Baby Blender Mini Muffins

I am so excited to share these with you! I was searching for a really easy muffin recipe for Charlotte and none of them were appealing to me. She (and I) love spinach and banana so I knew I wanted those to be two of the ingredients. I also wanted to be able to put all of the ingredients quickly into my Ninja Blender that I make my smoothies in. So I have been experimenting and came up with this super-duper easy mini muffin baby recipe that is perfect for baby led weaning/table foods because the texture is spongy so not dry and crumbly. She can hold onto it easily. It sticks to her little fingers and it has big flavors that she is already used to like spinach & banana.

What you need:

1 egg

2 handfuls of fresh spinach

1/2 cup oats

1 ripe banana

4 oz unsweetened applesauce or another fruit puree of your choice

1/2 tsp baking powder

That’s it-I repeat-That’s it. Just 6 simple things to throw in

place all ingredients into the blender or Ninja and pulse until smooth

This will look like a smoothie when you are done blending

cc mini g m raw

pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
pour batter into mini muffin baking pan pretty much all the way up as these are not going to rise (I sprayed with coconut oil spray first)
set timer for 18 min
Check them with a toothpick for it to come out clean
Let them cool for a half hour and then store in the fridge or freeze-I warmed Charlotte’s once refrigerated for 5 sec in the microwave before she ate some the next day

cc mini green muffin

Try this version also by just swapping the spinach for 1/2 cup of roasted butternut squash. It is delightful!

rbns mini blender muffins — Roasted butternut squash version on blender mini muffins

Enjoy! xo-Adrienne & Charlotte

Charlotte’s favorite veggie rice & fruity oatmeal

Charlotte has loved rice and oats from the beginning so I ground up brown rice and oats for her and began adding different fruits to the oats and veggies to the rice. I usually add a bit of butter and sometimes cinnamon too when making the oatmeal.

I have mixed black beans, cauliflower, corn, peas, green beans, zucchini (to name a few) and spinach in with her rice and it’s a great way to add new flavors and texture to it.

oats with blueberries — Charlotte’s favorite oatmeal with fruit

I have added peaches, bananas, cherries (especially loves that one) and blueberries and strawberries to her oats to name a few.

rice with spinach — Rice with butter & spinach

The basic recipe for the fruity oatmeal or the veggie rice goes like this:

Boil 1 cup of water

Add the fruit or veggie and boil for 3 min (about a 1/2 cup of fresh or frozen)-honestly this doesn’t matter that much, just a little will do, for example when I added the zucchini I just grated some in so I have no idea how much

Turn the water down to a simmer and add in 3 TBSP of oats or rice cereal or ones that you ground up yourself. I did mine in the Ninja-easy peasy

Whisk continuously for 5 min taking an occasional break-smash the fruit or veggie to the acceptable thickness your baby can handle if need be but it will naturally get smaller and break apart during the heating and whisking process

Add a touch of butter or cinnamon and stir once the baby is getting used to more complex flavors

I usually serve whatever it is right away (after it cools a bit) and then store the rest to use over the next 3 days.

***This is a thicker recipe and probably best once your babe has mastered purees and ready for more texture.

xo-Adrienne & Charlotte

Charlotte’s favorite baby hummus

jar it and eat it all week-you and baby

what you’ll need

pepper, basil, garlic & garbanzo beans

feeding herself

getting messy

Today we went to the market and bought some fresh ingredients to make a mild baby hummus that Charlotte tried for the 1st time. Her 9 month old birthday occurred yesterday and we are in full swing with new foods and especially working on finger foods and spoon feeding herself. I made a simple yet delicious hummus for her that I enjoyed as well. All I needed was a can of chick peas or garbanzo beans and a little bit of help from garlic, basil and a sweet pepper.

I used my Ninja that I make my smoothies and her baby purees in for this too.

1 can chick peas or garbanzo beans (rinsed and drained)

1 basil leaf

1 small sweet pepper (I used yellow)

1/4 tsp minced garlic (mine was in olive oil)

1/2 c water

Blend until smooth

Jar and enjoy!

Baby feeding tips:

Let her do it herself whether that is with her hand, spoon or dipping a carrot or celery in to lick and suck on.

Life is messy and feeding your baby is especially messy…embrace, let go and enjoy!

xo-Adrienne

…a few of my faves from her 9 month photos 40100586_10217438815100101_4134586847730860032_n(1)

Banana, spinach & kiwi for baby

Let’s talk healthy first foods for baby. I started Charlotte on purees at 6 months and she has now tasted about 28 different foods in the past almost 3 months. Everything from mango to avocado and basics like oats, rice and berries. She is so far a really good eater. She likes it and is eager to try new things and play with her food. Here is a simple puree that she loves that has a banana as a base.

Spinach + kiwi + banana:

2 kiwis peeled

1 ripe banana

1 handful of fresh or frozen spinach

Makes approx five 2 oz. servings

Blend until smooth {you will see the black specs of the kiwi and the little bits of the spinach and that’s ok} Also, I didn’t add any water to this one as it has no problem creating its own with the juice from the kiwi. Kiwi is so power packed and good for you and that’s why I love this particular blend! Freeze some and have some now and the next day…

I also made her another banana combo with strawberries +cantaloupe (pictured below) that she adored as well! For this combo I used:

1 ripe banana

2 TBSP water

3/4 c strawberries

3/4 c cantaloupe

Makes approx nine 2 oz servings

Remember, this phase is about having them try different foods and textures to set them up with good eating habits in the future as well as wean them off of breastmilk or formula eventually. So 1 bite or 10 consider your effort worth it! Have fun with it and they will too!

xo, Adrienne

Anxiety ruled my life…but not anymore

I have been kind of quiet over here because I have been doing a lot of work on myself. Not my body but rather my mind. I’m celebrating two months sober from anxiety. Anxiety- is an incredibly powerful thing, more than I ever knew. I finally took steps to get help with it and I never imagined a life like this was possible. The life I’m having right now. Meditation & medication is the formula that works for me. It took me forever to figure this out but I am beyond excited that I finally did. This is a huge deal for me. The calming of my mind is greater than any bikini body or any size 2 or 4 I ever was. You guys, I was drowning in anxiety. It was spinning around in my head every minute of every day. I didn’t realize how bad it was until I experienced life the opposite way. I write this so that you too may ask for help if you feel the same way that I felt. I felt this way for years and it kept getting worse. I never wanted to admit that I may need an anti-depressant. I am astonished by the trickle-down effect anxiety can cause. I can see it so clearly now that I have it under control. All the times I let anxiety rule me…too many to count or recall.

That term, depressed, never felt like it fit me. Depression though is a result of anxiety and I knew I had bad anxiety. Self-diagnosed but I was sure of it. I didn’t realize there was a drug that could help my anxiety because I refused to acknowledge that I was depressed and never considered taking a drug for it. I thought I could calm my mind with healthy food and exercise and it worked sometimes but after having the baby, the shift was too great. I could not handle this on my own anymore. I needed help. Had I known it would have worked this well I would have gotten on something sooner for sure! The stigma around mental health is that of mind over matter or just be happy and grateful for what you have and you will be fine. But it is just not the case. Something was going on chemically in my brain. Guess what? There is a pill for that and it is totally working for me. I am not ashamed. I am honest and feel great for being so.

depression

Do you have these thoughts: What’s wrong with me? What’s going to happen next? Why is this happening this way? I can’t manage. I can’t handle this. I feel overwhelmed. It’s all my fault. I can’t do anything right. Everything seems off, wrong, not quite right. These among other thoughts were on constant rotation in my brain before I had Charlotte but about 3 months after having her they went into high gear. I couldn’t escape them. I was exhausted- not from having a new baby but rather from having a battle in my own head every second of every day. My anxiety was taking over and I was crying, I was feeling defeated in every way. I just didn’t feel right. Was it postpartum? Was it hormonal and it would eventually go away? Maybe but I tried to think of how I felt prior to having her and I always came to the same conclusion. I just have never felt RIGHT.

I was foggy, moody, defeated, unmotivated, full of worry and confusion. Things would get better but they were never ok. I never felt ok. Finally, when school was ending I knew I couldn’t have a summer feeling like this. I wanted desperately to feel better. I had a particularly emotional and high stress few days which led me to call my OB and ask for help. I also talked to a few friends who have friends that take something or do themselves and that really drove me to realize that I may just be one of those people that need this. I was ready for help. I was scared. But I knew I needed it. They saw me the next day. I went into that appointment with the baby and spilled my guts to the Dr. I didn’t cry. I was just COMPLETELY HONEST with her and it was refreshing. I told her the warmer weather, the smoothies, the walks, the meditation, the positive vibes, the prayers…just wasn’t cutting it. I still feel like chaos rules my life and nothing is ever ok or ever going to be. I needed more help and I was ready to try an anti-depressant. I am so thankful that my OB was able to prescribe this for me and I didn’t have to wait months to get in with a different type of doctor. Help was literally one phone call away. I had no idea…..

It took so many guts to admit that I might be a depressed person but I had hit beyond rock bottom and it was the only choice left. You wouldn’t think that about me if you met me because this was something I battled inside. That is a huge part of this that not everyone can relate to or understand. I was good at hiding it maybe but inside it was destroying me. I refused to see myself that way because I have EVERYTHING I have ever wanted and more. My life is a cakewalk compared to others. I quit my part-time job at the end of May to try to ease the stress of everything. The sheer weight of my own thoughts racing in my head was enough to cripple me. Then throw in the baby and the rest of actual life and I was a mess. A hot, hot mess. I was scared and wanted to run away, I was not good enough, I was a bad mom. Every bad thought you can have about yourself I was having. I couldn’t take it anymore. I was ready to admit there must be something that could help me fill the worrisome feelings I was having all day every day.

depression and anxiety quotes Example depression and anxiety quotes my art journal pinterest anxiety

The Doctor put me on a very low dose of Zoloft and I was eager to see if this would work for me. I was desperate for it to work for me. I read the side effects and cried hard that night and hesitated even going through with taking it. What if this made everything worse? What if this didn’t work for me? I was doomed. I was losing it and I needed this to work and not make me feel more “crazy” or make me sick. I wanted it all. I wanted the thoughts to stop in my head and I wanted to experience and enjoy my kids, family & myself. I wanted to enjoy my life!

I took that first pill and I almost instantly felt better. I couldn’t believe it. The doom and the gloom weren’t there. I could breathe again and have clear balanced thoughts for the first time ever it felt like. I felt a huge weight lift off me. That weight was my destructive thoughts. They were gone. I had the exact same life and circumstances. Everything was the same but my mind became calm and I was able to handle things. Charlotte cried & I smiled. Max was rambunctious and asking me for a million things and I handled it. I felt safe and right. I felt more confident and self-assured. My self-esteem is at an all-time high because my anxiety is at an all-time low. I felt all of the things I had been trying to feel for so long. From a little green pill. A pill that was filling an imbalance in my brain. Adding to my brain what was missing. It was amazing! I was able to have a good time. I was present. I wasn’t worried quite frankly about anything. I sort of felt numb at first but in a good way. It felt like a much-needed break.

The first week was rough-we were on vacation and the pill was making me sick but I knew that could happen for the first week or two so I stuck it out. I wanted this to work for me. I wanted a life filled with gratitude and happiness. The fact was, I was happy. I was filled with blessings and I knew it but those feelings were getting buried by the anxiety I was experiencing every day. I then began to fear the what if I feel too numb. What if I stop caring about things and this works too much the opposite way for me. That would not be good either. I am happy to report that after just two weeks of taking it the sick feeling stopped and the numbness/robotic feeling went away. I was turning into me. The best version of me. As the weeks went on it just kept getting better and more balanced. My thoughts about myself and life are good and happy now. I handle life even though it isn’t perfect or easy. I see the joy in it and look forward to each new day. I am more motivated and active. I have even lost weight.

anxiety 2

I am so thankful that I was brave enough to try the Zoloft. I share this with you in hope that this can help even just one of you if you need it. I hope my honesty will encourage you to seek more help if the “natural” ways of coping with anxiety and depression are not working for you. I want this feeling for you all too. Anxiety and depression have a terrible stigma but the more open we are to talking about it the more we can normalize it.

I would love to hear from you if this something you want to talk about. Wishing you all the best life has to offer….drug or no drugs. I celebrate this drug and the fact that it is helping me. I am not ashamed and I hope you aren’t either.
Image may contain: 2 people, including Adrienne Lefcakis Carey, people smiling, child, eyeglasses and outdoor Image may contain: 1 person, smiling, closeup

Charlotte is almost 9 months old and doing great! Happy baby, happy mom, happy boy, happy husband, happy life! Happy for me is the opposite of anxiety. It used to rule me but not anymore.

xo, Adrienne

Charlotte’s Birth Story

Charlotte and mommy 2

Charlotte just born

So in love…..

charlotte and mom

I can’t believe she is here after all these months, through getting so big due to extra fluid in the womb, sleepless nights, wondering if she will come early….if she will be the biggest baby ever….?

I had her 11/26/17 and she is the most beautiful girl in the whole wide world. Tiny or average size at 7.1 lbs and 19.5 inches long. I opened my eyes to this wide-eyed, calm as could be baby that I delivered naturally after my water leaking and having to force labor for the safety of the baby with pitocin. The contractions came on fiercely and strongly with almost no break. The silver lining….this little precious girl came to us in just about an hour and 8 minutes from start to finish. I know this because I texted a friend at 4:12 pm and was not in active labor. Charlotte Irene Carey was born just about an hour later at 5:20 pm. It was so fast and so incredible, so magical and unbelievable.

A few days leading up to her birth I asked her to send mommy a sign that she was clearly coming so that we could be at the hospital and not have an emergency situation. Because of my high fluid, there was a chance that if my water broke and gushed it could send her umbilical cord slipping through and out before she was all the way down and that would be bad if not at the hospital. I was convinced she would come early. Max was 1 week early and I was convinced she would be bigger than Max, being my second baby as they say they usually are.

Since starting to meditate in February of this year and getting pregnant in early March, I knew I was ready to do this birth naturally. I chose hypnobirthing as my method and I practiced the techniques and meditated sometimes 3 or sometimes 4 times a day for 9 months. I read my daily affirmation cards, read books, watched videos and absorbed it all. I took care of myself and only gained 21 pounds during pregnancy even though all throughout my pregnancy my belly was so big I constantly got asked if I was having twins. That was annoying. I really prepared and stayed calm and focused on this baby girl as much as I could to connect with her in the womb.

The sign she gave me came on the morning of the 26th when I noticed that my water may be leaking. Of course, you think, I will call the doctor and go all the way to the hospital to get checked and they will say, “sorry sweetie looks like you just peed yourself.” Therefore wasting a Sunday and going home with still no baby. She was due in 2 days and I knew they would induce me soon if I didn’t have her after 40 weeks but from Thanksgiving and the next few days, I knew inside she was getting ready and very close to coming. So we went in and brought our bags…..

My water was, in fact, leaking just a bit but enough that when they tested it they could prove that it was. Thank you, Charlotte for the sign! They admitted me and we hung out listening to my music, my birthing meditations, putting lavender oil on my wrist and neck. Talking to the nurses and giving them my birthing plan which was a one-pager that I found online written by a L & D nurse. The resident Doctor was impressed and loved it and already I felt like I was doing things right! Now, she warned me that when they start the pitocin it makes giving birth naturally that much harder so she wished me luck and said see ya later. She didn’t make it back until after the baby was born 🙂

Around 3 or so we started the pitocin. I wasn’t allowed out of bed because of the water breaking situation so I was afraid I would not be able to do the things that I had practiced like sitting, rolling, bouncing on the ball, squatting, walking around etc. I did not want to be bedridden! I wanted to be free! But, the answer was no. They gave me a peanut ball to lay on my side and wrap my legs around to open my pelvis. So, I had that which I loved and then eventually ended up wanting to chuck it across the room once the contractions started.

They tried to monitor the contractions and the baby, who was very active, but once that pitocin kicked in around 4:15 there was no getting that monitor on me. They were coming strong but the nurses only really had me to believe and they don’t know me so who was to say how dramatic I was being. They came, one after the other, stronger and faster and I barely could even do my breathing that I practiced. I did manage to do so for the first few but then all of a sudden I felt a kick or an electric shock inside that was, in fact, my water breaking. It felt like Charlotte kicked the hardest soccer ball into my goalie net womb. It was the strangest sensation and I asked the nurse what in the world was that. She said, “that’s your water breaking honey.” Wow. Ok. From that point on, it was relentless and by 5 pm I was pulling on Tim and screaming (calmly sort of) “she is coming! she is coming, get them, I know she is coming out of me!”….. is what I actually said. He went to the hallway to get them and to everyone’s disbelief they checked me and she was in fact coming and I was 10 cm. They were amazed at how fast because just 20 min earlier I was only 4 cm.

The bed dropped, the doctors and nurses came in and I pushed for what might have been 20 of those minutes. Again, texted my friend at 4:12 all was well. By 5 pm I am pushing this little angel out into this big world. It was so fast, so fierce and she was so amazing. I know my breathing beforehand helped me. I know the months of preparation helped me. Nothing could truly prepare me for that hour but I am so elated that I believed in myself and my strength to birth her that way. I was fully present. I felt EVERYTHING and it was AWESOME!!! I remember them cheering me on, I can still hear them in my head, total strangers helping and encouraging me to push her out. I felt like I was at a football game with actual cheerleaders around me. They were cheering and praising me after about how well I did and I was truly in shock over what just happened. They were saying how beautiful she was and I really felt like I accomplished the greatest thing in my life that day. I kept my eyes closed during those last few moments because I felt it was the only way I would get through it. They said, “open your eyes, she’s here!” I’ll never forget seeing how angelic she was and how amazing it was to see her for the first time. She was calm and graceful and I swear looked at me like wink-wink, we got this. I’ll ever forget them cheering me on and all the positivity in the room!

Tim was wonderful, the hospital staff was amazing and supportive and everything happened just as it should. I truly believe we are meant to be. This little girl and I. Tim and I. The three of us and don’t even get me started on how loving Max is with her! This house is full of love. The four of us make perfect sense.

max and charlotte

We simply love her and I can’t wait to see what life lessons we will learn from being her parents. Everything is going great and we are settling into our new routine here. The universe has our back and I know we are on the right path.

Charlotte and mommy

She is officially 1 week old and thriving. I feel amazing and couldn’t be more grateful for this little blessing that has completed our little family. xo, Adrienne

1 week Charlotte

Blessed

Feeling quite blessed over here nowadays. I’m having a baby! 19 weeks tomorrow and I wanted to write about this experience on my blog since I have shared so much other personal life experiences on here. It is time for my pregnancy blog. The baby has gone from a tiny poppy seed to now the size of a mango, or a zesty zucchini or a throwback to the size of Nintendo game boy (says a nifty chart I found on Pinterest). So about 6 inches long and growing rapidly, constantly doubling in size! It’s truly a miracle what happens inside a woman’s body when they are pregnant. I realize it more and more with this pregnancy than I ever did with Max. My first pregnancy was basically 9 years ago. I was 28 when pregnant with him. I am 37 now. I feel in most ways younger and healthier than I did then. I wasn’t a very good eater or exerciser back then. I have had my moments, trust me, tired, emotional & moody but overall I feel great. I’m not scared and I am certainly not worried about all of those tiny details you do with your first. I am not even nervous about birth. Those are the things that are different. I am much more aware now that I have been through it I know it will just unfold and it will happen as God intends it to. And it will be completely amazing in every way.

pregnant 1

I am so glad that I found meditation right around the time I got pregnant actually. Just a few weeks before getting pregnant is when I started and I swear it helped me relax and get pregnant. It helped me through that 1st trimester when you are constantly worrying that the pregnancy will hold on and get through. In times of Max not sleeping through the night (not being able to figure out why and wanting to help him) when I desperately needed to sleep because I was so tired in early pregnancy. Not being able to go back with him for an x-ray or an MRI for his leg (once we figured out why) because of scans like that & babies in the belly don’t mix. Of course, all of this unfolding while I was still “secretly pregnant”. The point of this is that it helped me separate from Max and let him do these things on his own. Which is huge for us. I tend to baby him, hold on tight for dear life because I only see him 50% of the time. But this baby coming and him being older is all going to aid in me trusting him & letting go just a little. Funny how the timing of things unfold when you believe, like I do, in signs that the universe sends you exactly what you need when you need it. Maybe I need an 8-year difference in my kids? I don’t know but that is what is happening because that is how my life is unfolding and I trust that it’s just right. Perfect timing for me and my family.

I mean this kid is the definition of pure happiness. I learn so much from him! Sure, he gets sad or bothered from time to time but he is human. It’s part of the human experience to feel. Full leg cast in June-summertime-and he handled it amazingly. It has been such a joy to watch him react to me being pregnant. Shock and denial at first to naming the baby and putting his head to my belly and saying he can hear him or her in there and he can’t wait to teach the baby to be “awesome and handsome” just like him. It’s really that simple.

Max cast

Recently, my anxiety was at an all time high and I finally just broke. I was taking everything so seriously. Everything was so important to me. The smallest and the biggest things. I realized that I couldn’t keep going like this if I was going to be a great mom and wife. My blood pressure was rising. Things were happening around me that were out of my control and I wanted to control them so badly. I finally gave myself permission to stop caring essentially. It was a total relief and I can’t even explain how much of a weight has lifted. Trust me, I still care a lot about all of the things but at the rate I was going it was only leading to total devastation and I knew deep down I didn’t want that. So, one day, I told myself enough. And that was that. When other people tell you to relax and tell you don’t sweat the small stuff (*my mom since I was probably 16*) it’s just not the same. You have to hit the bottom and realize yourself how much useless pain and unhappiness you are causing yourself. Give it up. Come to the other side. It’s so chill here & everything is still okay.

I have been able to really let go of a lot of expectations and ideas on what life should be during these past 4 or 5 months. Going to therapy since November, not really regularly, but just once or twice a month has helped. I have learned so many things from Dr. E and have really been able to settle a lot of turmoil within myself as a result. So much of life is uncontrollable. Not just mine. Everyone has similar issues, worse issues. It’s how you deal daily that is going to make or break you for the amazing life that you deserve. That you deserved from the second you were born. All of us. All of us are so worthy from day one. Know that.

Deserve-what a word. I spent so much time thinking I didn’t deserve this baby. That I couldn’t or shouldn’t. My life is too messed up. How will I explain to this child that their brother isn’t here half the time? Explain to Max that this child gets to stay but he doesn’t. That their brother has a different dad. I just couldn’t even go there. I didn’t deserve it. I would only put pain and hardship on yet another human. I was unraveling and it wasn’t pretty. But then I realized that was all total BS (with the help of meditation & my therapist, family and friends). What matters to kids and to adults is happiness. Nothing else, not their so-called circumstances. Can you give them food, shelter and most of all LOVE? Then check mark, if this is something you want then you should do it. The rest truly doesn’t matter. It is not good or bad. It is nothing actually. Expectations are happiness killers and I no longer think that way. It was killing me. I finally got the courage to decide with Tim that this was something we really wanted so we started trying. When I took the test and saw the word “pregnant” all of those thoughts went away. I knew it was okay and it was going to be okay forever. We are about to bring more LOVE into this world and that cannot possibly be bad for anyone. Everything has felt aligned since then. The more I believe it the more it is true.

baby c 1st ultrasound

Baby C is coming and this is going to be an awesome new chapter for all of us and we are so excited! I am present. I am here living and enjoying this. I am not worried about the past or the future and it feels really good. Now, is the baby a boy or is the baby a girl? We will find out this Sunday with some surprise cupcakes with my parents. I am team healthy baby all the way but my intuition tells me there is a classic romantic boho chic, food & wellness loving little girl in there planning her outfits already 😉

xoxo,

Adrienne

10 Daily Defenses to Live Balanced

Before I started committing to meditating and to myself truly I realized that I would try but I didn’t have a true defense or a plan on how to achieve balance. I didn’t have the daily ways set up to make sure I would be okay.

Here are some of the things that I have been doing daily to ensure that I can combat the blues, the worry, the things in life that might stop me in my tracks from living a full & happy life:

Stop & breathe purposefully throughout the day & especially in stressful situations
Reading self-help books or books that help enlighten your mind or just for fun (less TV more reading)
Meditate-2 times a day for 5 to 10 minutes each which helps you connect with yourself and feel peaceful and grateful
Routine Sleep-8 hours from around the same time each night (11pm to 7am for me) and always think good thoughts before falling asleep so they can marinade in your sub-conscious all night
Nutrition-smoothie with flaxseeds and smart choices with some fun indulgences (don’t stress out about and control strictly what you are eating)
Movement of any kind for 20 min a day
Connect with friends and family-talk on the phone or visit
Sunshine-get outdoors if you can at least once a day even if the sun isn’t brightly shining
Surround yourself with fresh flowers, plants or visual inspiration around the house or your workspace
Cooking/baking or doing something creative that you like to do even just for a few minutes a day

I don’t do all of these every single day but I do most of them. They help keep me balanced. That is all I have been striving for, BALANCE. I am still working on it and always will be but now that I have a plan and some easy daily defenses to practice I am further along than ever before.

I hope some of these ideas help you to live a balanced life too! Come up with your own plan or build off of mine. Point is, have a plan and start practicing it!

xo,

Adrienne

thouhgts real destiny

20/20/20 Movement & Meditation Challenge

You-are-enough

challenge

As many of you know I have started meditating and it is 100% changing my life! I thought it would be fun to do a little challenge involving moving our bodies and connecting with our minds. I know right away you are thinking you can’t meditate because that is literally what everyone says about it that hasn’t done it. I thought the same darn thing which is why it took me so long to finally try it. I am so glad that I did! I have without fail done some sort of meditation 1, 2 or 3 times a day since Feb 23rd of this year. I know that is less than a month but the fact that I have done it every single day says something.

It says that it works. That it is powerful and I am not having to force myself to do it. I want to do it because it is helping me feel so amazing and to feel connected! When have you ever heard someone say, “oh, I can’t believe I have to go meditate tonight”…..um never. So, trust me I really think you will benefit if you try this little 20-day challenge with me with movement & meditation together. Let’s start on Monday, March 20th, next week. I think this is going to work because of the 20/20 guideline. I will do the literal 20/20 split but if you are brand new to meditating then you can split it into a 5 min meditation in the morning, 30 minutes of movement at some point and finish with 5 more minutes of meditation at bedtime. Or try a 20 min walk, 10 minutes with weights and a 10-minute meditation. You get the point, break it up however you need to. Then as you get more comfortable with meditation you can do less movement and more meditation until you reach the balanced 20/20 split. Maybe by the end of the 20 days, you will feel comfortable spending 20 minutes connecting with your core being. That is my hope for all of you!

I have been so into meditating that I am not moving as much so this will work both ways. I will try to move more while you guys try something new in the meditating. Today I think I did a total of 40 or more minutes of meditating at two different times. This works and is basically a free miracle waiting for you to tap into. All you need to be happy is already inside of you. You just have to spend a little time devoted to accessing it. Everyone can benefit from meditating! All you have to do is stop and connect with yourself each & every day. You are so worth that and so much more! I have learned so much about myself, why I act a certain way in a particular situation, what triggers me, my relationship with my body and with food has changed. My self-esteem is up, I don’t fear or worry about certain things that I used to, I think more positively in general and most importantly I am able to let go of what doesn’t serve me. I am grateful for what my life looks like & how it got here. Thoughts can pass through me instead of taking up camp and staying inside of me, making feel and act certain ways. My boat cannot be rocked like it used to. Meditation gives you the strength to handle life like the rockstar that you really are!

I know on my facebook page I have been really enthusiastic about it so I shared a bunch of links to guided meditations that you can click on from there but I will list some here also. That is also the key to this. Beginners can really get started with this concept by listening to guided meditations. You lay down or sit with your eyes closed and listen to them guide you. You can do that! I promise!

Here are some links: This is Bex-she is one of my favorites to listen to

There are thousands of these on YouTube….you can search for what you need to focus on or just pick one randomly. It will be amazing!

I know we are all holding onto a lot that we don’t need to. I was especially. So much that wasn’t serving me, so much weighing me down mentally. I’ve decided that I am done with that. I feel so much better. So much more aware of what actually matters. I had tried to decide that in the past but I had no power, no defense to help me actually do it. That is what meditation is doing for me. It’s like I am wearing a coat of armor and nothing can shake me. I can outLove any of it. Problems will still come and go and still be there but you will be your own hero in every story.

I hope you will try this challenge because I see how powerful this is and would love if we as people struggled less and were able to love more. It starts with ourselves.

I will post a lot on facebook about the challenge included meditations and workouts so if you don’t follow me there consider doing that. You do not have to follow me, though, you can simply take this idea and make it and do it on your own privately. I cannot imagine a day without meditation in my life going forward. That is how strong this is. The real you is waiting! I know it!

xo, Adrienne

joy cropped-live-a-little-more

Foil Pack Chicken Meals

foil pack chicken 1

Today, I am sharing two different ways to prepare chicken in a foil pack. I also did this with fresh cod, potatoes, onions, garlic, lemon and parsley on Friday night and it was easy & delicious too! These should take about 10 min to prep and 30 min to cook. If you are doing fish though I would turn the temp up and lessen the baking time. More like 15 min at 450 degrees.

*This first one has mostly ingredients from Trader Joe’s and the second from Aldi*

I used some of their frozen pearl onions, frozen tri-colored fire roasted onion & peppers and chicken but you can use whatever brands you have of course. I also used their red lentil pasta which I just adore. I am thinking Max (my 8-year-old son) would really like this meal even if he picked around the peppers and onions he would like the pasta and chicken.

For this recipe follow these few simple steps (makes 2 servings):

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees

Place a handful of pearl onions, frozen peppers on the bottom of a foil sheet

Place one piece chicken breast on top of the veggies (you can, of course, use fresh)

Sprinkle chicken with garlic powder, paprika and chili powder to your liking. Add a tbsp of olive oil and spread with your hand over the chicken

Wrap the foil packet up tightly and place in oven for 30 to 40 minutes depending on the thickness of your chicken

Cook pasta or rice to serve with it when finished. Sprinkle some shredded cheese or fresh herbs as well

foil pack chicken 2

For this one, I used some traditional Mediterranean ingredients

Most of these ingredients came from Aldi

To make this foil pack chicken (2 servings) follow these few easy steps:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees

Make a dressing with 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 tbsp pesto (jarred from Aldi) and the juice from 1/2 lemon

Take 1/2 cup each of cherry tomatoes sliced in half, kalamata olives (jarred from Aldi) and sliced red onion divided into two portions on the bottom of each of the foil sheets. Also, add some minced garlic to your liking

Salt & pepper the chicken then place it on top of the tomato, onion & olive mix

Pour half of the dressing over each piece of chicken & add a slice of lemon. Then wrap them up

Bake in oven for 30 to 40 minutes depending on their thickness

While that is baking make potatoes, rice, pasta or something to serve it over.

Put it over your carb and add fresh mozzarella (got from Aldi) or feta with some fresh chopped parsley

I hope you enjoy these foil pack chicken ideas and will give them a try with your own spin or use my versions for dinner soon! I really think the possibilities are endless here. It doesn’t matter where you get your ingredients. I just wanted to share that there are some amazing options at both Aldi and Trader Joe’s that I found and keep going back to, using them in different dishes and different ways.

xo, Adrienne