GOTR: Mason Jar Salads

Whats on the menu for lunch today? I'm in love with these mason jars - I use them for everything from my breakfast oatmeal, to smoothies, to perfectly portioned salads. They're adorable, durable, and best of all reusable.

I don't work in an office anymore so there isn't much need to pack my lunch these days, but I am on-the-go more often than not so these perfect salads in a jar work well with my schedule. And aren't they cute? There are also so many options when it comes to salad that this makes the ideal lunch for moms and school age kids alike. A mason jar, unlike Tupperware, will seal in all of your ingredients with a spill proof affect that will keep your food in place until ready to eat.

I feel its so important to introduce salads to your children when they're young so they're more likely to eat them as they get older. The best part is - a salad can be any combination of vegetables & dressing to your liking! The options are endless and once you find your family's style and taste preferences you'll be packing them weekly. Salads are such a wonderful, and healthier, alternative to a sandwich.

Think about packing one for after school when your child is hungry before or after a sports program. Here are some of my favorite Mason Jar Salads I have found on Pinterest. They're nutritious and delicious - I encourage you and your GOTR girl to try one today! Let me know what you think!

I personally would omit the meat and always use vinaigrette dressings..just as an FYI :)

Photo courtesy of All Parenting

Cobb Mason Jar Salad by Rachel Voorhees (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 8 tablespoons red wine vinaigrette, Ranch or French dressing
• 2 cups iceberg lettuce, chopped
• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
• 2 cups chopped tomatoes
• 4 hard boiled eggs, sliced into circles
• 2 cups crumbled bacon
• 2 cups chopped avocado (tossed in lemon juice to prevent browning) 
• 4 tablespoons green scallions, finely chopped
• 2 cups iceberg lettuce, chopped
• 4 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese

Directions:

• All ingredients are listed in layering order.
• Divide all of the ingredients evenly among four Mason jars.
• Shake to coat salad items with dressing and enjoy!

Photo Courtesy of The Daily Muse

Greek Chickpea Mason Jar Salad by Kate from Cookie + Kate (Serves 1)

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• Squeeze of lemon juice (the juice of 1/4 of a small lemon)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
• Small handful cherry tomatoes, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 8 kalamata olives, chopped
• 2 tablespoons red onion, chopped
• 1/2 roasted red pepper, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• Crumbled feta (optional)

Directions:

• All ingredients are listed in layering order.
• Divide all of the ingredients evenly among four Mason jars.
• Shake to coat salad items with dressing and enjoy!

Girls on the Run Newsletter Week 9: http://www.girlsontherun.org/

My Personal Blog: Choices: Nutrition.Life.Love.

Happy Anniversary!

Happy 7th Wedding Anniversary to my Amazing Husband!

What seven years of wedded bliss has brought us:

• 2 Moves
• A Perect New Home
• 3 Beautiful Children
• Numerous Family Trips/Vacations
• Tons of Great Memories
• Lots of Laughter & Love!

When I think back to our wedding day I have nothing but wonderful memories. Choosing to get married in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware couldn't have been a better backdrop to hosting all of our family and friends on such a special day...or should I say weekend. Still, to this day, I think its the best wedding I've ever been too - but I'm probably just biased. You have made me the happiest girl on Earth throughout these years and I cannot wait to spend many more right by your side! 

Held by the Guiness Book of World Records, the oldest living couple on Earth is Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher of North Carolina. They were interviewed this past Valentine's Day about their marriage and what has kept it so successful.These were their words on the best piece of marriage advice they had ever received: 

Respect, support & communicate with each other.

Be faithful, honest & true.Love each other with ALL of your heart

I love it! I couldn't have said it any better myself! I don't think anyone goes into marriage with the intention of it failing, but what I do know is you have to work at it. I love being married to you. Life certainly brings the unexpected and I plan to have you by my side every step of the way. All My Life.

~ Kiki xoxo

My 10K Training Schedule

For those of you who were interested, below is the training schedule I followed (to the best I could) throughout the weeks leading up to the race. I believe its important to stick as closely to a training program as much as possible - that's what its designed for. There is likely to be setbacks and obstacles in your way with your schedule, but don't let that discourage you.  If you need to, take a day off to rest and get right back to it the very next day! Don't stress yourself out, this should be fun.

Note: I couldn't figure out how to make the chart prettier. But you get the gist :)

From the beginning of my training process I used an iPhone App called Map My Run. I found this application extremely helpful in tracking my runs and my progress - calculating pace, distance, routes, etc. It is so user friendly and I would highly recommend this to anyone starting out. After your first few runs you get a good idea of your natural pace which helps you determine if you want to stick to that or speed up/slow down throughout your run.

My Personal Training Tips

1. Get a Plan - I just happened to Google a training plan for a 10K and modified it (chart above) to what I enjoy. I like being active everyday so those "rest" days in the first few weeks were more of weights or light walking for me.
2. Grab a friend - I truly enjoy the time I get to work out alone, but having someone to run alongside on race day was something I didn't think twice about. It helps you stick to your goal!
3. Proper Attire is Key - Not only is it important to choose comfortable workout attire, but also to make sure its weather appropriate. Good running shoes are essential - and they don't have to be expensive. Just make sure you have trained in the shoes you'll be running in..or you feet might regret it.
4. Stay Hydrated - Not one tip is more important than this one, in my opinion. Staying hydrated will keep you from getting fatigued and keep cramps at bay during the race and will also keep your focus off unexpected hunger. Proper hydration is so key!
5. Stay Healthy- This should be a no-brainer and hopefully by deciding to start training for any type of race you've already jumped on the health bandwagon - good for you! I highly recommend daily vitamins & supplements to boost your immune system and recharge your overall health.
6. Have Fun - Simply put, enjoy yourself. This shouldn't be grueling. Make small goals for yourself  and what you know you can handle. The reward will come on race day when you cross that finish line - I promise!

Mama & Baby Love - You'll Love her Too!

So my baby girl ended up getting sick a few times in the middle of the night last night and ended up sleeping in our bed. In order to make sure she was OK and comfortable we let her watch her favorite cartoon until she was comfortable enough to fall asleep on her own - which took some time. So what does every mom do while up in the night - why go on the Internet, of course. Unfortunately all I had was my phone to browse on, but it didn't matter...I was hooked on a fellow (and way more experienced) bloggers site. I've mentioned her before in previous posts, but if you've never paid attention I recommend you do now. She wrote a wonderful book, which I own, about Slow Cooker Freezer Meals. Its simply wonderful!

This caught my eye instantly. It was from M & BL's website. Think about it.

Click here to view more details

Her name is Stephanie and she has a masterpiece of a site called Mama & Baby Love. She covers everything from motherhood, to healthy eating, to yoga, to chronically her recent move to Southern Florida. She is so inspirational and you wonder how she does it all- but like every mother, she works very hard and prioritizes her time. Although I'm a huge fan of her Real Food eating method and farm raised food, I came across an article at about 1 am last night I couldn't stop reading. It was her bearing it all for the sake of making every mom out there accept who they are and not be so hard on themselves for not spending countless hours at the gym everyday. Now, she does explain that she works very hard at healthy eating and living a healthy lifestyle (which I couldn't agree more with), but she also expresses how little "gym time" she takes for herself. This is so important for everyone to read - There are so many ways you can easily incorporate exercise into your day without having to trek off to the gym. Her article,  Workout Just 3 Hours a Week and Be Slim & Healthy, has something in it for every mom. Believe me, I'm a gym go-er myself and sometimes its what I need for my own sanity..and she couldn't agree more. But her focus is to draw your attention to the importance of eating healthy so you don't have to spend those hours burning it off on an exercise machine. Genius, right?!

Furthermore, her comments on Cod Liver Oil & Weight Loss caught my eye and I certainly agree to adding a fish or cod liver oil to your supplement regimen. Please take some time to check out her website -I promise you won't be disappointed. I don't know Stephanie, personally, but you're easily drawn to her through her words and experiences. I just love her! I guaranteed you'll be just as hooked as I am!

Mommy Lifesaver #5: Good Nite Lite

Like most parents, I have had trouble with my children waking up at all hours of the night. The worst offender being around 5am when they think its morning and time for breakfast. Thats just way too early for me! After a few nights in her new big girl bed, my daughter Grace (2 1/2 at the time) had realized that when she woke up she could get out of bed to come see mommy and daddy. Although very self-sufficient, waking up at 5am was not mine or my husbands idea of a good start time to the day. And frankly, Grace was still tired too. Still being so little, the thought of teaching her to tell time was out of the question - thats when I found the Good Nite Lite. Its one of the greatest mommy lifesavers I have ever purchased...and I still stand by it to this day!

Out of package. Not plugged in.

The Good Nite Lite is a small plug in night light for your child with no digital time to read on it. It has a combination of a Sun & Moon on the face and when its night time the moon lights up in blue and when its morning the sun lights up in yellow. The parent sets the timer - so we did 7pm night time and 7am morning time. This was my kids schedule so it worked great for us (tweak it to your own routine) and we did this up until she could read a digital clock. We then passed it on to my now 3 year old....and it worked like a charm.

I have recommend it to numerous parents over the years and I don't know anyone that was disappointed.  Obviously, your child is going to go through phases of sickness, nightmares or bathroom accidents that will cause their sleep to be disrupted, but I have found that this night light has saved us some valuable sleep time - on both the child and parent end. I urge every parent out there to check it out...you might just gain a few extra moments of sleep!

GOTR: Avocados are Awesome

Happy Tuesday!

Today I have to share my love of avocados - the most versatile fruit in my opinion. It may seem a bit silly to say, but I love avocados for so many reasons. I buy them every week and use any excuse to make them a part of my meals. My kids love them too which makes it easier and the nutritional value they add is certainly beneficial to your overall health.

To pick the perfect avocado you do a touch test. When you lightly squeeze it, the skin should give you a bit of a give. If its overall squishy - its too ripe. If its hard, its not ready to eat. Pick up a few and serve 'em up!

As I've mentioned before, I'll put avocados in just about anything - smoothies, salads, sandwiches  guacamole, or simply plain. They are low in calories and rich in healthy fats and fiber. When added to smoothies it helps gain a smooth consistency without too many added calories. For salads, dice it up and use less dressing. I also replace condiments such as mayo or mustard on sandwiches with smooth avocados and I think its even more delicious! Guacamole is a staple in my kitchen and even my baby asks for it - its pretty funny.

My Homemade Guacamole Recipe:
With guacamole, everything is to taste. So however you like it - onions, tomatoes, lime juice - go for it! For parties I use all of the ingredients below because mainly adults are eating it. For our family dinners I use only the top three ingredients, along with the onions, because that what my kids will eat. Try out different versions for your family and see what they enjoy. I believe there is a guacamole recipe out there for everyone!

Ingredients
2-3 Ripe Avocados
2 Tbsp Minced Garlic
Sea Salt
Fresh squeezed Lime
Diced Onions (optional)
Fresh Salsa (optional)

Directions
Dice avocados and place in large mixing bowl and mash (I use a potato masher). Add next 3 ingredients to taste and then any additional optional ingredients to your liking. I found this video on Real Simple that will help you understand how to easily dice and peel an avocado. Get your kids involved - making guacamole is one of my 5 year olds favorite things to do in the kitchen.

Serve with tortilla chips, pita chips or even carrots and sliced peppers. Its really that easy and is always a crowd pleaser!

For more information on the benefits of avocados, check out: http://www.avocadocentral.com/

Girls on the Run Newsletter Week 8: http://www.girlsontherun.org/

My Personal Blog: Choices: Nutrition.Life.Love.

Road to 10K: We Did It!

...and I stress we very hard. I could not have done this without my beautiful sister by my side. Although we live far apart and didn't train together, we signed up to run the actual race with each other - and wouldn't have had it any other way. I highly recommend always having someone to run with...it definitely makes it easier. Luckily her and I run the same pace!

Note: We started in the second wave so the finish time isn't accurate.

The morning was beautiful and we only had a slight bit of anxiety, never have running in a race before (other than smaller charity runs throughout the years). We started off with confidence and said all we would do is stick together and keep on running no matter what! I don't have official race results, but by the looks of it we kept a 8:50 min pace and finished around 50 min. We were extremely proud of ourselves. Its not easy finding time to do things for yourself, but this race was important to me. I couldn't have been happier I did it!

With the tragedy in Boston this past week, I couldn't help but be emotional towards the end of the race. Knowing my family was waiting for us at the finish line, I kept thinking of those Boston Marathon runners who were approaching their own finish line coming up on that awful catastrophe  Not even being able to comprehend what could have possibly be going through their minds at the time, I got a tear in my eye. God bless all of those emergency personal who were right there to help, along with the heroic civilians who put their own lives at risk to help others.

Completing this race was important - as a mom, wife, sister, daughter, and even woman. Its necessary to make yourself a priority every once in a while. And not to loose yourself in your family, work, and day to day life. I don't think of it as being selfish, I consider it making me a better person. I'm happier when I get to take time for myself - feeling almost "normal" again and not so consumed by the world of homemaking and motherhood.

I look forward to signing up for another run - hopefully soon! Thank you for all of the kind words of encouragement throughout this process. Its been so amazing!!