This is the perfect time of year to enjoy this sweet treat. While we don’t have any u-pick blueberries in northern Alberta, we do have saskatoons, which are an excellent alternative.
If, like me before moving to northern Alberta, you are unsure as to what a Saskatoon is, it’s basically a smaller, more firm blueberry. It retains its shape better when baked, but basically tastes the same.
But back to the snack. I took a 4 quart container of blueberries and one package of jelly powder. Any flavour, I chose strawberry, next time I may try grape.
Step 1: wash the berries
Step 2: lightly towel dry berries and dump into a large freezer bag.
Step 3: add jelly powder
Step 4: shake until berries are well coated
Step 5: freeze
That’s it! When they are frozen, put some in a bowl and enjoy your sweet, guilt free snack!
And now just because…the sweet baby that is forcing me to eat better.
Now before you start thinking that this post is about how I got on a bicycle and rode through the mountains let me set things straight – I drove, in a truck. My husband was the one who biked this moutain trek, alongside my brother in law.
When Cody mentioned that my brother in law wanted to do a bike ride through the mountains this summer I thought it was a neat idea but part of me thought it would never happen. Cody only just purchased a road bike earlier this year and there’s a big difference between biking mountain terrain and biking through the relatively flat Alberta prairies where we live.
But he did it. Three days, 321 kilometres, about 15 hours of cycling.
On day one the boys got on the road around 1 p.m., approximately two hours later than we had planned – we’ll go ahead a blame that on babies and gas stops. Cody and I and the boys had stayed in a motel in Olds, Alta. the night before and it had just poured rain on our drive to meet my sister and brother-in-law and their new baby in Castle Junction. Thankfully the rain eased up before we got there and the boys were able to take off under cloudy but sunny skies.
My sister and I and the kids had thought we would kill some time at Lake Louise before leaving Alberta to meet the boys half way to Golden for a water break. However, it was Saturday and Lake Louise was packed. Both of my boys had fallen asleep in the car and we decided to abandon our first plan and head towards Golden.
We stopped at a cute little rest area in Field, B.C. After having some lunch (packed not purchased), we headed towards the little park where Elijah was super excited to get rid of some of his energy. There was also a small pond he could dip his feet into and the park was next to the train tracks. It was the perfect rest stop for a busy toddler.
Field also happens to be approximately half way between Castle Junction and Golden. Cody spotted our truck in the parking lot and the boys stopped for a water break. He remarked to me later that he and my brother-in-law agreed they had been a bit too ambitious to start and had to adjust both their pace and the amount they talked while riding. With less chatter and a better pace the boys were setting themselves up to succeed.
Cody blew a tire 10 kilometres out from Golden. They were able to do a quick roadside repair and continue on. My brother-in-law had the supplies they needed, to which Cody was grateful. Rookie cyclist mistake. Always carry spare tire tubes and a patch kit.
We stayed at Mary’s Motel in Golden. We were fortunate to be able to stay in two of the rooms in the newer building. They were clean, spacious and contained jacuzzi tubs. I would definitely recommend this place, although my sister and brother-in-law had stayed in an older room the night before and they said the new rooms were a huge improvement. So booking here may be a bit of a gamble.
In an effort to save some money we made our own supper. On day one we had spaghetti and brocoli and cauliflower salad. It was delicious.
On day two the guys got on their bikes only one hour later than planned, around 11 a.m. The weather looked perfect for riding. Not too hot and no rain. The terrain between Golden and Radium was more flat, which meant the guys made good time on this day.
My sister and I took the kids to a park near the hospital in Golden and then moved on to the splash pad. This area also had a very large park and outdoor pool. It would be the perfect place to spend a whole afternoon.
Because we misjudged how long it would take the guys to reach Radium, we ended up meeting them about five kilometres outside of town. My brother-in-law waved us by, turns out we should have asked Cody if he wanted us to stop. He was out of water and needing a bit of a break.
When we arrived in Radium my sister and I found our hotel for the night – the Radium Chalet. It was about a kilometre straight up a steep incline. This meant we had a nice view from the hotel – but it also meant that the boys had to finish their day with a hard climb. Sorry guys.
We stayed together in an apartment-style room. There was a private bedroom with a queen sized bed and a loft with one twin and a queen size bed. It was perfect for what we needed. There was also a pullout couch in the common area, a large bathroom and kitchenette, and two balconies. The guys made good use of one of the balconies to do some bike maintenance.
We used the barbecue facilities on site to cook dinner on the second night – bbq chicken and potatoes and peppers. Another declicious success.
We also took advantage of having four adults and three children and took turns at the Radium Hot Springs Pools. It was so relaxing, however, Cody and I did remark to each other that you know you’re partents of young children when you are soaking in a hot pool, surrounded by mountains and talking about Paw Patrol.
On Day 3 the guys got an earlier start since both familes had a few hours drive to their next destination following the ride. They started at 8 a.m. and got to Castle Junction around 2 p.m.
This day was the most scenic part of the ride, Cody said, and also the section with the largest climb. Cody said right at the start of their ride the guys climbed 13 kilometres in over an hour and then flew down 10 kilometres in 10 minutes.
We met the guys at a rest stop approximately four hours into their ride. They were wet, but still in high spirits.
Elijah was done with road trips at this point, just over tired. Both Ezra and my sister’s baby (who is just five days older than Ezra) were refusing to nurse properly and crankier than ususal. So after meeting the boys we headed to Castle Junction where we waiting with sleeping kids until the guys arrived.
The ride was a huge accomplishment for Cody and made me think about how much he has changed his lifestyle in the last two years. He is not only 100 pounds lighter, he is much more active. He’s traded in his street bike for his peddle bike and bags of chips for protein shakes (not always, come on, we all enjoy some snacks every once in a while).
Most recently I have noticed his hips and waist are smaller than mine (thanks boys!), and he is an inspiration to me and I know he will be to our boys when they are old enough to recognize the amount of work he has put in to increasing his health.
Also special thanks to my brother in law for throwing the idea out there, giving my sister and I the opportunity to spend a few days together, and encouraging Cody to complete the ride.
It’s strawberry season and we are big fans of these sweet red berries. Cody used to have allergic reactions to strawberries, which meant the first three years of our marriage were devastatingly void of this delicious fruit.
However through nutritional cleansing he was able to rid his body of whatever was causing his alergic reactions and we’re now making up for lost time.
Yesterday morning we headed out to Bridgeview Gardens in Peace River and picked three four-litre pails. These berries are so good, like deliciously sweet candy. Cody had Elijah on his back in our Beco Gemini and I had Ezra on my front in our Beco ring sling. The boys stayed fairly happy, but we definitely couldn’t have stayed to pick another pail.
When we got home, I got started on making good use of our strawberries. Here are the three recipies I used.
I froze about three bags of strawberries for use later in other recipies and of course kept some fresh for eating.
If you try any of these recipes let me know what you think! And of course, happy strawberry picking and eating!
Today was an excellent day. Being Canada Day, that meant Cody was home with us all day and with nothing but attending the Grimshaw parade on the schedule we had lots of fun family time.
The morning started with a Bikini Body Mommy workout outside with Elijah followed by some trampoline time. While I was nervous at first because of a previous injury caused by a trampoline, it turns out this was by far the best purchase we have made for Elijah. It helps him to burn off energy and I’ve noticed a significant decrease in the amount of whining that happens throughout the day.
After a shower we headed towards Main Street Grimshaw for the parade. The boys were so excited…
Ezra woke up on his own just before the parade started but we had to wake up Elijah. We were several floats and a freezee in before he really woke up and started to enjoy it.
After the parade we attempted lunch and nap time but because of his pre-parade nap, we were unsuccessful. So we packed the boys in the truck and headed to the pool in Fairview.
It wasn’t busy and was an excellent way to spend a bit of time in the afternoon. This was Ezra’s first time in a pool and he didn’t seem to mind. Elijah is a fish and loves any time we take him swimming.
We arrived home and after a dinner of pea soup and biscuits (delicious!), Cody headed outside to the trampoline with Elijah. Our hopes are that he will sleep extra well tonight!
In the first photo Elijah is preoccupied with a moth on the netting. He loves bugs but is terrified they are all going to bite him, which means he is always looking for them but as soon as he finds one mommy and daddy must get it “dead.”
The next couple of photos are of Elijah and Cody playing airplane and rocket ships. I promise the rocket ship turned out well despite how scary it looks. Dads play way too hard!
Today was an excellent day.
Our Family Chatter 