Acai Bowls and Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats

I appreciate all the positive responses to my post last week! I think some people misinterpreted what I was saying- I am not unexcited to have a child and I know they are worth it (most days), I was more just saying it's a mental mind f-ck for someone that has a life and diet which are very controlled and centered around fitness to not be in control and to deal with body changes. But handstands are still going strong, workouts are slow, but at least I am still doing them. We did death-by-burpees on Tuesday (one burpee minute one, two minute two, etc. until you can't go anymore) and I did 17+13 which is not my best, but not too shabby for this gal lately. :) Monday's workout which was all barbell was not the same story- huge struggle. But as I have always said, a bad workout is *usually* better than none!

In other news, I am excited to head to LA this weekend to work with Girl Meets Strong and their "I Choose Strong" campaign. We are doing a free community workout, some video shoots and filming for a product they are launching with workouts, recipes, etc. to get people started and off plateaus. Matt is coming with so it's also a bonus weekend out of town to relax with him since life has been a bit chaotic lately. Woohoo! Stay tuned! 

Anyone sick of eggs? I know I get sick of the eggs/potato/avocado breakfast I eat 6 mornings a week. So on Monday mornings I try to workout at 6am so I can pick Charlie up right after school... it also means I am eating breakfast on the go and need something with carbs to replenish what I just spent... overnight oats are my go-to! If I have the oatmeal I add a protein shake to my morning for the protein aspect. If I have some time at home after my workout, or Charlie wants to help, I go with the more fun and pretty acai bowl. It would depend if I had added vanilla protein powder to the bowl or not- but here I also add a protein shake if there is none in the smoothie. 

Acai Bowls

(makes one big bowl or two smaller ones)

The idea for these bowls came from an afternoon I spent with Charlie in Birmingham, MI. A fairly expensive city where I get my eyebrows done. :) She was so good at the salon, when she asked with a smoothie I said sure and we stopped at a place we were walking past... I should have known it would be a lot of money since the menu had no prices and everything was grass-fed-organic-all natural- no added anything. So $11 dollars later my child had a smoothie and I was left thinking, what the hell? It's freakin' fruit. The most expensive ingredient in her smoothie was acai. A berry that has become increasingly popular for it's antioxidant properties. I don't know what they used, but I found acai powder (just the dehydrated fruit ground up) on sale at Whole Foods, for a steal of $25/bag. I almost choked and scrapped the whole idea for this recipe- but after pondering it I realized I was only using 1-2 tsp per batch and this bag would last me a very long time.  

You can top your bowl with whatever you want, or drink the smoothie plain. It's a favorite with Charlie. 

- 1 Cup Milk (your choice)
- 1/2 Banana
-1 Cup Unsweetened Frozen Fruit (strawberries, blueberries, etc)
- 2 tsp Acai Powder
- 1 Scoop Vanilla Protein Powder (optional)

1. Blend everything in a high-powered blender until smooth. 

If it is too thick, add more milk. 

Toppings!

- Granola- I made homemade Paleo (grain-free) granola for mine :) It is really easy and super tasty. I have multiple recipes on my blog, but I used this one: Quick/Easy Paleo Granola. 

- Unsweetened Coconut

- Honey Drizzle

- Fresh Banana

- Chia Seeds

- Fresh Fruit

Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats

- 1/2 Cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats

- 3/4 Cup Milk

- 1 Small Apple, grated

- 1-2 tsp Honey (or brown sugar)

- 1 tsp Cinnamon

- 1 tsp Chia Seeds

1. Put in a jar. Shake. Let it sit in the fridge overnight. Can be eaten cold or warm :) 

Pregnancy is Truly Humbling

I will preface everything in this post with saying that I wanted this, I wanted to have a baby, this was planned, I "knew" what I was getting into... or so I thought. 
I don't know if it was because I was so sick I just wanted to make it through days the first time around, or the fact that I didn't really workout before that pregnancy, but this pregnancy is mentally tougher than I expected already.... it has been a truly humbling and ego-checking experience. I looked at other women successfully training to the end and others who stopped almost everything immediately, I unjustly judged their weight gain or lack of...and I am now eating my words. Even though it is early, I have already realized I am not in control of what I will and will not be able to do, what I can or cannot eat, how much weight I am going to gain. Just like this is different than my first go-around, every woman's abilities during this time are going to be different. Comparison, just like in normal training, to others will only defeat you. 

Handstands still going strong

Going into this I had all these expectations of what I was going to be able to do and for how long, etc. I mean, I am ending my 14th week this week, just the end of the first trimester, I should still be able to do pretty much everything, right? I would be hardly showing at this point which should translate into my body feeling normal, right? Nope. Wrong. I am panting after what would normally be "nothing," my bladder is out of control, I am leaking who knows what from who knows where, my pants are already tight, my diet is something I don't recognize, and this little parasite has sucked the last drop out of any energy I had. 

4 weeks vs. 14 weeks

I drank my 6-pack

This pretty much hit me hard yesterday, right in the gut, literally- like so hard I left the gym in tears when I had to scale a workout for the first time because I couldn't do five reps of a movement in a WOD anymore- bar muscle ups, something I have gotten decently good at, something I like doing, a high level skill I wasn't ready to give up this early. When I did my first couple I could already tell my form was off, I was hitting my abdomen/chest too hard for my comfort level and no movement is worth my safety or the safety of my little parasite. Don't get me wrong, I scaled early on in CrossFit, still scale when the programmed weights are out of my reach, and there is nothing wrong with scaling to progress or get the benefit from the workout, but yesterday when I had to scale because I can no longer do something I used to be able to do hurt my ego, a lot. 

Strict MUs... hanging onto them still

I don't know how to phrase how I am feeling at the end of this first trimester other than it sucks worse than I thought mentally. It is hard to get out of "competition mode" and watch everyone I used to compete with continue to improve while I am panting from running 200m and can no longer keep up. It goes through my head that it is only the first trimester and I am already having trouble catching my breath and recovering- how am I going to do this as I get bigger? It's hard to watch my abs, the 6-pack I dieted and worked so hard for after having Charlie, change into what looks like I now drank a 6-pack and have a beer gut. I understand it is all for a good reason and I am growing a child, it is just harder to swallow than I thought. I have never used Charlie as an excuse and have always put a lot of pressure on myself to be the best I can be at whatever I am attempting to do despite my time constraints and other responsibilities- I honestly do more in an hour or less than lots of people do in two hours at the gym. I feel like losing skills and strengths already "just" because I'm pregnant is seen as an excuse to others and in my mind. 

Thrusters at body weight- so hard, but I'm trying

The unknown is scary- was that my last ever bar muscle up yesterday? Will I ever look like that again? Will I be able to handle training after this incredible thing my body is doing? I know me and I know I'm not just going to roll over and give up...I have incredible friends, family and a husband who reminds me I do more than most and it's ok to take a step back. Pregnancy is not a competition you can train for. I am going to write out my feelings in this, get my head on straight, maybe cry because, well, hormones, and just do what I can, as much as I can, and know that I have the support system to make a comeback.

Fruit... I love fruit.

To end on a more positive and funny note I have decided that the first trimester is like being a toddler... here's 10 reasons why...

1. I like foods one day and can't even look at them the next
2. I am irrational and you can't argue with me
3. I cry when I am frustrated, sad, hungry, tired, because you look at me wrong, or for basically no reason 
4. I need daily naps and am grumpy and emotional without one
5. I pee, a lot, and the urge comes out of nowhere
6.  I like carbs, all the carbs in the world- goldfish crackers, plain bread, veggie straws, fruit, etc.
7. I like to be cuddled or I don't want to be touched... you won't be able to tell what I want and I don't even know what I want
8. I don't like to wear pants- they constrict me and I loathe them
9. I can do something, like cook, but then I get tired and don't want to clean up my mess
10. I need new clothes by the season because I have outgrown what used to fit

Here we go second trimester... bring it...just please don't be like a teenager...

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup and Other Fall Favorites

Ahhh fall. One of my favorite times of the year here in Michigan. I know it doesn't last long and soon we will be in winter, but for now I am going to enjoy the leaves changing, the cider and donuts, the weather that only requires a sweatshirt and all the other "fall" activities. We went apple picking earlier this year, which meant we got to have all the honey crisp apples we wanted... what are honey crisp? Only one of my favorite eating apples that is soooo expensive in the store. Although my grandma made pies and applesauce with macintosh, honey crisp in my lunch has been such a treat. Charlie has a blast taking a bite of every apple she found and running through the rows of trees. Childhood memories at their finest. I couldn't be happier. 

I recently attended a friend's babyshower which inspired this recipe because they served soup and sandwiches and the one soup was so delicious I just had to try and copy it. Picking out her present before the shower also got me excited for my own little one. I don't have a lot from Charlie because I left it all with Charlie's dad. And by don't have a lot I mean I have nothing... none of the swings, seats, high chairs, blankets, burp clothes... nothing. But we will get stuff slowly but surely and now that I am feeling like myself again the excitement that didn't happen much with Charlie due to sickness is a good feeling. My workouts are back on track and I am ready to get my diet back. This soup turned out better than I thought...and there is not a lot more fall than using squash in soup. Not to mention since it is in season it is cheaper!

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

- 1 Medium Butternut Squash (about 2.5lbs), peeled and cubed 
- 2 Apples, peeled and diced
- 1/2 Sweet Onion, chopped
- 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 2 tsp Fresh Grated Ginger
- 1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1/2 Cup Pureed Pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
- 3.5-4 Cups Chicken Stock (or vegetable)
- Salt and Pepper

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

1. Peel and cube the squash. Place on a cookie sheet with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast 20-25 minutes. 

2. While the squash is roasting, prep the rest of the vegetables. 

When the squash has about 8 minutes left, heat some olive oil over medium heat in a large dutch oven. Add the onion, garlic, apple, and ginger. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and saute until the squash is ready and the onions are translucent and the apple is breaking down. 

3. Add the squash, 3.5 cups of stock, pumpkin and spices. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer 20 minutes or so. 

4. Depending on how you like the texture of your soup, use an immersion blender right in the pot and puree the soup until your desired consistency. If you like a smoother soup, puree it in batches in a blender. Taste for salt and pepper. Add the extra 1/2 cup of stock if it seems too thick. 

Since you have extra pumpkin in the can you opened for the soup, here is another idea!

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

- 1/2 Frozen Banana
- 1 Cup Milk
- 1/4 Cup Pumpkin Puree
- 1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Honey (optional)
- 1 Scoop Vanilla Protein Powder (optional)

1. In a high-powered blender, blend all of the ingredients until smooth. Top with a bit of whipped cream, more pumpkin pie spice, or a dash of cinnamon. 

We also made pie like my grandma... no measuring required :) 

and applesauce to go with pork chops. 

 no blender, I like the chunks :)