Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boats

These Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boats have to be one of the easiest meals I have ever made! They tasted great and I was able to save some for lunch the next day. They stayed fine overnight in the fridge.

Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boats

Ingredients :

4 zucchini
ground chicken
buffalo sauce
cheese
Optional: avocado & fresh tomato

Preheat oven to 350. While the over heats up cook your chicken , adding your buffalo sauce while the chicken cooks. If you want to make this a more traditional healthy buffalo chicken recipe you can add plain greek yogurt & cheese to your chicken mixture, I however did not.

While chicken is cooking prep your zucchini . Cutest hem length wise and then scrap out the seeds .

Spray pan with oil and add your boats ( zucchini ) top with the cooked chicken , cheese , tomato and more buffalo sauce if you want it extra hot. Bake uncovered for 10-15 minutes .

Top with avocado and enjoy!

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August 29, 2018August 28, 2018

Before Baby Freezer Meals

When I was pregnant with Brody I had big plans to make some freezer meals for after but I never got around to it! Now that I have my insta pot meal prep is so EASY that I had no excuses this time around. Below are the meals & recipes that I have made , most are pretty healthy and will serve me, my husband and Brody.

I have been making double batches of the meals below, one for us to eat now and one to freeze so I feel like I am a meal prep queen!

Before Baby Freezer Meals & Recipes

https://www.skinnytaste.com/instant-pot-turkey-meatball-and-ditalini-soup/

I made this in my insta pot. I followed the directions for the meat balls but made some changes for the rest. I plan to reheat on the stove tope so I will be adding 2 cups chicken broth, zucchini, carrots and pasta on the day we eat this! Everything else got frozen.

https://www.skinnytaste.com/easy-bagel-recipe/
https://www.skinnytaste.com/crock-pot-chicken-enchilada-soup/
chicken pot pie .

There are tons of recipes out there for pie. Mine is my mother in laws recipe . I made the pie but did not bake it. I will bake from frozen the day we eat it.

these are mainly for Brody but will be great if we are in a pinch or to add to a meal/salad for lunch

I did a double batch of this because we love taco soup!! On the day we eat this I will add avocado and some more cheese .

https://onceamonthmeals.com/recipes/instant-pot-chicken-parmigiana/

More pre baby tips :

I also frozen some plain shredded chicken , I plan to make buffalo chicken zucchini boats with it but it can be used for other recipes .

Everytime I make kodiak pancakes I make a double batch and freeze them for post baby. Just heat up from frozen in the microwave. These will be perfect for me or Brody for a quick breakfast.

Id love to know your favorite make ahead & freeze recipes! Share some below .

My Favorite Personal Development Books

If you follow my in instagram ( you should ! ) then you see me share quotes in my stories all the time. People always ask me what books the quotes come from so I thought I would share the PD books I have read this year. Below is a list of my favorite personal development books that I think you will love too.

If you do decide to read some of my favs remember reading the books is one thing but actually doing what the books suggest is whats going to help change your life!

My Favorite Personal Development Books

Miracle Morning ( I have read three! )
The universe has your back
The Secret
The 12 week year
The energy Bus
Rejection Proof
The Compound Effect
Spirit Junkie

Are you a fan of personal development books? Id love to know some of your go to books. Please share below !!

Hospital Bag Must Haves, Round Two

Want to know whats in my hospital bag this time around? Well nothing yet because I haven’t packed!!! But I will be doing that soon and leaving my bag in my car. I had packed my nag for Brody but since my water broke early it was in the car yet ( neither was the car seat! ) So this time around I’m thinking I should prepare a little sooner . Below are my hospital bag must haves for baby number two. I’m sure I’m forgetting something , Id love to hear what you brought! Comment below things I need that I’m missing.

Hospital Bag Must Haves, Round Two

clothes for me and baby. Newborn and 0-3 months. Luckily with Brody I threw in a newborn outfit last-minute because he was too small to fit into 0-3 months.
shower stuff. That first shower with your own things is so good!
pineapple juice ( Pineapples are a natural anti-inflammatory that can help with blocked ducts! pineapple juice is also loaded with fiber and vitamin C )
light weight robe. I was SO hot after having Brody, the hospital felt like it was 200 degrees! A light robe is a must
lotion for hands and face , tooth-brush & paste , brush
phone charger for me and Shane
chap stick
wallet with ID & insurance card
protein bars
nursing bra ( I don’t think I ever put this on last time but I’ll pack one just incase )

My list seems small but I think that is all I am bringing. Last time I brought all sorts of after birth care items but the hospital had everything I needed so I will leave those at home this time. Am I forgetting anything?? Please let me know below!

Second Baby To Do List

Now that I’m 32 weeks pregnant and Brody came early I should probably get stuff ready! Before Brody I had plans to make some freezer meals but I never got around to it. Making some meals is definitely on my to do list this time around. Id love hear from you, what I am forgetting?! Comment below with some ideas for me, I appreciate it.

Second Baby To Do List:

finish her room. I still need to paint
wash things that have been stored. Clothes, blankets, swing cover ect
get size one diapers. Its been awhile since I bought small diapers!
clean carseat + install base ( we didn’t have it in the car with Brody because he came early! )
set up a plan for Brody while we are gone. I am hoping someone will come stay at our house with Brody & the dogs
freezer meals
pack a bag for me and Shane
set up crib ( after I paint ) and pack and play. We used the pack and play a lot with Brody, it has a seat and a changing table on top.
make sure I have enough dog food
supplies for the house. I want to make sure I have enough coffee, dish soap, tooth paste , shampoo paper towels ect. I know those things are easy to buy on amazon but its nice to have a stock pile. Plus people will be stopping by and it’s always nice to have extra coffee to offer
baby proof for when I am nursing. I need to make sure Brody can’t get into anything while I feed the new baby.
pick up some of my favorite red wine

Things I have done already

stroller set up. I have the uppa baby vista and I already have a rumble seat that come with one set of attachments. I just need to get a second set which isn’t totally necessary but does add extra room.

Ha! I haven’t done a lot ! Id love to know how you prepared for baby. Comment below and get the convo started.

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August 15, 2018August 14, 2018

Diastasis Recti, A Plan To Help You Close The Gap

You have probably heard about the “mom Pooch” but you might not actually know what it is. It could be ab separation , and the good news is there is a way to fix it!

Diastasis recti happens during pregnancy when the two large ab muscles separate due to your growing uterus. In some cases your ab muscles go back to normal once you give birth but in a lot of women they do not. Diastasis recti is very common and often called the mom pooch. If you do have an ab separation ( even if your kids are older ) you can do some moves at home that can help close the gap.

Remember always check with your doctor first before adding in any of the moves from below. Also a Dr can help determine the size of your gap.

I hear from moms all the time that they can not get rid of their belly. Diet and traditional exercise will not help fix DR. You can be spot on with your nutrition and still not see the results you want if you are suffering from DR.

Check for Diastasis Recti:

First you need to check to see if you have DR. To do so:

Lie on your back with your knees bent and the soles of your feet close to your butt.
Place your hand on your abdomen with your fingertips flat at your belly button, fingers facing downward.
Gently push your fingertips into your abdomen while rolling your shoulders off of the floor, keeping eyes looking up
Here is where you will feel for a separation between your ab muscles. A 2-2.5 finger gap or more signals diastasis recti.

Close the Gap

Start by doing the five moves listed below 5-10 reps per move every day for a week. Each week add 5-10 more reps in . You want to take deep breathes in and out and really focus on the muscles you are contracting . Try these moves for a month or two and then re-test your ab gab. Avoid sit ups, v ups and planks for now.

Abdominal Drawing In

Draw ins NOT suck ins. This move will safely start to engage and strengthen your ab muscles. Drawing in is not the same as sucking in, instead its done by using your inner ab muscles to pull your abdomen toward your spine. Think about using your lower abs for this move. This move is something you can do as you walk around your house, as you sit & stand, when you pick up the baby ect or you can do it lying down .

Belly Breathing

Lying flat on your back. Deeply inhale, your belly & chest should inflate. Next you will slowly exhale all the air out, drawing in your abdominal wall & hold that draw in for as long as you can ( image that you are wearing a corset) You can also do this move standing up tall. You will inhale deeply just like if you are on the ground and exhale, drawing your belly button in and up toward your spine( again image you are wearing a corset ) and hold that draw in for as long as you can

Abduction Ab Activation

Grab a resistance band and loop it right above your knees. Lying on your back exhale, draw in and engage your pelvic floor muscles while you pull your knees apart. Rest & repeat.

Draw in Rotations

With a broomstick or small pvc pipe behind your neck on your shoulders, perform the belly breathing from above, when all your air is exhaled and you are holding your breath and drawing in, slowly rotate from side to side for as long as you can .

Heel Sliders

Lie flat on your back with your knees bent , feet flat on the floor. Exhale as you engage your core and slowly slide one heel along the ground until your leg is straight. Inhale, engage your core then exhale as you bring your heel back to the start position.

There are a TON of videos on youtube to help learn how to breath correctly I highly recommend watching a couple.

Id love to hear from you! Do you have a gap? Or did you get one after having kids? I love to know if these exercises worked for you. I plan on adding them in this fall after having this baby!

Zucchini Noodle Bowls

Zucchini Noodle Bowl

These bowls are so tasty and thanks to Trader Joes ( and most stores ) , extra easy to make!! Sometimes life with Brody can be difficult , especially around dinner time!! Getting the pre cut, almost ready foods are not my fav but I do love almost anything from TJ and these things are simple and clean. So I bought some guac, already zoodled zucchini and some already pealed & cubed sweet potatoes to make life easier.

The sweet potatoes come all peeled and cut, all you have to do is cook them. I like to heat them in the microwave for about 2-3 min then add them to a skillet to make them crispy. The zucchini is these bowls are not cooked! How easy is that!! And since the guac comes already made all you have to do is mix it with the zoodles.

I like to top mine with hard-boiled eggs and tomatoes to make it a little more filling.

Zucchini Noodle Bowl

cooked & cubed sweet potato
zoodles
guacamole
salt & pepper
Optional, eggs & tomatoes

Mix the zoodles, guacamole , slat & pepper . Add the cooked sweet potatoes , and egg and tomatoes ! Garnish & enjoy!!!

More post to love

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trader joes haul

August 8, 2018August 7, 2018

Summer Toddler Schedule + My Day

Brody is 19 months now , I can’t believe how he is growing so fast! Summer can be a crazy busy time but we still like to keep Brody on some what of a schedule. I find that when we follow a schedule Brody has better days and sleeps great too. Below I talk about my summer toddle schedule + my day. We do not follow this 100% all the time! We try are hardest but things come up and we go with the flow. As long has he has some type of structure and one good nap a day he is a happy kid ( and I’m a happy mom! )

Some days ( like today ) we do our structured play at the beach! I shared a little about it on my instagram. Here is what we did .

Summer Toddler Schedule

6:00 – 6:45 am – Miracle morning before he wakes up. Brody wakes up + breakfast ( of course I wrote this last week and this week he has been sleeping till 715!!! )

– I work- Mon- tuesday- Wed- thursday 7-8am out of house Brody hangs with dad or one of his grandparents .

8:30 – 9:30 am – free play, outside time, beach if its low tide – Workout if I can

9:30 – 10:30 am – structured play, activity, more purposeful time. Sometimes we do our structured play at the beach!

10:30 – 11:15– independent play time with age appropriate toys . Brody has always been good at playing with his toys by himself.

11:30 am – 11:45 pm – outside time, free play while I make lunch

11:45- 12:20 pm – lunch then nap. Workout if I didn’t get it in earlier. Prep dinner if needed. Tidy up the house & blog work . Sometimes I nap too! Brody sleeps 2+ hours here.

2- 2:30 pm – wake up from nap and have a snack

3:00 – 5:00 pm – beach time, free play, outside time and sometimes we go for a walk or bike ride

5:15 – 5:30 pm – dinner then we sometimes play outside one last time

6:00 – 6:45 pm – bath, get on pajamas, wind down. Movie while I clean up dinner

6:45 – 7:00 pm – read books

7:00 pm – bed

After Brody goes down I clean up the house + blog work. I always pick up Brody’s toys, put the puzzles back together, set up his play kitchen ect!

Structured play ideas

Again , sometimes I switch my days around but I do try to do a different structured play activity each day. Below are some ideas that we like! Id love to hear from you, what are your favorites? Comment below so we can try them too.

Monday: ABCs, numbers , nursery rhymes , naming objects , finding objects , shapes . I made a toy out of a box with different color holes and Brody matches the colors with balls.

Tuesday: motor skills, filling , dumping, throwing while counting, shapes, stacking, play dough. We use the water table a lot here and fill cups & bowls and transfer to new cups .

Wednesday : jumping, crawl through things, follower the leader, throw pillows, build forts, climb things . He loves to throw things! We throw pillows around , throw the ball to the dogs , climb under pool noodles ect

Thursday : Art, color, paint , play dough, music

Friday : Pick one form above , sensory toys

Trader Joes Haul + What Im Cooking

This week I went to trader Joes specifically to buy some frozen meals! We are busy in the summer and dinner time has become a little stressful . We always get home from the beach right around 530 and every one is STARVING!!! Unless I have something planned dinner gets rushed or we snack too hard and don’t eat our dinner ! So I bought some frozen meals hoping it would help out. Below I shared my Traders Joes haul + what I’m cooking with it. I hope you find it helpful. Id love to hear from you and know what your must have items are when you shop there?

Trader Joes Haul + What Im Cooking

Fried rice with chicken and egg. This is a go to in our house! I love their bag of fried rice , it’s a must if you shop at TJ. I always add chicken to mine and sometimes we add a fried egg or two.

Lemon chicken with cauliflower stir fry. This lemon chicken is not our fav. Its way to lemony for me. I normally don’t buy it but they were all out of my favorite grilled chicken. It wasn’t that good int he stir fry . The stir fry alone was pretty good, not as good as the fried rice though!!

Cauliflower power bowls. I used the frozen riced cauliflower to make some protein bowls. I added chicken, sweet potatoes , avocado and tomatoes . The frozen “rice” is super easy to make!

Sweet pot toast . I have been making this almost daily! It is so good and easy to make . Try some of my fav recipes

Chicken burger ( they are frozen patties ) with corn, avocado & tomato salad

Pork tacos with the frozen cauliflower rice and salsa

Farro bowls with avocado and a hard-boiled egg. This was so easy to make and so filling! Definitely buying the faro again

Id love to know what your favorite must have items are from trader joes?! Get the convo started below .

Second Trimester Recap

I am officially out of the second trimester and into the final stretch! Below is my second trimester recap about our summer and what we have been up too!

Pregnancy. As of now I have had it pretty easy. I passed my glucose test, I have no clue how much weight I have gained but I’m going to say not a lot! I’m at the point where I go tot he doctor every 2 weeks for check ups. I had Brody 15 days early , if that’s the case again then id have this baby in late September!!! No new preggo symptoms or cravings . Most of my clothes do NOT fit me but all my sun dresses do so that’s what I have been wearing most. These last few weeks have ben HOT and humid but we spend most days at the beach so I haven’t been overly hot . Luckily no ankle swelling and I am still moving pretty easily!!

Workouts. Going really well despite the heat the last three weeks. Getting 4-5 30 minute workouts in per week plus some walks. My walks are shorter because I have to stop to pee all the time! The days we had extreme humidity I couldn’t go for walks, it was too hot!

Nutrition. Still eating fairly clean. My diet always changes in the summer with some extra ice cream. I will splurge on the real deal but I do also love the yasso bars and feel guilt free eating those . I have been eating lots of sweet potato toast with peanut butter , bonus , Brody loves it too. I also started tracking my water intake making sure I drink over 80 ounces everyday ( prob why I have to pee all day! )

Life . We moved! That was a lot of fun… We moved when I was pregnant with Brody and hopefully this will be our last move!! It has been fun setting up Brodys room and getting the new babies room ready!! Just recently I have been waking up early , like 515am. I haven’t had trouble sleeping just once I’m up that’s it, no falling back to sleep!

Brody . He is also waking up early. Normally he would sleep till about 6:45/7 but he has been getting up around 540 every day. He also just started developing some separations anxiety from me and Shane , he throws a fit when we leave him! I just started some more structured play and a new schedule for him. We have always followed a schedule since the day he was born but we are pretty flexible with it. The schedule helps us but it also helps Brody know what to expect. I will be sharing his new 18 month schedule that we plan to stick to for a while soon in a blog post! Brody did great at his 18 month check up. Shane had to take him because I also had an appointment. Brody weighs in at 22 pounds!!

Summer. Lots of beach time! Getting in as much time at the beach with Brody as we can. We try to go every afternoon after his nap. Lots of times we end up eating dinner at the beach and staying up way past his bed time!

Swell Fitness Mom

Posts

My Favorite Personal Development Books

My Favorite Personal Development Books

My Favorite Personal Development Books

Hospital Bag Must Haves, Round Two

Hospital Bag Must Haves, Round Two

Hospital Bag Must Haves, Round Two

Second Baby To Do List

Second Baby To Do List

Second Baby To Do List:

Things I have done already

Diastasis Recti, A Plan To Help You Close The Gap

Diastasis Recti, A Plan To Help You Close The Gap

Check for Diastasis Recti:

Close the Gap

Summer Toddler Schedule + My Day

Summer Toddler Schedule + My Day

Summer Toddler Schedule

Structured play ideas

Trader Joes Haul + What Im Cooking

Trader Joes Haul + What Im Cooking

Trader Joes Haul + What Im Cooking

Second Trimester Recap

Second Trimester Recap