Making the time...

{wall clock, uncommon on etsy}

One question that I get asked often is, "How do you find the time to exercise with three boys?"  That's a good question.  How does any mom find the time to do anything for herself?  What with the piles of laundry, the sink full of dishes, the dusty furniture, the drop-offs, the pick-ups, the meals to be made.  Not to mention the moms who go to work full or part time on top of all that.  

So, how do we find the time?  Let me rephrase that question, how do we MAKE the time?  We make the time to do the things that are important to us.  We make time to prepare healthy meals, to read to our kids, to make morning coffee (important, right?).  On the other hand, the things we need to find time for tend to get put on the back burner (read: laundry, dusting, etc...).  At least this is the way MY mind works.   Yes, cleaning the house is very low on the totem pole for me!

What I'm getting at is, if you are serious about your health and being fit you need to MAKE time.  How.  Here is what I do, the busy mom of three.

1.  Get up early.  I admit, I don't do this often.  I cherish my sleep.  But sometimes you need to leave your comfy bed comfort zone.  On one of the days on the weekend I'll get up at 6:20 and go for a run.  I'm usually done before my brain realizes what I just did.  Once I'm done I feel so accomplished and I can tackle the rest of my day.  Workout done.  When I do it:  When my husband is home and everyone is still asleep.

2.  Make a date with a friend.  No one likes to be stood up.  Make yourself accountable and show up.  Plus, working out with a friend makes it fun and before you know it you're done with your workout and caught up on the latest gossip.  What.  When I do it:  On a weekend or afternoon when my husband is home.  

3.  Make it quick.  A workout does not have to be very long.  All you need is 30 minutes.  Make it count though, a quick workout should have some intensity.  When I do it:  Naptime.

So, that's what I do.  Obviously my husband plays an important role in this.  He is very supportive and I am thankful for that.  When he is away for longer periods of time (military) I will rely heavily on #3.

Tell me, how to you MAKE time to exercise?

Baked Corn Tortilla Tostadas

I got this recipe from my beautiful cousin, Celaine.  She has had amazing success with Weight Watchers and I am so very proud of her.  One day on Facebook she posted a picture of these tostadas and I knew I had to make them.  They are so fresh and crunchy and healthy (and if you're counting points on Weight Watchers, they are only 8 points according to Celaine)!

This recipe is for one serving, so just multiply it by the number of people your cooking for.

You will need:

2 corn tortillas
1/2 cup cooked and smashed pinto beans
1 cup chopped lettuce
4 oz cooked chicken breast (I baked then shredded mine)
2 tbsp guacamole (smashed avocado with salt, pepper and lemon)
1/4 cup salsa (I made some using my new Magic Bullet) :)

To Make:

This is really easy! Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Brush your tortillas with a little bit of oil on both sides. Put them in the oven for about 10-15 minutes, depending on your oven and how crispy you want them. Make them crisp enough to hold all the goodies you'll put on later. While the tortillas baked, this is when I made my beans and guacamole, I already had chicken and salsa from another night.

Once everything is ready, just add half of the above ingredients to each tortilla. Super easy and really yummy! Enjoy! And thank you Celaine for the recipe :)

Oh, and this recipe (two baked tostadas with all the fixin's above) is only 385 calories!

Fresh Eats

Simple ingredients:
2 oz hummus
1/2 avocado
6 slices cucumber
1/2 cup spinach leaves
lemon juice to taste
salt and pepper
wheat bread

Easy to make:
Mash the avocado and mix with the hummus, lemon, salt and pepper.  Spread on the bread, add your spinach leaves and cucumber.  That's it! Enjoy :)

Better Time Than Any

{ Artwork by Virginia Kraljevic on Etsy } 

Just when you think you can't...

{ handwritten and manipulated in Photoshop by me :) }

Printables!

I've gone and done it.  I just opened another Etsy shop!  That makes three.  Crazy?  Maybe.  But, I just couldn't help myself.  I've only added one item so far, but plan to add many more useful, and pretty, printables.  Like this one...

What do you think?  I plan on adding printable menu planners and shopping lists, too.

What else would you like to see that would be useful to your healthy lifestyle?