need some new recipes?

I know I've said this before, but sometimes when you're strapped for time, it's easier to find inspiration from others than create it yourself. I've tried out several good recipes lately, and wanted to share in case you're looking for new recipes to add to your routine.

Recommended Recipes

1. Veggie Bake. Simple recipe but such a great looking dish I simply subbed sweet potatoes for white potatoes and added some bacon crumbles to the base of onions and garlic. So I guess it's not technically Veggie Bake anymore, but we all know everything is better with bacon. I just bought a mandoline. Too bad I didn't have it handy when I made this recipe

2. Paleo Cookies. You'd never think these could actually be somewhat healthy for you because they taste so indulgent. I made a double recipe of these for James a month or so ago when he went on a guys camping trip. Um, delicious. Love using coconut oil for that slight coconut flavor. Hands down the best paleo chocolate chip cookie recipe I've come across.

3. Luau Sloppy Joes. Years ago, James and I used to make sloppy joes for dinner every few months. Back then, it involved browning ground beef then dumping in a can of sloppy joe mix. Thank goodness we've upgraded a bit. This recipe is absolutely delicious. The pineapple is a great touch, especially if you top with cheese. We ate it on toasted Udi's Gluten-Free bread. Obviously this wasn't paleo, but you could make the meat and eat it plain or atop something else, like zucchini noodles.

4. James' Pineapple Chili. I know, we're crazy. The heat has been in the triple digits lately, yet we decide to make chili. All I can say is meat is neat, especially when a special contraption will cook it for you. Can we claim the pineapple makes it summery?!

5. Crockpot Ribs. I can't remember how I stumbled upon this recipe months and months ago, but it's a good one. I always sub palm sugar from brown sugar and omit the white sugar completely. You really can't mess this recipe up, unless, of course, you buy ribs from Wal-Mart, which I mistakenly did this weekend. Lesson learned.

6. Asian Turkey Meatballs. Last week, I opened the fridge looking for something to make for dinner. I saw Trader Joe's stirfry veggies and ground beef. Those didn't really seem like a great pairing, until I came across this recipe. I pretty much made my own version of this recipe, since we had no fresh ginger, cilantro, basil, jalapeno or wheat-free tamari sauce, but you get the idea. I used this recipe as inspiration, and the meal turned out quite tasty.


Recipes to try:

Anything on PaleOMG.com, but I'm thinking these two first: Mexican Burgers and Lemon Fruit Tart.

Paleo chocolate avocado pudding--crossing my fingers it's as good as the version at Urban Pl8.

I love me some coconut flour, so these coconut blueberry pound cupcakes look delicious.

Foodie Penpals
This month was my first time participating in The Lean Green Bean's Foodie Penpals program. Sarah from Missouri sent me a box of goodies. I told her that we mainly eat primal (meats, veggies, fruit, nuts, dairy), but I do enjoy a good splurge. I also mentioned that I preferred gluten-free foods.

Sarah provided quite the box of goodies. I've had the brownie mix before, and it's good, so I'm saving it for a special occasion so I don't eat it all myself :) James downed two bowls of the fruity pebbles the day I received the package--I think it's been a year or two since he's had cereal. Love the Buddy Fruits--James Michael has had them before and loves them, so I'm stashing these in my diaper bag. James was kind enough to "test" the Buddy Fruit gummies, and gave them a thumbs up for James Michael to eat in a few months.

Thank you Sarah!

back to reality

After a week at Hilton Head Island in South Carolina, I came back home to my baby daddy Saturday afternoon. James Michael showed daddy just how much he grew on vacation, now that he's eating 1.5 to 2 jars of baby food twice a day. Before we left, he was eating about two ice cubes of homemade baby food at a time, but like anyone who's on vacation, he felt the need to indulge :) In the past month, he's eaten butternut squash, zucchini, yellow squash, sweet potatoes, apples, prunes, pears, bananas and mango. He truly loves it all, and has his daddy's appetite. As soon as you put him in a high chair, he knows what's coming next and starts grunting. And the whole time he's eating, his little arms are flailing out to the sides of him from sheer excitement.

Cousin Beth brought this great portable baby chair to the beach, and JM did very well in it. We even took it with us to a restaurant the last night. It worked much better than those wooden high chairs.

Hoping this stash will last us at least a week :)

Vacation, or just time away, is good for the soul. It allows for replenishment and rest. It helps to reset your perspective and focus on the things that really matter in life. It reminds you that life is short and priorities should always be the people you care about most. Vacation allows your dreams to breathe and feel like possibilities, if only for one week.

In other news, James Michael turns 7 months old today. It's so crazy to think that it was almost a year ago when we found out we were having a little boy. And here we are today. We have blazed through the half year mark and are getting way too close to his first birthday, even though it is 5 months away.

His little personality is in full force. He absolutely knows what he likes and doesn't like, and makes his preferences very clear. He is still a very verbal baby, and amazes me with his volume at times. He has become so much more independent these past few weeks; he's happiest sitting up on the floor so that he can see what's going on around him. He notices e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g.--small noises or movements--nothing seems to escape him. He loves being around people, especially when they work hard to entertain him. He also loves kids of all ages and is mesmerized by them.

He's my heart.

you know you're at the beach when...

...after the first day, you start (sadly) counting down the days until you have to leave.

...you let your baby nap anywhere.

...ice-cream is no longer considered a treat because you eat it every.single.day.

...you think your face is tan, but upon closer inspection, realize it's just huge clumps of freckles.

...your sinuses are always clear from all that salt water that goes up your nose when a wave catches you by surprise.

...your rear end is constantly sore from riding bikes around the island.

...you blow through two bottles of sunscreen, per person.

...daily priorities consist of beach time, nap time, eat time (at least if you're a baby).

...you boycott makeup entirely.

...you realize that a vacation without grandparents would never be called a vacation.

breastfeeding, part II: 0-3 months

In case you missed them, catch up by reading the intro post and part I.

Once I settled in at home and my milk came in, things got much better. I won't say everything was easy, as I was super sleep deprived, but nursing was really very intuitive for me and James Michael. I was sensitive at first, but thankfully never had cracked nipples or bleeding. I used Lahnisol every day or two during those first couple weeks when I began to feel slightly tender, and that seemed to work for me.

Nursing Techniques
Eight months into my pregnancy, I took a breastfeeding class that Northside Hospital offered. I learned various techniques and other useful tidbits of information. I was surprised that out of a class of 10 moms-to-be I was the only one asking questions. Let's just say I definitely got my money's worth. The lactation specialist highly recommended the football hold for nursing. I tried that for the first week or two, and it just wasn't ideal for me. It was hard to get a pillow propped up comfortably, and I wasn't sure what was supposed to happen to my baby's legs, because it seemed they always got scrunched up at the back of whatever chair I was sitting in.

So I switched to the cross-cradle and eventually the classic cradle position once JM had better head control. These were the most comfortable for me, and seemingly James Michael, and it was very easy to achieve the right angle.

Another technique that many women use is side lying. We did not co-sleep with JM, as I just didn't feel comfortable doing it, though I know many women who love it. For co-sleeping, side-lying nursing is very common. For me, I chose to use this technique a handful of times in the middle of the night, mainly when I was so tired that sitting up in a chair to nurse seemed like a lot of effort (crazy, I know!) This side-lying technique ensured I relaxed my shoulders more, but it was a little more effort to switch sides and to burp JM. Often, he would fall asleep after nursing, but because we didn't co-sleep, I had to get myself up and then pick him up, which oftentimes woke him back up.

One month old

Feeding Schedule
James Michael nursed every 2.5 to 3 hours for the first two months. Around 9 or 10 weeks, he would eat every three hours except for one feeding, which he would extend to 4 or sometimes 5 hours. This stretch typically occurred right when we put him down for bed, between 7 and 8pm. Unfortunately, I was rarely able to capitalize on 5 solid hours of sleep because I wasn't going to bed at 7pm.

One of the hardest parts of breastfeeding is that feeding your baby in the middle of the night is all dependent on you. On several occasions, I told my husband I wish he had boobs for night feedings :) Even if my husband were to give JM a bottle of pumped milk, I still needed to pump during that feeding so that it didn't affect my supply. I'm sure I could have gotten away with sleeping through a bottle feeding a couple times, but I wanted to feed on demand as much as possible the first couple months to help establish my supply.

Once James Michael was two month's old, we really found our groove. We didn't have a set schedule, but I was very in tune to his cues and patterns. When he was fussy, he was either hungry or tired. We got out and about much more, and I timed errands in between his feedings. I nursed at the gym, in bathroom stalls (on a bench, thank goodness) and in the back seat of the car. My mom and I traveled to visit my sister in Bluffton, S.C., when JM was 2.5 months old and I pumped in the back seat and then fed him that bottle directly afterwards. JM was good about nursing anywhere, and I was happy to oblige.

JM 4 weeks old

Supply and Supplements
Though I'm unsure of how much James Michael was eating during his nursing sessions his first couple months, I do believe that I produced just enough for him. I've been fortunate in that I've never had mastitis and have only been engorged once, which happened the one time I chose to sleep through a bottle feeding in the middle of the night. Luckily, it went away after a few feedings and I learned my lesson that it was better to just wake up and let JM nurse in the middle of the night. I never dealt with oversupply or had to worry about wearing nursing pads, and was never self conscious about leaking while working out (even when doing dozens of burpees!). It was really a great balance.

I've read about lots of supplements out there, from fenugreek to brewer's yeast to oatmeal. But I never went down those paths, as James Michael was always satiated.

I took 12 weeks of maternity leave, so I pumped occasionally (a few times a week), but finding time and figuring out the right timing to pump in those first couple months was hard. I normally had about one bottle built up in the fridge at all times. After nursing every 3 hours throughout the night those first couple months, James would feed JM an early morning bottle around 8 or 9am so that I could sleep a three hour stretch or take two-hour nap (on the mornings that James had to be at the gym at 6am). I didn't skip that feeding, but I delayed pumping for an hour or so after JM ate so I could rest. This worked great for us, and I learned that it didn't affect my supply. This little break was just enough to keep me going during the day; I was running on little sleep, a decent amount of adrenaline and a lot of love.

While I was pregnant, I had wanted to build up a decent freezer stash, but that never happened. So I found myself pumping between feedings like a mad woman to create JM's first day of bottles only days before I went back to work. For future babies, I plan to pump from the beginning to build up my stash. But being a new mom and not used to the exhaustion or the strategy of pumping, I cut myself some slack this time.

The week before I went back to work was bittersweet. I had finally perfected that balance of figuring out JM's tendencies, a loose schedule and how to actually get stuff done with a baby. Those first three months flew by at lightening speed, and in the blink of an eye I turned into a working mom.

Stay tuned for upcoming posts on pumping at work and breastfeeding 3-6 months.

first 24 hours at the beach

James Michael surprised us all by sleeping in until 8 a.m. Saturday morning (sometimes those 5:30am nursings really do the trick and he goes back to bed)

At 9:15 a.m., we met my parents and maxed out the roof-top carrier.

And this big strong guy was excited for a road trip. 

JM took a couple good naps in the car in anticipation. He knew it was going to be a big week.

And when I asked who's ready to see the beach, his hand shot up in a split second.

We made our way out to the beach late Saturday afternoon. JM was amazed that the beach and ocean were so vast.

He sat on the beach like a pro, but insisted on gumming something. So an unopened can of sunscreen captivated him for a while.

Before going in for the evening, we hit up the 1-foot baby pool. Looks like JM will be the star of the show this week with adult attention to spare.

Once the little baby was out for the night, the adults dined on some fresh shrimp that we boiled, along with a salad with blueberries and tomatoes, both from my dad's garden.

Sunday morning, it was back to the beach. JM was still trepid of that constantly moving body of water that I called an ocean.

But by the afternoon, he made his peace and played in the tidal pools.

I'm well on my way to making him a beach baby...

chilled summer salad

Sometimes, moms really know their stuff. More than we'd like to give them credit for.

Don't forget sunscreen.
Stand up straight and hold your shoulders back.
Address all adults with ma'am and sir.
Always offer your seat to the elderly.
Never give up.
Be sure to say please and thank you.
Always do what's right, even if it puts you at a disadvantage.

And the list could go on and on.

So when my mom said, "Haley, you have to try this new salad I made, it's so good that I wrote down the recipe," I casually consented. But based on her track record of being right, I should have known that good was an understatement.

Is it a simple recipe? Yes. But there's something about the flavor combination and the chill factor that makes this a perfect summer salad. Oh yeah, and it's healthy, too.


OK Mom, you win again. In case I haven't said it lately, you still know your stuff.

Chilled Summer Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 pint grape or pearl tomatoes, halved
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 English cucumber or 3 Persian cucumbers, sliced and halved
• 4 oz. mozzarella, diced
• 1/2 cup deli ham, chopped
• 1/4 cup parmesan, grated 
• fresh basil, chopped
• balsamic vinegar dressing
• salt and pepper, to taste

After prepping first seven ingredients, add to mixing bowl. 

Douse mixture with a balsamic vinegar dressing until well coated. If you need a recipe, check out mine or my mom's below.

Then, simply salt and pepper to your preference.

Chill in fridge for 30 minutes before serving.

Balsamic Salad Dressing

Ingredients:

• 1 cup olive oil
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• Juice from 1/2 fresh lemon/lime
• 3 tbsp spicy brown mustard
• 1 tsp Italian herbs
• salt and pepper, to taste

And to further keep it in the family, my sister stumbled across a true gem on Pinterest recently. If you love to make homemade salad dressing but don't have a great container, simply reuse a coffee creamer container by removing the label. Voila!

weekend pictures

This weekend, I had planned to post on a couple different topics, but life took over and I happily succumbed to watching The CrossFit Games and visiting with family.

James headed to Colorado for a friend's wedding early Wednesday morning, and will return late tonight. I decided this would be the perfect time to try to sleep train James Michael. I plan to do a whole post on this later, but for now, I'm sooooo glad I did it. My little baby is growing up so fast and is able to go 10+ hours between feedings at night. I know that will get some hallelujahs from the working moms chorus :)

Friday night, after doing Kalsu at the gym and putting JM down to bed, I settled in with my favorite salad to watch The CrossFit Games.

With James out of town, I opened the gym Saturday morning and chose an adapted version of the Team Chipper at this year's Games.

Saturday afternoon, my Grandmother (and JM's Gigi) came to see him. She did this little trick where she lightly ran her fingers over his face. At first, he was so excited about this new trick, but after a couple minutes, it left him mesmorized and totally relaxed. I will definitely keep this trick in my back pocket!

It had been a month or two since Gigi had seen JM, and I was so glad she was able to see some of his little personality shining through.

While we were prepping a big family dinner, JM was eating his own appetizer. I bought these Buddy Fruits a while back when there were on sale at the grocery store. I offered him a pack of Apple and Banana yesterday morning, and he downed 2/3 of the pack, even though he had nursed 1.5 hours earlier. We gave him the rest last night, and you'd think the baby was constantly starving with the way he was so eager to eat it.

In the future, I plan to add some to the veggie purees I'm making him.

After JM went to bed, we enjoyed quite the tasty, colorful spread.

Brussel sprouts with butternut squash and bacon...

Chilled summer salad...

Squash chips...

Grilled then smoked salmon with pesto...

I'll be back soon with a simple recipe for the Chilled Summer Salad, created by my mom.

the perfect margarita

Since I was 21 years old, I shied away from margaritas. I think it stems from a couple experiences. I remember trying a margarita at a party in college and was not impressed with the flavors: overly sweet, overly sour, overly artifical. At the time, it didn't dawn on me that college kids make the cheapest possible drinks with the lowest-end ingredients. Also, I remember reading the label of one of those big tubs of margarita mix about 8 years ago and saw that there were 53 grams of sugar per serving!

After those two experiences, I decided to steer clear of margaritas. But within the past couple years, margaritas are making a big comeback. Many taquerias are now serving "skinny" versions without all the sugary mix. I've tried them a handful of times in restaurants, and they're refreshing, a little strong (since only a couple ingredients are used) and a lot overpriced. Most skinny margaritas I've had set me back around $10.

Over the past couple years, an unsung hero has perfected the margarita. I wish I could take credit, but I'm the first to admit I'm a horrible mixologist.

The recipe is simple, but I'd venture it's one of the tastiest versions out there. I think the true success of this recipe is in the proportions, since most people use the same ingredients for maragaritas.

On a scale from healthiest to guiltiest, it teeters right in the middle. I figure that if I'm only having one margarita every week or two, then right in the middle is ok :)

The Perfect Margarita

Ingredients:

• 1 shot tequila
• 1/2 shot triple sec or grand marnier
• 1/2 shot margarita mix (not a sugar-free mix)
• 1/2 fresh lime (juice)
• Fresca

Basically, it's quite simple. Fill a glass with ice, add first four ingredients, then top with Fresca until glass is full and gently stir.

If you've got a Tervis Tumbler, I'd suggest using it. It keeps your drink cooler, plus, no sweat.

Now, I know many of you think I'm crazy for sharing this recipe after I recently kicked off a breastfeeding series. Have no fear for James Michael :) I have my one margarita after he goes to bed, when I know it will be 7 or 8 hours before I'll nurse him again.

breastfeeding, part I: the first 48 hours

In case you missed it, read the intro post here.

James Michael came into the world a hungry little fellow. I credit this predisposition to his daddy. They say that, on average, a mother's milk comes in at 3 or 4 days postpartum. Until then, babies nurse and get a small amount of colostrum, which is rich in nutrients and antibodies, and helps babies to pass meconium.

I'm not sure if I produced less colostrum than the average woman or if it was more the wacky horomones. But when James Michael nursed the two days we were in the hospital, he seemed downright mad that he didn't end up with a full belly (despite the fact that his belly was only the size of a walnut). As a new mother, this left me frazzled and second guessing myself as to whether I could satisfy his needs. If only I could give a few words of nursing advice to myself those first 48 hours post delivery: Relax. Breathe. Rest. It will all work out. My mom, of course, tried to reassure me of this multiple times, but in the moment, I was so focused on James Michael that relaxing was the last thing on my mind.

My nurse tried to help James Michael latch on. But latching wasn't the issue. As soon as he realized all that work wasn't getting him anywhere, he stopping nursing and got upset. So I used the pump the hospital provided to try and jumpstart my milk. Many women will tell you that nursing is painful. To me, pumping before your milk comes in was the most painful part of my nursing experience.

By the middle of the second night in the hospital, as James Michael's frustration grew, I decided I would reach out to the lactation specialist the next day before we were discharged. The specialist was very helpful at reminding me that what I was going through was quite normal. She also noticed that James Michael had a slightly high pallet, and said that nursing was a bit of work for him right now. Obviously, it was much easier for him in the womb :) She gave me tips for angling him when he nursed, and also noticed that he was hungry and not satisfied by my colostrum.

So to satisfy James Michael, I did something I hadn't planned on doing at all. I gave my baby formula.

The specialist gave me this little contraption called a supplemental nursing system that basically allows a baby to take in formula while still nursing at the breast. It also helps to stimulate the breast so that you can breastfeed once your milk comes in. James Michael took roughly 20-30 mL of formula each feeding using this method, which we only used for 24 hours because my milk came in at 3 days postpartum, exactly 72 hours after his birth.

Even though he only ate one to two tablespoons at a feeding, James Michael ate the formula heartily. As much as I hated that my body wasn't providing for him during those 24 hours, his appetite reiterated the fact that I had made the right decision by supplementing.

Some alternative mamas might turn up their noses up at what I did. Others might think I'm making a bigger deal of it than needed. When it comes down to it, I did what I thought was best for my baby. He was hungry, and I was tired of making him wait it out. It was a big deal for me because I had a plan in my mind as to how I wanted things to go. But life didn't happen exactly as I had planned, and that was and is ok.

Knowing what I know today about nursing, if I could do redo those first 48 hours, I wouldn't change a thing. I would have still given James Michael formula until my milk came in.

I now understand that colloquialism "mama knows best." It doesn't matter what your family or friends think is best for your baby. Motherhood is instinctual, and you are so deeply connnected to your baby that you really do know more than you want to give yourself credit for. Trust me on this one.

By revealing my breastfeeding experiences, I truly hope that I never come off as a breastfeeding snob. There are many women out there with that attitude, and I hate how it makes other women feel inferior--including myself who actually breastfeeds. Whether a woman breastfeeds, formula feeds or does a mixture of both, ultimately, it's her decision. I think we would all see the world differently if we walked a day in someone else's shoes.

Next up: Breastfeeding from 0-3 months...

workout recap: june 24-july 7

Tuesday, June 26
Back Squat:  5x5

Team WOD:
-3 rounds of 60' overhead lunges (45/25 lbs) then 150' sled push 165 lbs
-Cone suicide rally with plates and 50 ground-to-overhead
-3 rounds of 60' overhead lunges (45/25 lbs) then 150' sled push 165 lbs

Notes: It was H.O.T this day. For backsquat, I did 115 lbs. Not great, but hey, I've gotta start somewhere. For the WOD, I was on a team with 5 guys, so I let them do the sled pushes and focused on overhead lunges. Surprisingly, my shoulders fatigued quicker than my quads. Two members from CrossFit Adrenaline judged us to prep for the Celebrate Freedom competition.

Wednesday, June 27
No workout, but my mom came up for the afternoon and we went to the pool after I got off work. I like to consider pooltime active recovery :)

Friday, June 29
Push Press: 5x5
Deadlift: 1x5

WOD:
5 Burpees
10 Wallballs
10 Burpees
15 Wallballs
15 Burpees
20 Wallballs
Row 500M

Notes: Awesome looking WOD, huh? I was so excited about doing it...until, I picked up James Michael from daycare after work and made my way to 75 North only to see traffic at a standstill. Oh Atlanta. You're really interfering with my workouts. Instead, James Michael and I went to the pool for an hour. Gotta love baby speedos!

Saturday, June 30
Celebrate Freedom, Atlanta Affiliate League

Notes:  I didn't compete, but just attending felt like a WOD when the heat tried to suck your breath away. It was a great event, and made me wish I had gotten the chance to work out more than once the past week. Read the event recap.

Tuesday, July 3
Back Squats 5x5

WOD: 15 Min AMRAP
8 Ring Rows
30 Air Squats
8 Pushups

Notes: Finally back in the gym after a full week of not working out. I did 125 lbs on back squats, and definitely felt it. Slowing inching my way up in weight again. The WOD was a doozy. Eight ring rows and pushups were nothing. The 30 air squats were tough, especially after doing back squats. Who in the world does this programming? Oh yeah, the hubby :)

Wednesday, July 4
Choose your own adventure WOD. I heart team workouts.

Friday, July 5
Push Press 5x5: 65 lbs
Deadlift 1x5: 145 lbs

WOD: 2 Rounds
5 Thrusters 85 lbs
10 Dips
15 Toes to Bar
20 Box Jumps 24”
25 Kettlebell Swings 35 lbs

Notes: I went pretty light on the lifts. I know, I know. I really wanted to RX the thrusters, and I knew I wouldn't have much left if I went heavy on the push presses. Overall, I thought this metcon was great. The hardest component for me was toes to bar. I started out doing 5 at a time in the first round, but by the second round it was sets of 3. My grip was giving out and my calluses from pullups were getting tender.

Saturday July 6
Partner WOD
AMRAP in 20 Min
Sled Push 100ft (empty sled)
20 Overhead Squat 45lbs
2 Half Rope Climbs

Notes: I was paired with Gretchen--who is da bomb. Enough said :) This was a great WOD. Because we could both be working at the same time, we opted for Gret to start on rope climbs and I start on the sled push. Then we met at overhead squats and each did 10 to complete our round. Each round, we simply swapped the rope climbs and sled pushes. We managed to eek out 10 rounds, which I was happy with, especially considering I've just recently attempted rope climbs. Thank goodness this WOD only required going halfway for the ladies. I'm still loving the partner/team WODS on Saturdays!