easy breakfast crepes, 5 foodie finds, & 3 months

One of our family’s favorite foods is the crepe.

They’re so easy to make & contain no gluten, dairy, or oil. You can fill them up with lots of fresh fruit, drizzle a bit of maple syrup, & you’re good to go. I’m going to share the recipe with you today, but first,

Our dearly beloved PC dell computer died on Wednesday.

It was sad, but not unexpected.

It was a little ironic, since the day before, I posted an update on our debt snowball progress & admitted because of “unexpected” expenses we aren’t as far along as we’d like to be. And, wouldn’t ya know the next day our computer dies. I guess lesson to to be learned is that “unexpected” expenses are to be expected.

According to the very geeky guy from the Geek Squad at Best Buy, the computer had lived a long life & it was time to say sayonara. We did some number crunching & looking around & ended up buying a laptop for $650 at Costco. Between the add-ons–3 year drop & spill warranty (you bet we’re getting that one), Microsoft Office, Norton anti-virus–and the $100 it cost to transfer all my old files to the new computer, it set us back $1,000 bucks.

But, I’ve been wanting a laptop for some time now (better suited to writing whilst caring for the wee ones because I can transport it from room to room), but we couldn’t justify the expense. Until now, when we don’t have any other option. And a lap top is less expensive than a desktop.

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It’s Fitness Friday!

And it’s been two weeks since I gave an update on the weight loss progress (why I use a scale & why I’m sharing my weight with you, here) & I have to be honest. After about 8 weeks into weight loss (you know this my 5th time around), I start to feel burned out.

You know, just tired of being careful & deliberate about what I’m eating & tired of thinking about that weekly weigh in & whether or not I’ve lost weight. So last week I took a break & didn’t weight myself.

This week, I was nervous (what if the scale hadn’t budged like a few weeks ago?).

I stepped on the scale today, & I’m down two pounds from two weeks ago. Not bad, but I’d rather be closer to a two pound loss a week than just one.  Don’t get me wrong, not griping here, just think I’m going to refocus my efforts on making sure I’m eating lots of raw leafy greens & getting in my daily sweat session in order to encourage a greater weekly loss.

starting weight: 204 lbs. 

present weight: 177.2 lbs. 

total loss so far: 27 lbs. 

{Here for a recap of previous weeks losses.}

My current BMI is 26. My pre-pregnancy BMI was 21, so I still have about 30 pounds to get there, but I’m making progress.

Like debt, it’s all about being consistent, making slow & steady (& sustainable) movement in the right direction.

(All the details for how I’m losing the weight can be found in my ebook–Fit, Strong, Lean: The Diet.)

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Tyndale is 3 months old today.

(Boy, he’s getting plump.)

He is such an easy baby. The easiest I’ve had. He is content–only cries if he’s hungry or tired. I feel so blessed to have such an awesome little man in my life.

The hardest thing about having a fifth kid, well two things–keeping up on housework & finding time to exercise. I finally caught up with getting my house in order this week (only took me three months!) & can I say, I feel so much better. I know so many women who say, “my house will be clean when the kids get older.” If I had that mentality I would have been living in a messy house for the past nine years! I can’t live that way.

I know a clean house isn’t everything, & inevitably, with kids you have to learn to let certain things go (like having a spotless kitchen floor) but when I’m at home all day, it really impacts my mood if my house is in disarray. In other words, I’m a grouch.  Don’t get me wrong, we have our messy times, but I’ve learned if I’m going to keep my sanity I must at least try to stay ahead of the storm (ie. laundry, dishes) if I don’t want it to swallow me whole. Also, I’m not the maid here–I have my kids do quite a bit of the grunt work as well, but as any seasoned mom knows, there’s a good deal of training involved that often makes the teach-your-kids-how-to-clean process much longer than if you just did it yourself. Teaching them how to do it themselves is an investment, I suppose.

As far as exercise, I’m so grateful for my double jogging stroller (got it on craigslist for $50!). I walk the kids to & from school as well as try & squeeze walking sessions in sometime during the day.

Last Friday I asked you how you fit exercise into your day.

Lots of good suggestions for making exercise a priority, but I especially appreciated what Lisa had to say about exercise vs. sleep.

“Like you said, illness (either mine or my kids’) or other stresses can easily sabotage those plans and it really just is what it is! Sometimes life gets in the way and you just do the best you can. One thing I try to remember is the importance of sleep. If I am sleep deprived all the exercise in the world isn’t going to do a bit of good.”

That is absolutely a lesson I’ve learned lately. If I’m not well rested–who cares if I’ve exercised? I’m going to be tired, cranky & I often find I eat more in hopes of perking myself up.

I’ve also struggled with running.

First, there’s the time factor. I have a jogging stroller, but I’m not a fan of pushing anything when I’m running, especially a stroller with two kids in it. Also, I’ve mentioned that all of the extra weight puts pressure on my joints & makes running really uncomfortable. Running with an extra 30 pounds to carry is something my knees don’t appreciate!

For now, I’m mostly walking, & it’s something I can do with the kids. And it’s free. Our swimming pool is open & it’s warming up, so I’m going to try & swim laps a few times a week there too, in addition to doing yoga/pilates/weights a few times a week at home.

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For awhile now I’ve been wanting to share a few of my fave new (food) finds.

I think this may become a regular feature–if that’s something you’re interested in–since I often come across products & foods that I think, “hey! I want to share that on the blog.”

Here are five foodie finds I think are pretty great.

1. PB2 powder

If you haven’t tried PB2 powder, especially if you’re looking to lose weight, it’s a great way to enjoy peanut butter at 75% fewer calories. It’s simply roasted peanuts, pressed to remove the oil. It’s all natural with no artificial flavors, sweeteners, or preservatives. All you do is add water & it makes a delicious peanut butter that can be used in all your fave recipes. (One way I use it is to make my low-cal siracha sesame peanut noodles–yum.)

I’ve seen posts by some other bloggers who don’t recommend PB2 powder because it’s not a “whole food,” but my opinion is–it’s whole enough(!). For someone who loves peanut butter but doesn’t need all of the extra calories that come with it, it’s a great option.

I’ve found the best price for PB2 powder is on Amazon (I order the two pack, once a month). If you have a prime membership (I do!), shipping is free. If you don’t have a prime membership, you can try it out for free for 30 days, here. After that, it’s $99/year & includes other perks like unlimited streaming of their TV shows (which includes the seasons of Downton Abbey & more) & movies.

2. 505 Southwestern jarred roasted green chilis &
3. Next Organics organic dark chocolate covered coconut banana

I purchased these at…Costco.

In fact the rest of the items here are all Costco picks (I swear I have no connection with them–I wish!).

The jar of green chilis runs about $7 at Costco but the nice thing is all the work is already done for you!  The ingredients in this brand are simple: green chilis, lime, & garlic salt. No roasting, just add the chilis to sauces, dips, enchiladas (in fact, I have an green chili enchilada recipe coming up!). Remember my hummus salsa recipe from last week? I’ve been replacing salsa & using green chilis instead. Soooo good.

The dark chocolate covered coconut banana is way more of an indulgence than a necessity. The bag includes dark chocolate covered coconut and dark chocolate covered bananas (they’re not together). I like the chocolate covered coconut better than the banana, but both are good. You can get it in on Amazon, but it’s a lot cheaper at Costco (less than $10, I think).

4. La Croix sparkling water

Again, another Costco find.

They’ve now begun carrying a case that includes three awesome flavors–berry, cran-raspberry, & pamplemouse (grapefruit) flavored. Joseph thinks I’m a weirdo for drinking this stuff (“I don’t know how/why you drink that,” I think are his exact words), but I think it’s delicious! Crisp, clean, with a hint of natural flavor & a little fizz (with no calories!). The cran-raspberry is my fave. I believe it runs under $10 for a case of 24 at Costco, but you can find this brand at many other stores as well.

5. Zevia natural soda

Darn Costco. Every time I go they have a new product that I must buy. Like this Zevia. Zevia in bulk!

I love Zevia, but I rarely buy it, because I can’t afford a six pack for $5 at Whole Foods. But now Costco has suddenly made it a lot more affordable by offering 24-packs of the good stuff for $9.99. Sheesh.

I’m not saying Zevia is healthy, or that it has any nutritional benefits. But, if you like soda but not the calories, Zevia is a better alternative to diet soda. It’s sweetened with the stevia leaf rather than aspartame or Splenda, like most traditional diet drinks. The ginger root beer is my fave.

Sure, plain ol’ water will hydrate you, but sometimes you just want something a little sweet & fizzy & cold to sip on. These will do the trick.

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Now for that recipe.

It’s actually not a new recipe. I first posted it on the blog last year, but decided I should re-post it since it’s one of those I really think everyone should have in their arsenal of recipes.

As I was saying earlier, after a while of being in calorie-deficit mode, I want to eat something that doesn’t *feel* like diet food. I love soups & salads & veggies, but woman can not live on those alone. You must have some indulgent foods too. And crepes taste indulgent. Though, this recipe, unlike it’s egg/butter/oil/wheat counterpart (makes my stomach churn just thinking about it!) will not weigh you down & is quite nutritious.

I love crepes because, like burritos, you can stuff them full of goodness. This recipe is not sweet, which I like–that’s what the fruit & syrup is for, in my opinion. All of these ingredients can be found at a regular grocery store, or at Costco (which is where I got them).

I really think you should make these this weekend. For Sunday brunch maybe?

Hope you have a great weekend.

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