As life gets busier and busier I'm so thankful for Mathis who allows me to slow down, put my phone down, and enjoy life as mom. Finding balance is hard but it made me realize how precious time is especially as a mom. I don't have time to waste and I need to be on top of things which has been great for my business. So many exciting things to come which I cannot wait to announce!
xoxo
These days it's hard to make meals and I find myself snacking or needing an afternoon pick-me-up. Food is an interesting subject for me since being pregnant. I went from being vegan before I got married, then vegetarian, and then during the middle of my pregnancy I started eating red meat (for the first time in my life-- I grew up vegetarian). Now I'm back to trying to be vegan/dairy free with the occasional fish/chicken meal. SO with all that being said my diet is ever changing and I'm trying to get off my carb/sugar binge from no sleep.
Ginny Bakes is a healthy alternative to satisfy my afternoon sugar cravings. The cookies are made with all organic ingredients and they are gluten free. They have a great variety of flavors from pistachio + cranberry to oatmeal chocolate chip. They come in the bigger packages and the snack size mini bags. You can find them at Whole Foods, Earth Fair, Fresh Market, and even Publix.
I paired them with my delicious homemade almond milk that I started making every week. I make a ton so I can put it in my coffee, oatmeal, smoothies, or just drink plain. I also got Ellie's Best 12x12 milk bag that has been a complete life saver. I was using coffee filters and that literally took FOREVER. So this bag allows me to make the almond milk in less than 10 minutes.
Almond Milk Recipe:
High Speed Blender (I use my vitamix and love it)
8 cups filtered water for the milk
4 cups filtered water for soaking almonds
2 cups of raw almonds (I got this bag off Amazon)
Pinch of sea salt
4 dates
Milk Bag (Ellie's Best 12x12)
Milk Jug (2 quart Milk Bottle)
Almond Milk Directions:
Soak 2 cups of raw almonds in 4 cups of filtered water over night. I just put the almonds in the water before I go to bed and leave them in there until late morning when I get around to making the milk. I make it in two batches so I put one cup of almonds in the blender with two dates, a pinch of sea salt, and 4 cups of water. I blend on high for about a minute. Then I strain the milk through the milk bag into the jug. Repeat this again and you will have 2 quarts of fresh almond milk. Keep in the fridge for up to a week.
Ginny Bakes Cookie Faves:
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Bliss Minis
Cranberry Pistachio Cookie Bliss
Special thanks to GINNY BAKES for the cookies!
Let's face it it's not always easy to have new years resolutions and to follow through. I'm barely getting any sleep from having a newborn baby boy. But he's thankfully finally over his cough and getting back on a decent sleep schedule. I haven't been so organized with meal planning and working out consistently either. So this is more of a personal post but I wanted to list out some personal goals for myself. Maybe it will help you get back into sorts before February as well ;).
1. work out at home // I need to use the weights I have here and stream online videos. I can't leave Mathis so clearly I need to come up with other options to stay fit. Here are some videos I'm going to use. Also, daily walks with him would be a plus.
2. cut out the bad stuff // I already am dairy free (due to breast feeding) but I have a sugar problem. I need to officially cut out the sugar and do something about my cravings.
3. collaborations + networking // Now that I'm completely freelance I want to reach out to different brands to do more collaborations. There are so many awesome companies out there I would love to work with.
4. daily devotions // Mike got me the Give Me Jesus Journal for Christmas and I want to use it everyday. He also got me Romans 'Be Still and Know' which I can't wait to do. I get distracted easily so these keep me organized and motivated.
5. no spend february // Online shopping is addictive. I don't want to buy any clothes or extra things during February.
6. positivity about body issues and comparison // This is hard one to share but even scrolling through instagram seeing super skinny models all the time is HARD. But you've got to love your body and not compare yourself to others because that gets you no where.
7. unplug with family // I don't want to use my phone for an hour or two while I'm spending time with my family. And I'm going to make them do the same.
8. daily morning routine // Have coffee, do a devotional, make breakfast, work out... I want to have some kind of consistency and routine to keep me focused and organized when I start my day.
9. reach out to friends // Even with my phone and laptop by my side I feel like I don't stay in touch with friends as well. I need to send more texts and reach out more.
10. date night // I want to have date nights with my husband as much as possible. It's hard with a baby but we need to love each other first so we can love him.
Whew okay that's a lot! I hope they're realistic and I can follow this. We shall see!