America's Past Time, Kiddy Pools, and Grub

This weekend was busy, busy! Steven had his first softball game with the church league he's on Friday night. I hoped to take lots of photos of him running the bases in those cute baseball pants ;), but there was nobody to keep the books so I got suckered into doing that instead! 

They had a double header. Won one, lost one. It was a fun night.

Saturday was also super busy for me, Steven, and even Huck! Poor Huckleberry's coat had gotten a little out of control and I was beginning to fear for his life. Mice could have been living in that thing! And he looked so miserable and hot on sunny days I decided it was time for his very first haircut. I told them to trim him up a bit, you know, just the excess here and there, but they basically shaved the poor guy. He looks pathetic, but I'm sure he feels much better! And he seemed happy and even smiled for the camera afterwards!!

As a reward for his good behavior, we bought him a kiddy pool, which he pretty much uses as a giant water bowl.

Also, this weekend I seemed to have forgotten that I'm eating healthy and leaving for Cabo in 19 days!!  Sigh. Ya'll, I grubbed! It was no good. (Well actually, it was delicious. But you know what I mean.) We ate out 3 different times this weekend. Three! We're terrible...

Yummy french dip from Ristrettos.

To make up for my many indulgences this past weekend, I started my morning off right with a delicious protein packed smoothie, made a strawberry spinach salad for lunch, and then made a date with hot yoga before dinner! And as for dinner, we're having these spicy baked tex-mex meatballs! (They are so good and Paleo as well as Grain and Gluten free!)

Hope you had a great weekend, too! Now let's tackle this Monday, shall we?

Mornings with Huck

Last Sunday Steven and I slept in. We lazily made our way to the coffee pot, poured a hot cup of jo and turned on the TV. 101 Dalmatians was on ABC Family. Not the animated version but the real one with all those adorable pups. You can't say no to 101 Dalmatians on a Sunday morning! Who could pass up that cuteness??

As I settled onto the couch, sweet Huck nuzzled his body as close to mine as he could and insisted on cuddles, but it wasn't long until he forgot about me and the amazing belly rubs I give and became enthralled in the movie instead. So many barking puppies and dogs! His ears were perked as he intently watched the TV screen and sometimes he would take a quick peek back at me --as if to make sure I was still watching along with him. 

I just had to snap a quick picture...

The darn pup. His cuteness is almost too much to handle. 

Hope you have an amazing weekend! Mine will be filled with baseball games, food with friends, and, of course, time spent with my 3 amazing boys!!

Healthy Tastes Good

I haven't talked much lately about my "yeast free" eating habits and thought it was time to give you readers an update! If you're new to this blog, you may not know that back in February my husband and I decide to participate in a 30 day yeast free challenge. Basically this meant no grains, dairy, sugar, or fermented drinks for 4 weeks. During that time, I lost 11 pounds and experienced many other significant health benefits (you can read about those here)! The changes to my body, both external and internal, amazed me so much that I decided it was in my best interest to extend this 30 day challenge for the next 70 or so years. This commitment resulted in my husband and I adapting a yeast free/Paleo lifestyle, and other than marrying Steven and adopting Huckleberry, this has definitely been the best decision of my life!

Almond Flour Drop Biscuits

Spaghetti Squash Pasta w/ Homemade Turkey Meat Sauce

Paleo Chocolate Cake

The most common question I get concerning the way I eat is, "how do you have the time to prepare all these healthy dishes? I hardly have time to heat up a microwavable lean cuisine!" Well, why does one have time for anything?? It's because they've made that thing, whatever it is their spending their time on, a priority.

For the first time in my life, I've decided to make my health a priority. It's not always easy, but because it's a priority it usually get's done. I turn off the TV and turn on the stove, I spend less time reading blogs (gasp!) and more time researching recipes that meet my dietary needs.

Spicy Ground Turkey w/ Butternut Squash

But with all that said, do I think this lifestyle is for everyone? Probably not. But it works for me and I think it may possibly work for many others.

Paleo Lemon Bars

To date, I've lost 14 pounds and two pant sizes. My skin is clearer, I'm sleeping better at night, and most importantly, I feel good. And at the end of the day, I think that's ultimately what I was striving for when this all began 4 months ago.

All photos are my own taken of dishes I've prepared since eating yeast free/Paleo. To see their recipes (and read more of my experience) go here!

Happy Birthday, Herschbutt!

June is Herschel's birthday month! We're not exactly sure the exact day he was born, but if our calculations are right it had to be around the beginning of June. So today's post is a little shrine to our vicious yet cuddly guy who is turning 1!!

Herschel, you were the tiniest, cutest kitten with the biggest blue eyes I'd ever seen in a fur baby! And now your a massive fluffbutt with piercing green eyes! You've grown so much! Thank you for washing Huck's face with your sandpaper tongue and keeping the mice at bay. You've turned into the most perfect addition to our little family!

Happy Birthday, Herschbutt!!!

P.S. I just learned that your name is Yiddish for "deer" ....random.

Sunshine, You Make Me Happy.

Have you ever noticed that I talk about the weather a lot on this here blog? Ever since I moved to Washington I've become kind of obsessed with it... I just really, really miss the sunshine! So whenever we get a sunny day, I basically throw all plans to the wind and simply soak up as much vitamin D as I can. And this past weekend was sunny and beautiful!

I spent as much time outdoors as I possibly could --walking Huck, doing some yard work, and simply laying out on the front lawn. 

Oh hi, Mr. Sunshine. You should stick around for a while...

Not too far from our house is a small lake. We like to walk Huck there before we hit the trails so he can cool down a bit! 

It was pretty laid back and relaxing...and sometimes, that's all you need on the weekends!

Hope you had a great weekend as well! And just an FYI, you may see less frequent postings from me on the blog as I enter into busy season here at work. But no worries! You can still stay updated on my daily shenanigans by following along on Instagram and Twitter! (Shameless plug.)