Howdy Friends,

I hope your Monday is off to a great start. Mine hit the ground running with two back-to-back classes at 9:45 AM and 11:00 AM. It was rainy and cold outside but my students still brought their A-Game!

Let's face it, we all have cravings from time to time and sometimes you just need a cookie da****! When those cravings hit, try this healthy recipe to curb your sweet tooth without derailing your healthy eating. I've shared this recipe before on the blog, but it is totally worth sharing again! I made these little bad boys yesterday, but I am reusing an old picture below (yep, I'm being lazy). These 4 Ingredient Oatmeal Cookies are easy to make and totally prego lady approved.

Baby G Update

I feel like the bump has grown a ton in the last 2 weeks!

How Far Along: 28 weeks - 7 months in normal people speak and officially in the third trimester!

Size of Baby G: Annabelle is about the size of a head of cauliflower this week and weighs approximately 2.5 lbs.

Movement: Baby girl is still a mover and a shaker. She is getting so big now you can actually see my belly move when she kicks and punches. She doesn't seem to like it very much when I sit or lie still. As soon as I stop moving, she starts wiggling all around. I think this girl is going to come out a wild one! :)

Exercise: We are still hanging in their with exercise. The hips definitely protest most days, but nothing I can't handle yet. I am still teaching 11-13 classes a week and walking every day. Even though exercise isn't the most comfortable thing in the world, I feel so much better afterwards and I know it's helping with my energy levels and is good for sweet Annabelle!

Cravings: Bring on the watermelon and a lot of it! Like I said in an earlier post, I loved watermelon before I got pregnant, but now I seriously want to eat it all the time and would opt for all you can eat watermelon buffet over a real meal any time of the day. Since I know I can't get everything I need from watermelon, I eat other things, but not by choice. :)

Miscellaneous Fun: It's that time of the pregnancy where they test you for gestational diabetes. I opted out of the normal orange drink glucose test for monitoring my own blood sugar for a week using an at home testing device.  I just wasn't a huge fan of putting all that sugar in my body at one time, and I didn't mind pricking my finger 4 times a day for a week. It has actually been super interesting to see how different foods affect my blood sugar. I turn in my readings tomorrow, but based on the chart they gave me, I think we're in the clear.

That's about all that's new on the baby front. I am definitely to the point where I am pretty much over being pregnant and sooooo ready for her to arrive!

In health,


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Howdy Friends!

It's Thursday, and we are headed to DFW tonight for the Red River Rivalry game on Saturday between OU and Texas! The game takes place at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas every year. It is always held during the Texas State Fair which is full of fried food, rides, car shows, antique tents, and so much more. E and I went when we lived in Dallas and had a blast. This will be our first time to attend the Red River Rivalry game, and I am beyond excited!

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As I packed my suitcase this afternoon, it felt incredibly weird to be packing burnt orange clothing right next to my maroon gear (we're going to a watch party for the Aggie game Saturday night). Although E has been working for Texas, who I grew up viewing as my mortal enemy, since January, I am still not used to seeing him come home in Longhorn gear. When you work for the the athletic department, they like to dress you in head to toe burnt orange as much as possible so E is pretty much used to it by now. Although, he will always always bleed maroon. Me on the other hand have pretended to be Switzerland up to this point and have only worn white to Texas events.

This however, will not fly for this game. It's pledge your allegiance or die kind of situation, so burnt orange jeans went into my suite case along with all of my other gear (I'm not quite ready for the logo yet). I must admit, I don't hate how they look with my cowboy boots. I will be an Aggie till I die, but this weekend I will try my best to muster a cheer when that "orange team" crosses the goal line. Wish me luck!

There are a lot of things that go along with football games...... cowboy boots, friends, family, rally towels, beer, driving, waking up early to tailgate, and of course tailgating food! Cookies are a must at every tailgate, but they don't have to be unhealthy or hard to make. This is one of my favorite clean eating cookie recipes that you can literally make in 15 minutes!




Ingredients:
1 large banana
1 cup rolled oats
4 tbsp PB2 powder (or 2 tbsp of regular peanut butter)
2 tbsp almond milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 packets of stevia (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a large cookie sheet.
2. Mash up the banana until it forms a baby food like consistency.
3. Stir in remaining ingredients until batter is well mixed.
4. Spoon onto a cookie sheet.
5. Bake for 10 minutes.

Allow to cool before removing. This recipe made 9 good size cookies. It would be very easy to double or triple for a larger crowd. Let me know if you give it a try.




I'm off to finish packing for the trip! I really hate packing. It's so stressful. Anyone else?

I hope you all have an amazing weekend full of family, friends, football, and great memories.

In health,

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Howdy!

How are you this evening? Can you tell the snow has totally thrown me off my schedule? Usually, I pre-write my posts the night before, and I'm just now getting Tuesday's post up at almost 7pm. I promise I will get it together soon!

Today's workout included teaching 2 yoga classes (holy chaturanga my triceps are tired) and running 4 miles. I did my run today on an 1/8 of a mile indoor track. That equals a whopping 32 laps - talk about getting dizzy! It was a nice change from the treadmill though!

When I got home today, there was a beautiful little brown package waiting for me with this guy in it! This was my birthday present from my in-laws and I can't even begin to explain how excited I am about it. Well I guess I can because I am about to tell you all about it. :)

First of all, I love the black and green exterior and the striped interior. It also has short and long straps which is a must in my book.


Second, it has a built in dirty clothes pouch. This is amazing since I almost always go straight from working out or teaching to work or school. Now everything else in my bag won't smell like sweaty clothes all the time. Ewww! :)

Third, it has tons of organizational pockets for things like your cell phone, makeup, wallet, and all of those other things that seem to disappear into the depths of your gym bag. Do you see that little silver circle in the middle? That is a ponytail ring! Now is that smart or what?


Fourth, it has a clear pocket inside for all of those other little do-dads you don't want to lose in your bag like workout cd's, your ipod, and granola bars (these are a must)! It also has a super wide opening which is great when I need to dive my entire upper body into the bag to find something. Have I mentioned I pretty much live out of my gym bag?


Any guesses on what that is? If you guessed a secret heat safe pouch for your straightener or curling iron you are right! I know, isn't that amazing! Now I don't have to sit there and wait for my Chi to cool or stick it into my bag still hot and hope my things aren't singed. They really thought of everything. But wait, there's more!


Last but not least, this bag has straps for your yoga/pilates mat! They really did think of everything! So now you probably think I'm slightly crazy for being this excited about a gym bag, but I don't really care! This bag is too cool for school and I LOVE it! Thanks to my wonderful in-laws for shipping me the ultimate gym bag!

Alrighty, I'm off to cook some dinner and make raw oatmeal raisin cookies! My mouth is watering already. I hope you all have a great night, and I will see you in the morning!

Q's and A's:
What is your favorite thing about your gym bag?
Do you live out of your gym bag as well?
What did you do for your workout today?  I always love hearing about what other people do for exercise. It always inspires me to try new things!

In health,

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According to the weatherman, the snow was supposed to lighten up today. I was really hoping I could get out and about to run some errands and stretch out my legs. However, I woke up this morning to this!


Let me remind you I live in TEXAS! What is going on here? :)

Since I am oficialy snowed in today, I had to keep my workout indoors as well. To the yoga mat I went to do a series I learned in Tara Stiles' book Slim Calm Sexy Yoga.  I added a few extra poses and more sun salutations than I could count. Let's just say my triceps will love me tomorrow.

For lunch, I was craving something warm and slightly spicy, but my options were pretty limited. I went with a southwest egg white scramble. I mixed together 4 egg whites, black beans, spinach and wrapped it all in a whole wheat tortilla. It just wouldn't be lunch without an apple on the side. ;)


I also snacked on one of these guys for dessert!

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Now, I am trying to decided if I am brave enough to follow in this persons foot steps and walk over to the apartment gym. I'm not going to lie, I am a little nervous! EEEK!


What do you think?? When I first sat down to write this post, I was going to talk about healthy eating during the Super Bowl, but then I remembered that fellow bloggers Laury and Emily had already done that for me! They are both super creative and have great recipes! Check them out at:

Laury at The Fitness Dish - 5 Menus Ideas for Your Super Bowl Party

Emily at A Nutritionist Eats - Super Bowl Food

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend, and have fun at all the Super Bowl activities!

Q's and A's:
Are you going to a Super Bowl party? Who are you cheering for?
What is your favorite party munchie?
Anybody else still snowed in?
What is your favorite snow day workout?

In health,

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Happy Friday Everyone!!

I have bulldog puppy fever big time! The day I finally get a puppy you better be ready for puppy pictures to take over this blog. Just kidding, but I really do want a bulldog puppy! :)

I love Fridays, especially when I am off work. (Who wouldn't love that?) This morning, I woke up went for a quick run and then headed out to teach a strength training class. This is another reason I love Fridays - I absolutely love my Friday strength class. Those ladies and gentlemen are amazing!

When I got home from teaching, I made a quick egg white sandwich with a side of sliced apple and peanut butter Greek yogurt dip. Yum Yum! Then it was time to fire up the oven!

In honor of National Oatmeal Month, I made some delicious stuffed oatmeal cookies. This recipe is adapted from Jenna's recipe over at Eat Live Run. I was craving traditional oatmeal raisin cookies with a splash of Craisins, however I knew chocolate needed to be involved for Eric to eat them. Since I didn't have any chocolate chips on hand, and going to the grocery store usually results in me spending way too much money, I decided to get creative. Hmmmm what could I use? I know, Snickers!


Ingredients:
1 3/4 cup oats
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup Splenda brown sugar blend
1 egg
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tbsp. Smart Balance (you could substitute margarine or butter here)
2 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup raisins
1/4 cup Craisins
1 chopped up Snickers (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Stir together all dry ingredients, minus the raisins, Craisins and Snickers.


3. Stir in all wet ingredients.


4. From here, I divided the dough in half so I could make half with Snickers and half with Raisins and Craisins. If you are just going with one version, you can skip this step and simply stir in whatever mix-ins you are using (chocolate chips, raisins, walnuts, candy, etc.)



5. Using a tablespoon, scoop dough onto a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool and Enjoy!


Since Eric is at work, I HAD  to test out the Snickers cookies before I told you to make them. They were pretty much amazing! I mean what doesn't taste good with Snickers in it? The Raisin/Craisins cookies were delicious as well. If you are a fan of peanut butter oatmeal cookies, check out this recipe I made a few weeks ago.

It is an absolutely beautiful 70 degrees and sunny outside so I am thinking a walk is in order. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Q's and A's:
What are you doing this weekend?
What's your favorite candy to add to your baking?
Does anyone have a bulldog puppy they need a baby sitter for?

In health,

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