What We're Loving Wednesday | My Favorite Blogs

I really love blogs.  Not only writing my own but reading others as well.  Writing this blog started as a way to share what was going on in mine & Jake's life as we were wedding planning and life as newlyweds, since I have a lot of family out of town/state and I could keep everyone in the loop very easily.  Now it's adapted into sharing updates on Ryleigh and other random things going on in our lives.  But mostly Ryleigh.  Cause she's the cute one everyone cares about anyway ;)

I love reading blogs, especially good "mommy blogs" because they give good ideas and some comic relief, and they help you realize that everyone has tough days [like when you're trying to pump in the morning and you hear a diaper explosion happen....] but everyone also has really great moments that make it all worth while.  These are ones I read on a daily basis:

3 Ladies & Their Gent
Amber is a young momma of twin girls and married to her firefighter husband.  She shares stories and photos of her adorable girls, and also some great baby food recipes and toddler eating ideas.  She is a registered dietitian so you can trust that her recipes and toddler meal plans give a nice, balanced diet.

Little Baby Garvin
Jessica is a momma of two girls, Harper and new little baby Eloise.  I think she can be credited with being one to start the chalkboard pregnancy update craze with her cute designs while she was pregnant with Harper.  She is refreshingly open and down to earth, and even her shortest blog posts are entertaining.  I love all of her fashion and decorating ideas.

Mix and Match Family
Shay Shull is the sister of Sean Lowe from the Bachelor.  This is her family blog, I also follow her foodie blog [info below].  She has two adorable kids and shares about everyday life with them and her hubby.  They are travel agents, so she shares stories of their trips and travel ideas for lots of fun places.  They are also currently going through the foreign adoption process so she has started sharing a little bit about that, although she's not giving tons of details until they bring their new daughter home, for privacy. 


And of course the designer in me loves some home décor blogs:

Bower Power
Katie is a wife and a momma to her three little boys.  She and her husband are very into DIY projects so her blog is mostly about that, while mixing in stories of her boys in between.  She is humble and sarcastic and always finds a positive outlook on things.  I wish I had her drive and planning skills to slowly tackle house projects.  I just get overwhelmed with my ideas and never get around to anything.

Tiny Talk
This is a party planning blog from Tiny Prints [a Shutterfly company].  I love seeing their ideas!



And I love, love, love this food blog:
Mix and Match Mama
This is Shay's foodie blog, and the best food blog I've ever found.  Her recipes are amazing and she has a ton of them.  We have tried so many and they have all been delicious...to name a few favorites: Lemonade Pie, S'mores Cookies, Chicken Pot Pie, Caramel Apple Cider Bundt Cake, Crockpot Chicken & Dumplings and the list goes on.  What I love about her recipes are that (1) her apps, dinners, and desserts are all fabulous. Sometimes a source is only really great at one of those categories, but you can get them all from her! (2) they are pretty simple.  You can easily find quick options for a weeknight dinner or last minute dessert to bring somewhere. 



 

 

You are what you Eat!

So true.  I took a nutrition class in college and there is one lesson that will forever stand out in my mind.  My professor had glass jars filled with yellow colored liquid.  Each jar was labeled with a common food item..."2 slices of Cheese Pizza", "Snickers Bar", "5oz Chocolate Ice Cream"...pretty much all foods that I ate on a somewhat regular basis.  Then she explained that the liquid in the jars represented how many ounces of fat were in that item.  YUCK.  One of those I think I just threw up a little in my mouth kind of moments.  Now, while I have to say I do enjoy the occasional piece of dark chocolate or some Coconut M&M's, I have been able to pretty much avoid all other forms of candy since.  I also just try to not buy snack items that I know I will not have the will power to avoid if it's in the house.  A great example would be sweet tea--if there's a gallon of it then I will drink every drop until it's gone, but if I just don't buy it, then I always opt for water.  Ever since being diagnosed as hypoglycemic in high school I've cut out all soda and never really been tempted to drink it again.  I have a huge love of ice cream, but now if I buy it I always go for the "Slow Churned" option from Edy's which is 1/2 the fat, or some sugar free frozen yogurt with cut up fruit [kiwi, strawberry, pineapple, raspberry] for sweetness.  Especially when I'm really into a workout regimen, I try to get creative with finding healthy meals and snacks that will still satisfy...and ways to work in chocolate :)  Here are some of my favorites right now:




Breakfast Smoothies | Lean Cuisine Spinach & Artichoke Dip | Tribe Spicy Red Pepper Hummus
| Quaker Popped Quakes - Cinnamon Apple | Yoplait Greek 100 Cal Yogurt |
Bananas | Snack Pack Fat Free Chocolate Pudding | Special K Savory Herb Crackers
 

 

For breakfast smoothies, I still follow this recipe.  I like to vary the options with different fruits, flavors of yogurt [vanilla, strawberry, key lime pie, chocolate, toasted coconut] and sometimes I will add in an instant coffee pack. 


So, if this has you in the mood to pick up some of these items next time you're at the grocery store, or just thinking about healthy snacks you love, here is a nice little meal planner printable that I've created.  I like to think about my actual meal plan for the week so that I don't end up buying a bunch of extra items that either go to waste or get lost in the back of the pantry closet for months.  There is no space for lunches on here because I usually bring dinner left-overs or a quick Lean Cuisine to work:

Enjoy!


XO, Stacey