Today is the Day: Ready for the New Year!

I'm fairly certain that the next two days cannot go by soon enough.  Tomorrow at 5:00 will kick off the most necessary 13-day break I have needed in such a long time.  It took all I had to come into work today, and although it's pretty slow in the office, showing up is what counts at a time like this.. LOL.

2012 has been a great year, but I am so ready to see what 2013 has in store for my family and me.  The first thing on the New Year's agenda for me is to get healthy.  Why start January 1, when really, there's no better day than today.  P.S. I've said that same thing about 4 days in a row this week and have been bombarded with a Cookie Exchange at work and a platter full of deliciousness from my Mother-in-law.  Today is the day.

So with that said, I am in clean eating mode starting today.  I'm following the Tone It Up Plan: 7 Day Slim Down, and here is what I had for meal 1-- Slim Down Scramble.

2 egg whites

green pepper, mushroom and tomatoes

scramble together 

voila!

Along with clean eating, I will be incorporating running.  I've started the Couch 2 10K program a couple different times, and I've done a 10 week challenge at a local fit club... I feel like I've tried a lot of different exercise regimens, but to be completely honest, working 40 hours a week and having two children under the age of 2, along with a household to maintain, is a lot--- and I need my sleep!  Excuses?  Maybe. 

I am not someone who feels AMAZING when I wake up at the ass crack of dawn to get in a good sweat sesh.  In fact, most of the time, I feel more tired.  After work, it's freaking dark by 4:00PM, and by the time I get out of work, pick the girls up from day care, drive home, feed the baby, get Teagie a snack, start dinner, eat dinner, clean up from dinner and get the girls showers, it's damn near 8:00---AND Mama's tired!!

I'm not a runner, I never have been, but hope to someday become one! Tonight I'm planning a mile run to jump start my 7-days of running.  Stay tuned. LOL!

Weekend Wind-Down

This weekend was one of the most relaxing and comforting weekends we've had in quite a while!

It all started Friday night after my husband got home from work.  Teagan and I prepped dinner and had it sitting on the table when Lance walked in at 7PM sharp.  We made a salad that I found somewhere online-- I was thinking it was a Blog that I follow, but cannot, for the life of me, find the link to the website.  Anyways--Talk about a labor-intensive salad that is oh-so-worth-it...

We chopped. -romaine lettuce, green pepper, onion, salami, fresh mozzarella, olives, parsley, garlic
We mixed. -balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, dried basil, sugar
We combined. -the dressings with the prepped salad
We DEVOURED. -OMG, this salad was so amazing- and light and refreshing, too!

We also made some homemade garlic bread wedges to go with our yummy salad.  I wish I had a picture to show you what it looked like, or exact measurements so that you could go make some rightnow!  Seriously, DELISH!

Just waiting for Daddy to get home  :)

So, after we cleaned up dinner, we picked up the house and packed our bags to head North. We got to see Aunt Lexi get ready for prom.  Teagan insisted that she partake in the primping festivities, too!

Oh-my dear LORD!

Aunt Alexandria and Teagan looking so PRETTY!

Teagie with her Lala

Testing out the new bunk beds at Lala's

<3

A little wedding date with my hubby, 9 days before Juliana's Due Date!

Saturday, Teagan got lots of hangout time with her Lala, while Lance and I went to a no-kids-allowed wedding/brunch.  It was a very nice ceremony, but felt kind of weird to not have our Teagie Tot with us.  Teagan went to a wedding reception with my Mom Saturday night, so she got plenty of dancing and acting crazy in, while I came home and crashed on Mom's most-comfy sofa!

Because we only got one day with Lance (due to his stupid work schedule), he headed back home Saturday night, which left Teagan and I to spend our Mother's Day together with my mom!  My sister, her fiancee and their three kids came over, too.  We definitely missed my brother, but he's out in CA for work.  It was such a nice dinner.

Mother's Day Menu:  BBQ ribs, bow-tie salad, baked beans, twice-baked potatoes and a DELICIOUS trifle for dessert.  It was the perfect ending to a PERFECT weekend!  

Super Quick and Easy Berry Trifle

Ingredients: 1 angel food cake, 1 lg box of vanilla pudding, container of lite Cool Whip, 2 qts. strawberries/ other berries of your choice.

Directions: Mix pudding according to package.  Add Cool Whip.  Cut up the angel food cake into 1 inch chunks (I do it right in the package so it's not messy!).  Slice the strawberries. Create the trifle with the pudding mixture, berry mixture, and angel food cake, and continue to layer until all of the ingredients are used up!  SUPER Quick and Easy, too!!  This is always a crowd-pleaser!

*39 week prenatal appointment for sweet Baby Juliana today, and hoping some progress is being made, as I have been a complete crampy-mess since last Friday :)*

Recipe: Quick & Easy Shrimp Alfredo

Last night for dinner we had Shrimp Alfredo which is always one of my family's favorites...and SUPER easy!

Quick & Easy Shrimp Alfredo (we made ours with whole wheat penne noodles)
3/4 package of whole wheat penne pasta
1 jar RAGU Alfredo sauce (we use RAGU 50% less fat Parmesan Garlic)
1 whole zuchinni
1 whole yellow summer squash
3/4 lb cooked shrimp (we use fresh, but frozen is just as yummy)
pinch of crushed red pepper

Cook noodles according to package.  In a separate pan, sautee together the roughly chopped zuchinni & squash in garlic and olive oil until veggies are softened.  Add shrimp.  When shrimp becomes warmed throughout, add jar of Alfredo sauce to veggie and shrimp mixture.  Pour over noodles.  **For extra heat, we like to add a dash of crushed red pepper, however we omit it in our 15 month old daughter's serving.

We always try to have a serving of fruit with our dinner, so we added some strawberries with the dish.  ENJOY! :)